4 ms·

I have my own domain, and have email set up so that any email to that domain goes to me. You'd be surprised (well, nobody here on HN would be) to know how many

I have my own domain, and have email set up so that any email to that domain goes to me. You'd be surprised (well, nobody here on HN would be) to know how many times I tell a business that my email is "their-business@my-domain.com", and they ask me how I got that email address, whether I work for their company, etc.

robertlagrant 2y ago
Yep. I've had that conversation more than once. They get very suspicious! And probably triggers internal meetings with cyber.
- pavel_lishin 2y ago
  I genuinely wonder how many emails I've missed because some system flagged the email address as invalid or suspicious.
- dingaling 2y ago
  I can only dream that it triggers meetings with security. I once started receiving spam addressed to <mybankname>@<mydomain>.org and after several instances I reported it to MyBankName. I explained that I only used that address in my dealings with them and so it must have leaked from them. They said that's not how email works, you have one address that you use with all your contacts. One of them must have leaked it. I tried to explain that I used a different host portion with each company I contacted. They said that's not how email works, you have one address that you use with all your contacts. One of them must have leaked it. I transferred my balance out and let the account lapse.
  - fuzztester 2y ago
    why didn't you close the account instead, after transferring your balance, to send them a stronger message?
    - SiempreViernes 2y ago
      Sounds like the sort of bank that only allow closure to be requested via fax certain months.
      - Dilettante_ 2y ago
        The mailbox is publicly accessible, in the 2nd level basement behind a locked door guarded by a hungry tiger!
      - fuzztester 2y ago
        Then I request, in no uncertain terms, that the government kindly close those sorts of faxers.
amatecha 2y ago
Yeah, I do this with a catchall domain as well. Indeed, I've had people ask if I work for their company -- too funny! So far the only company that has illegally added me to a mailing list I didn't sign up for is H&M (the clothing store).
- johnisgood 2y ago
  I hate this stuff. Someone tried to sign up to a crypto exchange with my phone number. :| 3 times they had the code resent!
oneeyedpigeon 2y ago
Even giving them "email+their-business@gmail.com" (instead of email@gmail.com), as every single Gmail user is able to do, will no doubt sow confusion.
- rswail 2y ago
  I always allocate an email of my+company@myemail.com and the number of email validators that don't accept that "+" is a legit email character is infuriating.
  - glandium 2y ago
    That's why I've updated my SMTP config to handle - the same way as + 10+ years ago. And to avoid "why is my business name in your email?" questions, I rot13 it.
    - Dilettante_ 2y ago
      >rot13 That's clever. But doesn't it cause friction when trying to relay the address e.g. over the phone?
    - zimpenfish 2y ago
      Yeah, did the same for my SMTP config way back. Don't think my family users have managed to get their head around it yet though. > to avoid "why is my business name in your email?" questions, I rot13 it. That's a neat idea.
    - latexr 2y ago
      Your first sentence took me a second to mentally parse and understand, so to help anyone with that same issue later, what was meant is: > That's why I've updated my SMTP config to handle the hyphen character the same way as the plus sign over 10 years ago.
IceDane 2y ago
This is simultaneously a brilliant idea and hilarious because I can imagine how this must confuse them.
jeroenhd 2y ago
I do the same, and some companies flat-out refuse to accept email adresses with their own name in them. Samsung, notably, won't allow samsung@domain.tld for some obscure reason. Every time I have to hand out my email over the phone, I brace for having to explain my catch-all to people. Depending on how tired/tech-illiterate the person on the other end sounds, I've started using plausible-sounding alternatives (contact@/hello@/email@) instead.
- kazinator 2y ago
  > won't allow samsung@domain.tld for some obscure reason. It's not obscure. Some code monkey at Samsung was told to filter out certain addresses, Samsung ones among them, and just used a regex or substring search on the entire address.
  - marcus_holmes 2y ago
    It could also fall foul of a Scunthorpe filter - refusing to accept names with some subset of characters, and the company name got added to the filter to avoid "samsungsuxbawls@gmail.com" or similar
networked 2y ago
Since this happens often, you could try changing the form of the email addresses to make them less confusing. I can think of several options: 1. Prepend "from-", so that instead of <their-business>@example.com you give them from-<their-business>@example.com. It should at least make it easier to explain your approach when you have to. 2. ROT13 or reverse the name of the business so it's gurve-ohfvarff@example.com or ssenisub-rieht@example.com. You can design a different stateless function that maps names to email addresses. The function doesn't even have to be invertible. This is similar to a stateless password manager like https://www.lesspass.com/ https://www.lesspass.com/. 3. Use a list of pre-generated addresses you keep on your person. Think recovery codes. Of course, you can keep the list on a smartphone.

robertlagrant 2y ago

Yep. I've had that conversation more than once. They get very suspicious! And probably triggers internal meetings with cyber.

pavel_lishin 2y ago
I genuinely wonder how many emails I've missed because some system flagged the email address as invalid or suspicious.
dingaling 2y ago
I can only dream that it triggers meetings with security. I once started receiving spam addressed to <mybankname>@<mydomain>.org and after several instances I reported it to MyBankName. I explained that I only used that address in my dealings with them and so it must have leaked from them. They said that's not how email works, you have one address that you use with all your contacts. One of them must have leaked it. I tried to explain that I used a different host portion with each company I contacted. They said that's not how email works, you have one address that you use with all your contacts. One of them must have leaked it. I transferred my balance out and let the account lapse.
- fuzztester 2y ago
  why didn't you close the account instead, after transferring your balance, to send them a stronger message?
  - SiempreViernes 2y ago
    Sounds like the sort of bank that only allow closure to be requested via fax certain months.
    - Dilettante_ 2y ago
      The mailbox is publicly accessible, in the 2nd level basement behind a locked door guarded by a hungry tiger!
    - fuzztester 2y ago
      Then I request, in no uncertain terms, that the government kindly close those sorts of faxers.

amatecha 2y ago

Yeah, I do this with a catchall domain as well. Indeed, I've had people ask if I work for their company -- too funny! So far the only company that has illegally added me to a mailing list I didn't sign up for is H&M (the clothing store).

johnisgood 2y ago
I hate this stuff. Someone tried to sign up to a crypto exchange with my phone number. :| 3 times they had the code resent!

oneeyedpigeon 2y ago

Even giving them "email+their-business@gmail.com" (instead of email@gmail.com), as every single Gmail user is able to do, will no doubt sow confusion.

rswail 2y ago
I always allocate an email of my+company@myemail.com and the number of email validators that don't accept that "+" is a legit email character is infuriating.
- glandium 2y ago
  That's why I've updated my SMTP config to handle - the same way as + 10+ years ago. And to avoid "why is my business name in your email?" questions, I rot13 it.
  - Dilettante_ 2y ago
    >rot13 That's clever. But doesn't it cause friction when trying to relay the address e.g. over the phone?
  - zimpenfish 2y ago
    Yeah, did the same for my SMTP config way back. Don't think my family users have managed to get their head around it yet though. > to avoid "why is my business name in your email?" questions, I rot13 it. That's a neat idea.
  - latexr 2y ago
    Your first sentence took me a second to mentally parse and understand, so to help anyone with that same issue later, what was meant is: > That's why I've updated my SMTP config to handle the hyphen character the same way as the plus sign over 10 years ago.

IceDane 2y ago

This is simultaneously a brilliant idea and hilarious because I can imagine how this must confuse them.

jeroenhd 2y ago

I do the same, and some companies flat-out refuse to accept email adresses with their own name in them. Samsung, notably, won't allow samsung@domain.tld for some obscure reason. Every time I have to hand out my email over the phone, I brace for having to explain my catch-all to people. Depending on how tired/tech-illiterate the person on the other end sounds, I've started using plausible-sounding alternatives (contact@/hello@/email@) instead.

kazinator 2y ago
> won't allow samsung@domain.tld for some obscure reason. It's not obscure. Some code monkey at Samsung was told to filter out certain addresses, Samsung ones among them, and just used a regex or substring search on the entire address.
- marcus_holmes 2y ago
  It could also fall foul of a Scunthorpe filter - refusing to accept names with some subset of characters, and the company name got added to the filter to avoid "samsungsuxbawls@gmail.com" or similar

networked 2y ago

Since this happens often, you could try changing the form of the email addresses to make them less confusing. I can think of several options: 1. Prepend "from-", so that instead of <their-business>@example.com you give them from-<their-business>@example.com. It should at least make it easier to explain your approach when you have to. 2. ROT13 or reverse the name of the business so it's gurve-ohfvarff@example.com or ssenisub-rieht@example.com. You can design a different stateless function that maps names to email addresses. The function doesn't even have to be invertible. This is similar to a stateless password manager like https://www.lesspass.com/ https://www.lesspass.com/. 3. Use a list of pre-generated addresses you keep on your person. Think recovery codes. Of course, you can keep the list on a smartphone.