Someone keeps using my email address. WWYD?

[InaccurateDream]

Someone keeps using my very boring firstname lastname icloud account.

I know it sounds like a minor irritation but it's more than just spam. Eg they bought loads of stuff at Walmart using the address so I was getting order confirmation, order dispatch, order arrived emails, product reminder emails etc. It's at least 'medium annoying!'

I'm getting loads of insurance emails, lots of Fox Nation ones. And it's all the same person so not spam as such, but purposeful activity.

Last year she bought flights using my email. I could see her full name, address, names of her children and even had access to cancel the flight.

I got in touch with the place where she bought it and asked them to take the account down. They did - until the next time.

She's just bought a new flight (short internal US flight)! I can cancel it in one click. I'm really tempted to - what would you do?

There was a US phone number in the booking details so I have messaged it (it was on imessage) and asked them to stop using my email address please (I was nice). I sent a follow up saying I would cancel the flight in the morning.

Message has been delivered but not read. Of course that could be fake too.

I can't find her on social media/Facebook. Though I have messaged someone who could be her son.

I just don't know if it's laziness, stupidity, maliciousness. Probably the first. But it's making me grumpy when I think about it (which is only when I get a new email with all her details in it!).

Would deleting her flight be a step too far?

(have changed username for this thread)

[namechangetheworld]

But how much effort is it to ignore emails. You literally have to do nothing. Why are you giving this any headspace whatsoever?

Completely agree. Cancelling flights? Changing her online orders? All of this nastiness over what is quite clearly a mistake is baffling. Just delete the emails when they come through and move on with your life.

[Bollindger]

Can I just point out it's worth being nice to this person.
If the only difference is a fullstop, some day it's going to be your flight details that go to her account.

All you need to do is forward it to her at the correct address, and tell her it happened again, ask her to get the address changed at the people who issued the invoice.
Also include the company in the forwarded email.

[ApolloandDaphne]

I too find it odd that they keep making this mistake. Surely it happens once then you are very careful every time you give your e mail address after that?

[KrakowDawn]

I have [email protected] but all my other emails (work, volunteering etc) are KDawn@wherever, so the number of times I've tried to log into Gmail with [email protected] is embarrassing.
Thing is, I have a v rare surname and initial...but there is already someone in Australia with that surname and initial who has the Gmail account.
Thankfully I've never given it out as my address!

It's too easily done though.

[IntermittentParps]

I'd be tempted to cancel the flight, seeing as nothing more mild has got a response out of this person.
And it might come to light that it IS actually some kind of scam, not an honest mistake at all.

[NotAnotherAlias]

This happened to me.

I deleted any accounts I could, cancelled anything that looked fishy and removed myself from mailing lists wherever possible. The person using the account was also in the US.

I also responded to a couple of emails that had been personally written explaining I couldn’t teach their child or whatever and was, in fact, on an entirely different continent.

I don’t know what the solution is, but it seems some people can be fairly inconsiderate when you’ve already bagged ‘their’ email address.

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

I've had this, I think if you've had your email since dial-up you are likely to have a simple address and then other people think it's theirs.
I just ignore everything. Not my problem.

My husband has one too - he gets medical reports, information about childcare, all sorts.

[Crowsaregreat]

We had this - DH has a fairly common name and I had typed it in wrongly to something, then the incorrect email address kept autocompleting on things. I kept inviting some random woman called Brenda to my pregnancy scans!

[lockdownalli]

I would cancel the flight.

She won't use your email accidentally on purpose again then will she?

[Tinkling]

I have had something similar happening for years. The person is Marcia Black. That is not my name. So I don’t understand why they’re using my firstnamelastname email either. It’s not even similar. Thankfully nothing as in depth as yours though!

[Kotatsu]

I have a fairly unusual name, yet still, I've had 2 doppelgangers over the years - for one I had all her wedding and pre-wedding plans and invites, her teacher registrations and other stuff (thank goodness she must have changed her name when she married, because I haven't had anything for her for years). I replied to a couple to let them know, but it didn't seem to curb the communications.


My second is more persistent - I've had clothes orders, gym memberships, her fitbit, CVs from people hoping to be employed by her, invitations for her to speak etc. for years. Similarly I've responded where I can to let them know they have the wrong address (especially the CVs), but doesn't seem to stopped it happening, and no-one will tell me her actual email address (perhaps they don't know) so I can't email her directly.

[tiredoftiers]

I’ve got my friend with a .co.uk address, mine is .com....... I’ve had lots and lots and lots of her personal stuff sent to me. She’s had emails from my child’s school.
I’m reasonably entertained by it all, however it does irritate me at times because it happens so often with so many things. I’ve forwarded things and messaged her back with stuff and she’s never acknowledged it.
As previous posters have said be nice you don’t know when it might be the other way round.

[FaceForRadio1973]

I must admit that I am one of the offenders.... A couple of times I've used a .com TLD instead of the correct .co.uk.

I've only realised once I hadn't got the confirmation, and had to get in touch to change my details. Meanwhile my poor namesake in Australia had been cancelling my bookings...

[Soubriquet]

I wouldn’t cancel her flight either. I think that’s a dickhead move whether she’s doing this on purpose or not

I would contact her somehow and let her know that you are getting all her emails and that you could cancel flights etc. She may not be aware

[DynamoKev]

As previous posters have said be nice you don’t know when it might be the other way round.
I do - I don't have the .co.uk and .com issue and the all the people using my address for stuff have a completely different address - it contains extra numbers because I got our actual name by getting there first.
I've tried being nice but they seem to be incapable.
I'm not sending stuff to dyanamokey9878 by accident.

[Verite1]

I get this. I have had financial documents, legal documents - the lot. I guess that either we have the same address but one ends com, the other co.uk or hers has a dot in the middle or something. I’ve always presumed it is the other persons fault in writing the email down incorrectly. Why do you presume it is her fault?

[Retty]

I have this, I've been emailed for years about their kids behavior at school, I've had shipping notifications, flights all sorts. I pester every single company to remove my email/shut down the account. I wouldn't cancel the flight though, thats too extreme.

[RedMarauder]

@lockdownalli

I would cancel the flight.

She won't use your email accidentally on purpose again then will she?

I've done this as you don't know if the person is a thief.

I had someone in the states use my personal email address for flights and hotel bookings I cancelled the flights and changed the hotel bookings.

Then someone else in the UK use my email address for shopping and left their home address. I contacted all the companies concerned and told them I was the owner of the email address, had it for decades and that wasn't my home address. Some of the companies ignored me while others thanked me and said they would cancel the persons order.

[HollowTalk]

@Pongo101

This happens to me too. There is a woman with the same name & last name and I get her emails. She likes to buy Jimmy Choo shoes and is a teacher in a primary school. I mostly get receipts from her shopping trips and the staff room emails from her school.

But that's an easy one to sort out as you can email the school to tell her, can't you?

[looptheloopinahulahoop]

People clearly are not reading the thread. It is highly unlikely that this woman is deliberately using the OP's email address and very likely that gmail or whatever isn't making a distinction between sarah_smith and sarah.smith.

I don't know what the answer is, but it's not to cancel or interfere with the flight booking.

[looptheloopinahulahoop]

No, it's her fault as she's putting that email address in as hers when, say, booking a flight. They don't take those addresses out of the form and retype them in manually for the confirmation emails

No that isn't true - as I said above, it's about where gmail or the internet service provider are sending the emails. If you have a look at the actual address they are using, you will see that it's a different one,.

For example my husband is loop.hoop:gmail.com but gets emails for [email protected]

It's gmail's fault for not making the distinction.

[WrongWayApricot]

Someone uses my mobile number and it winds me up. I wouldn't cancel the flight but I don't judge you for feeling tempted. I'm constantly getting calls from dentists and the like at the other end of the country asking for Lisa. Use your own phone number Lisa 😒

[SollaSollew]

I have exactly the same, someone with the same (not especially common) first name and surname as me with a very slightly different email address and I find it fascinating.

I've had work information, house purchase legal paperwork, holiday booking and school place details (plus the other regular shopping stuff) but I just reply to point out the error if it's important or ignore if it's not.

Maybe I'm just nosey but I'm always intrigued when I get a little peak into my namesake's life.

[BombyliusMajor]

I have this happen with someone who has my name. I get notifications every time the pest control people come to her house, and I am sent copies of her and her husband’s medical reports and blood test results. I have emailed her, called & left voicemails, sent her messages on FB and LinkedIn to let her know her data is being shared with me inappropriately, and to ask her to change her contact details with these organisations and I have never had a response. I don’t get it!

She is some sort of social media guru so I also frequently receive invitations to appear on various podcasts and speak at conferences to share her marketing knowledge. I am tempted to take them up on it.

[tallduckandhandsome]

YANBU to be fed up, but I doubt it's malicious if she's spending money on flights? She probably has a very similar email address.

I have an extremely obscure email address and still get people using it.