diff --git a/client/gui.py b/client/gui.py
index 743912d1..98d92fc7 100644
--- a/client/gui.py
+++ b/client/gui.py
@@ -764,7 +764,12 @@ class BitcoinGUI:
 
     def set_send_tab(self, payto, amount, message, label, identity, signature, cmd):
         if signature:
-            signing_address = self.get_alias(identity, interactive = True)
+            if re.match('^(|([\w\-\.]+)@)((\w[\w\-]+\.)+[\w\-]+)$', identity):
+                signing_address = self.get_alias(identity, interactive = True)
+            elif self.wallet.is_valid(identity):
+                signing_address = identity
+            else:
+                signing_address = None
             if not signing_address:
                 return
             try:
@@ -827,8 +832,8 @@ class BitcoinGUI:
         if auth_name is None:
             a = self.wallet.aliases.get(alias)
             if not a:
-                if interactive and self.question( "Warning: the alias is self-signed. Do you want to trust address %s ?"%to_address ):
-                    self.wallet.aliases[r] = signing_address
+                if interactive and self.question( "Warning: the alias '%s' is self-signed. Do you want to trust address %s ?"%(alias,signing_address) ):
+                    self.wallet.aliases[alias] = signing_address
                 else:
                     target = None
             else:
diff --git a/client/wallet.py b/client/wallet.py
index a8f65750..ea133b61 100644
--- a/client/wallet.py
+++ b/client/wallet.py
@@ -734,44 +734,42 @@ class Wallet:
     def read_alias(self, alias):
         # this might not be the right place for this function.
         import urllib
-        if self.is_valid(alias):
-            return alias
+
+        m1 = re.match('([\w\-\.]+)@((\w[\w\-]+\.)+[\w\-]+)', alias)
+        m2 = re.match('((\w[\w\-]+\.)+[\w\-]+)', alias)
+        if m1:
+            url = 'http://' + m1.group(2) + '/bitcoin.id/' + m1.group(1) 
+        elif m2:
+            url = 'http://' + alias + '/bitcoin.id'
         else:
-            m1 = re.match('([\w\-\.]+)@((\w[\w\-]+\.)+[\w\-]+)', alias)
-            m2 = re.match('((\w[\w\-]+\.)+[\w\-]+)', alias)
-            if m1:
-                url = 'http://' + m1.group(2) + '/bitcoin.id/' + m1.group(1) 
-            elif m2:
-                url = 'http://' + alias + '/bitcoin.id'
-            else:
-                return ''
-            try:
-                lines = urllib.urlopen(url).readlines()
-            except:
-                return ''
+            return ''
+        try:
+            lines = urllib.urlopen(url).readlines()
+        except:
+            return ''
 
-            # line 0
-            line = lines[0].strip().split(':')
-            if len(line) == 1:
-                auth_name = None
-                target = signing_addr = line[0]
-            else:
-                target, auth_name, signing_addr, signature = line
-                msg = "alias:%s:%s:%s"%(alias,target,auth_name)
-                print msg, signature
-                self.verify_message(signing_addr, signature, msg)
+        # line 0
+        line = lines[0].strip().split(':')
+        if len(line) == 1:
+            auth_name = None
+            target = signing_addr = line[0]
+        else:
+            target, auth_name, signing_addr, signature = line
+            msg = "alias:%s:%s:%s"%(alias,target,auth_name)
+            print msg, signature
+            self.verify_message(signing_addr, signature, msg)
+        
+        # other lines are signed updates
+        for line in lines[1:]:
+            line = line.strip()
+            if not line: continue
+            line = line.split(':')
+            previous = target
+            print repr(line)
+            target, signature = line
+            self.verify_message(previous, signature, "alias:%s:%s"%(alias,target))
 
-            # other lines are signed updates
-            for line in lines[1:]:
-                line = line.strip()
-                if not line: continue
-                line = line.split(':')
-                previous = target
-                print repr(line)
-                target, signature = line
-                self.verify_message(previous, signature, "alias:%s:%s"%(alias,target))
+        if not self.is_valid(target):
+            raise BaseException("Invalid bitcoin address")
 
-            if not self.is_valid(target):
-                raise BaseException("Invalid bitcoin address")
-
-            return target, signing_addr, auth_name
+        return target, signing_addr, auth_name