some random guy keeps using my email address to sign up for shit

[mazdavirgin]

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Seems rather apt.

[Mista Bob]

This happened to me a year or so ago. Would get random things that this person signed up for and I would close them all since I had no way of contacting the person. Eventually I got some custom kitchen quote and design from a business that this guy wanted for his house I'm assuming.
Told them to tell this idiot he doesn't know his own email address and have had nothing ever since.

[AndyL]

Yup, first initial last name is a nightmare too!

Amanda, Alan, Andrew, Archie, Al - I hate all of you.

That said - I usually ignore them until it's something sensitive...

Doctors appointments...

New door codes for a Washington DC gun range - that one was fun, caused a shitstorm when I told them they just gave some random guy in Canada access to their facility.

Emails about missed appointments at school... Kimberly in Ireland missed a field trip because mom gave out the wrong email, and didn't sign her permission slip. Poor girl.

The Aussie doctor was unimpressed that a Canuck wasn't gonna fast before surgery... That one got a lot of attention too - complete with follow up from privacy commissioner in their health services.

[ExtraSlow]

I have the same first and last name as another dude in Calgary. When I was at university, he was actually affiliated with the UofC too. I got some emails about some HR issues he was having with a staff member. I stirred that one up pretty well. He's been very careful since.

[speedog]

Originally posted by Minimalist
Now we are fighting over email addresses? You don't own it, you have borrowed it, you know that... right? The "offender" is not going to be loving the idea that you have access to his personal information and would be seeking a solution. It appears he is confused as to his email address and has accidently been using your address. I'd also assume the Chevy buyer is not web savvy and might just be the age of your grandfather. Ask anyone over the age of 65 for their email address, they have to think about it for ten seconds and end up jamming up a few your way.

Really?

My 81 year old parents, my 73 year old mother-in-law and multiple aunts and uncles in their 70-80's all have no problem remembering and using their email and some of them can easily put many younger folks in their 20-30's to shame when it comes to many things Internet related. The number of times I've been astonished by a younger person not grasping what I view as something as simple or everyday on the Internet really amazes me. Maybe it's just your aged circle that has problems.

[ExtraSlow]

Your parents had you when they were like ten years old then?

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by speedog


Really?

My 81 year old parents, my 73 year old mother-in-law and multiple aunts and uncles in their 70-80's all have no problem remembering and using their email and some of them can easily put many younger folks in their 20-30's to shame when it comes to many things Internet related. The number of times I've been astonished by a younger person not grasping what I view as something as simple or everyday on the Internet really amazes me. Maybe it's just your aged circle that has problems.

Really?

In 20 years of computer repair (or reality), the opposite of what you just said is true.

[xnvy]

^I think speedog is just being sensitive because he is old. Cherrypicking the few computer literate octogenarians against the worst of my generation.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I have the same first and last name as another dude in Calgary. When I was at university, he was actually affiliated with the UofC too. I got some emails about some HR issues he was having with a staff member. I stirred that one up pretty well. He's been very careful since.

I had this great response about how you probably look like him too but it all went out the window when I realized it wasn't max_boost posting.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE


I had this great response about how you probably look like him too but it all went out the window when I realized it wasn't max_boost posting.

If he's as pretty as me, he's really got it all.

» Click image for larger version

[ryder_23]

Originally posted by nzwasp
So this happens occasionally but has recently upticked - some fucking random from golden, colorado started using my email address everytime hes asked for it. He recently bought a new chevy and put down his email address as [email protected] which is not his fucking email address.

As we all know gmail does not care about the . in your address so my email is [email protected] but i also get everything with the [email protected] as well.

So anyway I keep getting reminders about a survey about his new car purchase - decided I would go and say it was a shitty dealership blah blah.

Anyway end of the survey: I now have his firstname, lastname, address, apt number, phone number etc.

I was thinking of sending him an anonymous text message saying hi me of blah blah address, blah blah apt, golden colorado - stop using my email address please.

Although people in the states get fucking paranoid about this so not sure if its a good idea or not.

When you signed up, did it say [email protected] taken so you thought you would be clever and add the [.] ? Not thinking people use the [.] for a reason.

Why mess with a person when he probably didn't think someone was stupid enough to do such a thing?

I don't understand how you get his other emails. Probably typing input errors from some stuff he fills out by hand.

[nzwasp]

no gmail does not care about periods in email addresses even if i had f.i.r.s.tname@gmail it would give me every email sent to firstname@gmail and [email protected] etc.


from gmail.com:

If you're getting someone else's emails, check the reasons below to get help.

The email address has different periods or dots than mine
You might get messages sent to an address that looks like yours, but has a different number or order of periods.

If you have a personal account (typically ending in gmail.com), it doesn't matter if people type the period in your username or not.

For example, emails to all of these addresses will be delivered to the same Gmail account:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Note: If you use Gmail through your work, school, or other organization (like yourdomain.com or yourschool.edu), having periods in your username changes your email address. If you want to add or remove dots from your username, contact your admin.

If you don't think the message was meant for you, someone might have mistyped your email address. Try contacting the sender to let them know they sent the message to the wrong person.

[The_Penguin]

Originally posted by carson blocks
Same thing happens to me, I have lastnamefirstinitial@gmail as a secondary account, and from what I can tell there are at least 3-4 random idiots with the same surname and first initial, who don't know their email address.

I get tons of this as well. At least 4 people, they sign up for multiple things (Netflix etc.) and I get all the email.
If I get email for them from a person, I reply telling them to notify the recipient. Nothing changes when I do.