people with same email address

[itsnotmeitsu]

When I registered my email address many years ago supposedly I'd be the only one who had that address (gmail). Over the last few years that's turned out not to be true. It started off with me receiving emails that, when I checked, had a full stop in the address. Then emails were coming to me with an address exactly the same as mine. Largely it's been amusing to see that I'm teaching in the USA, or being invited to various conferences. I like to see what I'm getting up to across the world. However, the email I got today makes it much more worrying.

I assume it's some kind of phone contract; but due to the email I received I now have the name, birthdate, address and mobile number of a stranger. Imagine what I could do with that information if I was in any way technology-savvy? Well actually I have no idea what I could do with it, as I'm useless when it comes to technology and thankfully I have no criminal tendencies.

I had the same, someone thought their email was the same as mine but without the dot. I got so many email receipts that I saw where she was based, found her on Facebook and messaged her. She was actually glad I’d messaged her and not had any since!

I have this but with a lady in Sweden (.co.uk vs .com). We forward each other messages and have done for over a decade

I had my Gmail address for years and then began receiving r emails for someone in USA who had the same email address but without the dot.

I used to send them back to the sender with an explanation but this didn't seem to help.

Now I block the sender immediately. If the email seems very important e.g.medical results, I send it back with a brief explanation and then block.

I had the address first!