# User names that are email addresses **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 7, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992 "2017-08-07T12:56:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/1 "2017-08-07T12:56:33Z")
Are all user names that are email addresses spammers? It certainly seems like it. Is there any downside to prohibiting users from using names like \. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/2 "2017-08-07T13:17:57Z")
Not quite all: **[t-bonham@scc.net](mailto:t-bonham@scc.net)** comes to mind as a legitimate user. Beyond that, though, it’s really tough to ban whole categories of usernames/email addresses with the current version of vBulletin. There are a number of other patterns we know of that we would ban if we could. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/3 "2017-08-07T13:34:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Not quite all: **[t-bonham@scc.net](mailto:t-bonham@scc.net)** comes to mind as a legitimate user. > > Beyond that, though, it’s really tough to ban whole categories of usernames/email addresses with the current version of vBulletin. There are a number of other patterns we know of that we would ban if we could. Thanks. I forgot about t-bonham. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/4 "2017-08-07T18:07:55Z")
Or maybe they’re the best undercover/long-con spammer of the bunch! ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/5 "2017-08-07T18:52:10Z")
By my count, we have a little north of 1100 registered users with that type of name construction, of which 148 are banned. I can’t tell the number of posts by those users though. I’m guessing most are not active. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/6 "2017-08-07T21:03:51Z")
Does that include usernames here that are the same as the username at the e-mail server … like `watchwolf49`? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/7 "2017-08-07T22:03:16Z")
I’m guessing that **Bone** looked for usernames that contained an @, or possibly an @ and a dot. And it’s only fairly recently that the email-as-username spammers started showing up in bulk. Maybe they’re just getting lazy, or something. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/8 "2017-08-07T22:10:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m guessing that **Bone** looked for usernames that contained an @, or possibly an @ and a dot. > > And it’s only fairly recently that the email-as-username spammers started showing up in bulk. Maybe they’re just getting lazy, or something. They’ve tried that gambit before. They keep trying different schemes to appear legit, not realizing that everything they do, especially when it’s en masse, make them stand out like a hi viz-clad cyclist standing in front of a medium grey wall. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/9 "2017-08-07T22:43:11Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m guessing that **Bone** looked for usernames that contained an @, or possibly an @ and a dot. > > And it’s only fairly recently that the email-as-username spammers started showing up in bulk. Maybe they’re just getting lazy, or something. Yeah, pretty much. I did not associate with user emails, only usernames. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/10 "2017-08-08T00:49:08Z")
If you have a _[username@outlook.com](mailto:username@outlook.com)_, you’re a spammer. I kill them without looking at their post. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/11 "2017-08-08T01:07:57Z")
…I registered on another forum with my email address. Completely by accident. I was mortified. Couldn’t figure out how to change it. Wasn’t inclined to contact the mods. I never ever posted to that forum. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/12 "2017-08-08T01:12:04Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > By my count, we have a little north of 1100 registered users with that type of name construction, of which 148 are banned. I can’t tell the number of posts by those users though. I’m guessing most are not active. Back in the Olden Times, before the entire AOL Community thing folded, weren’t e-mail addresses as user names more common? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/13 "2017-08-08T01:33:31Z")
On another board, I’ve seen frickin’ spammers use @sharklasers.com for an email addy. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/14 "2017-08-08T01:38:29Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > On another board, I’ve seen frickin’ spammers use @sharklasers.com for an email addy. Off with their heads! ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/15 "2017-08-08T02:38:46Z")
[ > [@samclem](#): > > If you have a _[username@outlook.com](mailto:username@outlook.com)_, you’re a spammer. I kill them without looking at their post. Some of us have a certain set of skills. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/16 "2017-08-08T15:57:02Z")
Even if you are a legitimate member with your email as your account name, you risk being spammed yourself, at best, or the victim of identity theft, at worst. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-names-that-are-email-addresses/792992/17 "2017-08-08T20:46:00Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Even if you are a legitimate member with your email as your account name, you risk being spammed yourself, at best, or the victim of identity theft, at worst. Some of the spammers might be using other people’s email addresses as account names, too.