# Does your spam email call you Bob, or that just me? (My name is not Bob) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370 "2018-08-27T17:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/1 "2018-08-27T17:09:22Z")
When I go to my Gmail spam folder I see lot of it calling me “Bob” for some reason. “Is this your money Bob?” “Hot Asians want to meet you Bob!” “Are you a guy with no arms and legs in the ocean, Bob?” Does anybody else get spam addressed to Bob? Just curious if it’s just me for some reason. And the reason isn’t because my name is Bob, because it’s not Bob. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/2 "2018-08-27T17:11:09Z")
My spam email calls me David, if I remember correctly. My name is not David. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/3 "2018-08-27T17:39:47Z")
For several years I’ve been getting spam emails for a full name that is not mine. My email is a common phrase, not one ending in random characters as some have. I’m assuming someone, perhaps accidentally using my email and not their similar one, signed up for one or more things from unscrupulous services. Because I have a common phrase email name, I also get non-spam email for a few different people that probably have a similar email as mine. I keep getting the Terminex report and hotel confirmations for one guy in Ohio. Another is a doctor named Ken in Australia I sometimes get emails for, and once I received a picture of a cool looking gadget with this note: \*Dear Ken, here is a picture of the prototype box please do not show to anyone as it is not your patented but this is how it will be presented to the surgeons. cheers Frank\* After I let him know I’m not Ken: \*Thanks for the information re the email address Ken gave me. I will contact him and let him know that there are problems with this address. Could you please delete the confidential picture? I would be most grateful Frank\* ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/4 "2018-08-27T17:49:36Z")
**x-ray vision** , I also get genuine mail meant for others. Like my SDMB username, my email is a variation of “revtim” and I will occasionally get email meant for one of the real ministers out there named Tim (there’s at least two). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/5 "2018-08-27T18:48:47Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Does anybody else get spam addressed to Bob? Just curious if it’s just me for some reason. And the reason isn’t because my name is Bob, because it’s not Bob. Have you ever, at some point in your life, put the name “Bob” (or even Robert) into a form just to have the fields filled out so you could hit the “next/submit” button? It wouldn’t surprise me if you had and that website/business sold your info. Even if it took years for you to start getting spam due to it, I’d guess that’s what it is. Either that or it’s one company spamming you and they’ve just associated the wrong name with your email, either on purpose or accidentally. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/6 "2018-08-27T19:05:14Z")
According to my spam I am Shayla Somebody. That girl has some issues, let me tell ya. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/7 "2018-08-27T20:07:55Z")
I keep getting phone spam text messages for Mary. I am not Mary. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/8 "2018-08-27T20:20:29Z")
Looking at my work spam, I am… John Jeremy Leslie Iraida Pete David Hamid Rachael Thomas Woldendorp Roger Rick Warren Scot Peter Donald Wade J That’s page one, I didn’t dig further. My personal email, strangely enough, seems to get my name right almost across the board… maybe it is time to change emails! Though I might miss out on the hundreds of horny singles who know me by name and want a night out (apparently). ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/9 "2018-08-27T21:15:35Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > When I go to my Gmail spam folder I see lot of it calling me “Bob” for some reason.“Is this your money Bob?” “Hot Asians want to meet you Bob!” “Are you a guy with no arms and legs in the ocean, Bob?” Does anybody else get spam addressed to Bob? Just curious if it’s just me for some reason. And the reason isn’t because my name is Bob, because it’s not Bob. Hi, this is Bob. Any emails for me? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/10 "2018-08-28T04:17:18Z")
I once worked in computers as a Systems Analyst. We got free subscriptions to a computer magazine in our name & job title. Mine was abbreviated to “T. Bonham, Sys Anal”. Within a few weeks I started getting junk mail like this: “Dear Mr. Anal, You and the whole Anal family could enjoy a cruise at a discount…” “Think how proud the Anal family would be driving a brand new Ford…” “You could soon burn the Anal mortgage…” I used to enjoy opening that junk mail, just to laugh at the messages. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/11 "2018-08-28T04:39:05Z")
When I lived in my old town, I started getting spam e-mails addressed to Mark, which is not only my brother’s name (and we do have the same surname), but also the name of the man who lived there before me. His wife had the same first name as me, except that it was spelled differently. I’ve received somewhat fewer spams for that name, although I suspect it’s because that spelling is also less frequently used. That was bizarre, and still is, because I still receive them. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/12 "2018-08-28T04:40:30Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > According to my spam I am Shayla Somebody. That girl has some issues, let me tell ya. No problems that all that Sweet Nigerian Cash couldn’t solve! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/13 "2018-08-28T05:45:03Z")
Maybe Shayla would share. I can hope. It might be true.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/14 "2018-08-28T17:37:18Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > “Are you a guy with no arms and legs in the ocean, Bob?” I just noticed this and can’t stop laughing. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-spam-email-call-you-bob-or-that-just-me-my-name-is-not-bob/820370/15 "2018-08-28T18:36:39Z")
Gary. Apparently Gary sold real estate.