Getting mail for addresses that aren't mine

browntown · 22 Nov 2007, 08:21 AM

Quick question:

Is there a setting to prevent my inbox from accepting 'to:' email addresses that aren't exactly mine?

Example: username browntown, I get emails for
brian
brian_foley
brian.smith
bright

etc. Pretty much any email sent to br******@runbox.com, I get their spam. BTW, this brian foley character really needs to stop worrying about how small his you know what is.

Thanks for the help.

carverrn · 22 Nov 2007, 10:48 AM

If you are getting email where you're email address is not in the "To:" or the "CC:" sections then it's because your email address was in the "BCC:" section which you won't see (hence the name Blind Carbon Copy .. BCC). This is very common for spam.

You could add filters to test the "To:" and "CC:" fields for your address. Something like this:

Order: "997"
Messages where: "To" "contains" "your_email_address" will be "saved to folder" "Inbox"

Order: "998"
Messages where: "CC" "contains" "your_email_address" will be "saved to folder" "Inbox"

Order: "999"
Messages where: "Header" "contains" "@" will be "saved to folder" "Spam"

This will move messages that don't have your name in the "To:" or the "CC:" fields to a folder called Spam.

You probably don't want to just delete these messages because it is possible that you could get legitimate email where your name was in the "BCC:" section and not in the "To:" or "CC:"

Regards,
Rich

browntown · 22 Nov 2007, 12:36 PM

Thanks for the reply. Fortunately I have all runbox emails go through gmail before coming into outlook. Gmail catches 99% of the junk and puts them in spam already so adding another spam filter inline will do little.

I just thought that the runbox server was auto-forwarding to me because my username was the closest match. My college email server did that. Say John Smith's email at Cornell (Go Big Red) was js AT cornell. edu. If that was the only John in the directory (obviously not, just an example) email sent to john AT cornell. edu would be forwarded to him automatically.

Thought that was the case here, guess not.
.
Sorry for the diversion.

Mod: Fixed "live" email address to avoid spambots.

carverrn · 22 Nov 2007, 10:46 PM

No, Runbox does not do that. I'm surprised any organization would do that. To me that's the same as deliberately delivering postal mail to the wrong address because it's "close enough". You could be delivering sensitive information to the wrong people. They should reject the email if the user doesn't exist. That way the sender will know that it's an invalid address.

Regards,
Rich

ultra · 23 Nov 2007, 07:55 PM

Agreed, it's best for the server to reject immediately (with some 5xx status response), and not "bounce" mail (sending it back to the mail address of the "sender" as spammers use some other mail address most of the time, and all too often the "bounce" just increases the amount of junk mail zapping around the world).

22 Nov 2007, 08:21 AM	#1
browntown Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 46	Getting mail for addresses that aren't mine Quick question: Is there a setting to prevent my inbox from accepting 'to:' email addresses that aren't exactly mine? Example: username browntown, I get emails for brian brian_foley brian.smith bright etc. Pretty much any email sent to br******@runbox.com, I get their spam. BTW, this brian foley character really needs to stop worrying about how small his you know what is. Thanks for the help.

22 Nov 2007, 12:36 PM	#3
browntown Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 46	Thanks for the reply. Fortunately I have all runbox emails go through gmail before coming into outlook. Gmail catches 99% of the junk and puts them in spam already so adding another spam filter inline will do little. I just thought that the runbox server was auto-forwarding to me because my username was the closest match. My college email server did that. Say John Smith's email at Cornell (Go Big Red) was js AT cornell. edu. If that was the only John in the directory (obviously not, just an example) email sent to john AT cornell. edu would be forwarded to him automatically. Thought that was the case here, guess not. . Sorry for the diversion. Mod: Fixed "live" email address to avoid spambots. Last edited by Sherry : 22 Nov 2007 at 04:45 PM.

22 Nov 2007, 10:48 AM	#2
carverrn Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 5,606 Representative of: Runbox.com	If you are getting email where you're email address is not in the "To:" or the "CC:" sections then it's because your email address was in the "BCC:" section which you won't see (hence the name Blind Carbon Copy .. BCC). This is very common for spam. You could add filters to test the "To:" and "CC:" fields for your address. Something like this: Order: "997" Messages where: "To" "contains" "your_email_address" will be "saved to folder" "Inbox" Order: "998" Messages where: "CC" "contains" "your_email_address" will be "saved to folder" "Inbox" Order: "999" Messages where: "Header" "contains" "@" will be "saved to folder" "Spam" This will move messages that don't have your name in the "To:" or the "CC:" fields to a folder called Spam. You probably don't want to just delete these messages because it is possible that you could get legitimate email where your name was in the "BCC:" section and not in the "To:" or "CC:" Regards, Rich

22 Nov 2007, 10:46 PM	#4
carverrn Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 5,606 Representative of: Runbox.com	No, Runbox does not do that. I'm surprised any organization would do that. To me that's the same as deliberately delivering postal mail to the wrong address because it's "close enough". You could be delivering sensitive information to the wrong people. They should reject the email if the user doesn't exist. That way the sender will know that it's an invalid address. Regards, Rich

23 Nov 2007, 07:55 PM	#5
ultra Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: UK Posts: 68	Agreed, it's best for the server to reject immediately (with some 5xx status response), and not "bounce" mail (sending it back to the mail address of the "sender" as spammers use some other mail address most of the time, and all too often the "bounce" just increases the amount of junk mail zapping around the world).