Gmail autocomplete bug means emails are being sent to the wrong people

• Bug in Gmail's autocomplete tool is adding the wrong addresses to emails
• If the sender doesn't spot the mistake emails are sent to the wrong people
• This means private or confidential information is being shared incorrectly
• Twitter users began complaining about the bug at the weekend
• Google apologised for the inconvenience and said it is investigating
• But some users have criticised affected users for not checking the address

By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline

Published: 09:03 EST, 24 February 2015 | Updated: 10:59 EST, 24 February 2015

If you've used Gmail recently you might want to check you didn't send confidential or potentially embarrassing messages to the wrong people.

A bug in the email provider's autocomplete tool has resulted in random addresses being added to emails.

And if the sender didn't spot the mistake before hitting send, private information could have been shared with the wrong person.

When a user type an address in Gmail Google suggests addresses from their Contacts list (pictured). Gmail is supposed to prioritise addresses the user sends mail to most often, but the bug means random and less frequent addresses are being placed at the top of the list. Emails are then sent without being checked

Twitter users began complaining about the bug at the weekend and more reports emerged yesterday.

One wrote: 'For a company as awesome as Google, Gmail is making me [miss] the old days of Outlook...Takes forever to load, freezes, autocomplete bugs etc.'

While another added: 'Good to know I'm not the only one.'

When a user type an address in the To, Cc, or Bcc field of a message on Gmail, Google suggests addresses from their Contacts list.

Users can choose the name at the top of the list by hitting Enter, or can scroll down to select an alternative from the drop-down menu.

If Gmail doesn't suggest the address the user wants they can continue typing.

Gmail is supposed to prioritise addresses the user sends mail to most often, but the bug means random and less frequent addresses are being placed at the top of the list.

As a result, users are hitting Enter without checking and sending emails to the wrong people.

A Google spokesperson said: We're aware of an issue with Gmail and auto-complete and are currently investigating.

Apologies for any inconvenience.'

Twitter users began complaining about the bug at the weekend and more reports emerged yesterday. One wrote: 'Good to know I'm not the only one,' while another added: 'For a company as awesome as Google, Gmail is making me [miss] the old days of Outlook...Takes forever to load, freezes, autocomplete bugs etc'

But a number of Twitter users are criticising affected users for not checking, moving the fault away from Google.

One wrote: 'Gmail Auto-complete 'bug'? It only takes an extra 0.005 seconds to check who you're sending to...'

But a number of Twitter users are criticising affected users for not checking the addresses before sending. One wrote: 'Gmail Auto-complete 'bug'? It only takes an extra 0.005 seconds to check who you're sending to'