What are the reasons for seeing email addresses with a random number before the domain name, and how do I prevent them?

Email marketer from Email Hippo Blog explains that users accidentally adding numbers may be a form of 'typo-squatting' when filling in web forms. Prevention includes real-time email validation to catch errors as they occur and user education by providing clear examples of correct email format.

Email marketer from Reddit explains it could be a simple typo, a bot creating fake accounts, or someone intentionally trying to avoid giving their real email. They advise implementing a confirmation email to ensure the user provided a valid address and genuinely wants to subscribe.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that the strange email addresses are likely from sloppy scraping of addresses from websites or a bad database import from a spreadsheet. They also advise that if there are many such addresses, the whole list should be scrapped as no amount of cleaning will fix it.

Email marketer from SendGrid suggests that monitoring bounce rates and engagement metrics, such as open and click-through rates, helps identify email addresses with suspicious patterns or invalid formats. High bounce rates indicate a significant presence of faulty or fake addresses, triggering list cleaning and improvement measures.

Email marketer from ZeroBounce Blog shares the random numbers may be an attempt to bypass subscription requirements without revealing a genuine email. Recommends using AI-powered email verification tools to identify and filter out suspicious email addresses during signup, and avoid purchasing email lists.

Marketer from Email Geeks advises that If signup encourages bad data, then even double opt-in won't help, because confirmation emails will still be sent to bad addresses. It's important to be transparent during signup.

Email marketer from LeadQuizzes suggests using progressive profiling to collect email addresses over time instead of all at once, as this reduces the temptation for users to enter fake information just to get immediate access. It also provides the opportunity to assess data quality over multiple interactions.

Email marketer from StackExchange responds that one possible scenario is lazy/bot registrations with invalid emails to gain access to content/services without intending to engage further. Suggests utilizing email validation services or implementing logic that identifies patterns in email address data to filter out such entries.

Marketer from Email Geeks states the the emails are likely bots hitting subscribe forms, and that confirmed opt-in and better subscribe processing would eliminate those.

Email marketer from Litmus reports that invalid email addresses are most likely from users who are attempting to keep their personal email addresses private or avoid potential spam. Suggests implementing a double-opt in process to verify valid emails and avoid invalid emails.

Email marketer from MailerCheck Blog states that random number patterns in emails usually indicate disposable or fake addresses used to avoid providing real contact information. They suggest implementing CAPTCHA, double opt-in, and real-time email verification during signup to prevent these.

Email marketer from Medium explains that it may be someone participating in a list-bombing campaign, meaning that they've signed up a bunch of email addresses to lists to try and discredit the email addresses. Suggests using email validation services or implementing logic that identifies patterns in email address data to filter out such entries.

Email marketer from LinkedIn advises focusing on robust data governance procedures that enforce input validation and data quality standards, ensuring that only email addresses that meet predefined format criteria are accepted during registration. They advise focusing on the use of regular expression (regex) validation.

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that one possible scenario is bot signups. They advise focusing on robust data governance procedures that enforce input validation and data quality standards, ensuring that only email addresses that meet predefined format criteria are accepted during registration.

Expert from Spam Resource shares that users enter seemingly random numbers to hide their personal addresses and avoid spam. Using email verification tools or implementing a double-opt in process prevents these invalid emails.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that spam traps can be obvious and are sometimes created by looking at the fake addresses people put into lists and buying available domains.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the users likely have an address similar to the fake one. He also suggests implementing code to stop trying to contact the domain after the first failure and points out that a high volume of such addresses suggests that the value proposition for providing an email address isn't resonating with people. Suggests mentioning a confirmation email during signup.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that addresses with seemingly random numbers could be a form of typo-squatting or an attempt to evade spam traps. Implementing stricter validation at signup, including checking for common typos and using CAPTCHA, can help.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests checking vendors who are paid to drive traffic to the site, as they might be paying people to fill in bad traffic and getting paid for that traffic.

Documentation from RFC Editor explains the formal syntax for Internet email addresses. Although it doesn't address the specific case of random numbers, it describes the valid characters and structure allowed in the 'local-part' (before the @ symbol), which can technically include numbers, however the random number before domain is not formally defined.

Documentation from Microsoft shares that implementing modern authentication methods (like OAuth 2.0), setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, and using transport layer security (TLS) can improve email security and verification processes, thus preventing the collection of manipulated or fake email addresses.

Documentation from Google explains the importance of obtaining consent before sending emails, suggesting that using double opt-in procedures can help ensure that email addresses are valid and that users genuinely want to receive communications, reducing the likelihood of encountering randomly generated or fake addresses. Also use feedback loops to automatically remove bad email addresses.

Documentation from OWASP shares techniques to prevent automated bot signups. Implementing CAPTCHA, rate limiting, and using honeypots can deter bots from entering fake or invalid email addresses, including those with random numbers. This strengthens email list quality and reduces the risk of spam.