So, on May 25, 2025, I got this absolute gem of an email through my RicheyWeb contact form. Check this out: “From: RicheyWeb”, but the reply-to was “jdjiqk <kajakaka@se>”. Subject? “RICHEYWEB: askjdSjs”. Body? “This is an enquiry email via https://www.richeyweb.com/ from: jdjiqk kajakaka@se just test v”. I’ve dealt with spam before, but this one? This one pissed me off enough to actually do something about it.
I Kept Ignoring This Crap
Spam in Joomla contact forms has been a thorn in my side for years. Random garbage submissions, fake emails, the works. I always thought Joomla’s email field validation had my back—turns out, it’s a joke. If there’s an @ symbol between two random alphanumeric chunks, it’s “valid”. So, crap like random@se—not even a real domain—gets through. My CAPTCHA stopped the bots, but humans typing in nonsense? Nope, straight to my inbox. I’d been ignoring it forever because, honestly, it felt too trivial to bother with. I had bigger fish to fry, or so I thought. But every junk email was a little jab, and I was getting real tired of it.
The Last Straw
That email on May 25 was the last straw. I mean, come on—kajakaka@se? Random gibberish in the subject and body? It wasn’t just spam; it felt like someone was screwing with me, testing my form to see if they could exploit it. My CAPTCHA did its job against automation, but this was a human, sitting there, typing in garbage just to mess with me. I could almost hear them laughing. That’s when I realized this “trivial” problem wasn’t so trivial anymore. If I’m dealing with this crap, how many other Joomla users are too? How many are sifting through junk, wasting time, or missing real messages because of this nonsense? I was done.
Why I Built Contact - Valid Email
So, I built Contact - Valid Email, a Joomla plugin to deal with this garbage once and for all. It validates email addresses properly—uses PHP’s filter_var to catch crap like random@se, and you can enable an MX record check to make sure the domain’s legit. I threw in white and black lists so you can block or allow whoever you want. My goal was simple: make spammers work harder. If they have to use a valid email address—one that’s formatted right and tied to a real domain—I’ve already won. Most of these clowns won’t bother, and that means less junk in my inbox. Hopefully yours too. You can grab it here if you want, but that’s not why I’m writing this.
Why I Keep Giving This Stuff Away for Free
I’ve been building Joomla software for years, and I always give it away for free. Why? Because I’m sick of the freemium BS, and I think the Joomla community deserves better. Let’s be real—WordPress kicks Joomla’s ass when it comes to free extensions. They boast 90% of their extensions are free, and that’s their Excalibur, their big shiny sword. But it’s also their Achilles’ heel. WordPress doesn’t have anything like Joomla’s VEL—our Vulnerable Extensions List that keeps authors on their toes, encouraging us to maintain secure extensions. In WordPress, you’ve got a free-for-all with little oversight, so you’re rolling the dice on security. Meanwhile, Joomla 5 is sitting at 40% free extensions, which isn’t great, but the ones that are free—like mine—are held to a higher standard. At RicheyWeb, 100% of my extensions are free. I’m not here to nickel-and-dime the community. Joomla’s named after “Jumla,” Swahili for “all together,” and I’m not about to fragment that with paywalls. I’d rather put my stuff out there for everyone to use, no strings attached. I take on paid gigs to keep the lights on, but my heart’s in building tools that help the whole Joomla crowd, not just the ones with cash. If I can save even one Joomla user from the frustration of spam—or any other headache—I’ve done my job.
Let’s Keep Fighting the Good Fight
That email on May 25 lit a fire under me, and Contact - Valid Email is the result. It’s not gonna change the world, but if it makes spammers think twice—or better yet, give up—I’m good with that. I’m working hard to hit a personal goal: I want RicheyWeb to provide 5% of the free extensions for Joomla 5. I’m not there yet, but when I cross that finish line, I’ll know I’ve made a dent in Joomla’s free extension gap. If you’re as fed up with spam as I am, check out Contact - Valid Email. Or don’t. Either way, I’m gonna keep building free stuff for Joomla, because that’s just how I roll. Got ideas or need custom work? Hit me up—I’m always down for a challenge.
