Receiving emails sent (or displayed as) not exactly to my address – but appended with Plus and Numeric Value
Hello.
I've started receiving emails sent not exactly to my address – or seeing emails displayed as sent not exactly to my address.
The thread is about Apple iCloud email service, and the client applications used are Apple Mail ones.
The address in the "To:" field is displayed as my address with a suffix comprises a plus symbol and a numeric value. For example, instead of address@icloud.com, it is address+1@icloud.com, also I've seen address+17@icloud.com.
As far as I know, Apple Mail does not support the plus addressing Gmail does, so it's not correct to deliver such appended emails to the initial address, right? Then the question is why I'm receiving them?
Or if the issue is in incorrect displaying, then why the addresses are displayed incorrectly.
Note 1. At this moment this has happened to one HideMyEmail address and one Alias type address (Add and manage email aliases for iCloud Mail on iCloud.com – Apple Support (UK)). I don't want to say that it doesn't affect main type addresses (I just don't share the main one often so it has low chances to catch spam), it's just to hint that it's unlikely that the HideMyEmail feature with its address transformations is the cause.
Note 2. In the cases when the suffixed email address is an HME address, it is displayed not as "Hide My Email" but directly as an address ("address+1@icloud.com"). However the HME transformation procedure was made, as usual (therefore the sender's email – if exposed by clicking at the arrow to show its details – is shown as address_at_domain_topLevelDomain_LettersAndDigits_LettersAndDigitsMore@icloud.com).
Note 3. At this moment all the emails received to [such appended addresses] are spam emails (phishing).
Note 4. At the iCloud web application the addresses in the emails are shown in the same way, so it's unlikely that this is caused by issues with mail client applications.
Note 5. Looks like this started today, 22nd of October 2022.
Note 6. Looks like after the last software updates I've received other spam emails but haven't faced such suffixed addresses. So it's unlikely that it's related to some client side software issues.
Thank you.
