E-mail address annoyance - WWYD

Stu999

Stu999

Stu999

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Joined
3 Aug 2015
Posts
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There’s a pillock with the same name as me who keeps using my e-mail address for various things. I’m assuming he either gets his webmail provider mixed up or he’s using ‘firstname.lastname@webmail’ as his address whereas I’m using ‘firstnamelastname@webmail’ for mine.

So far I know where he lives, that he was done for speeding, was e-mailed details of a house he bought by the solicitors, that he was buying a BMW and today I’ve been sent the names of his children.

What would you do to resolve this?

Should I start a new e-mail account? It will be a pain in the bum since I use this one for pretty much everything. Should I poo through his e-mail inbox?
 
If you have his address, write him a letter explaining "myname.surname@provider" is your email address and he needs to be more careful because people keep sending you all his stuff, including his address.
 
Kenai said:
If you have his address, write him a letter explaining "myname.surname@provider" is your email address and he needs to be more careful because people keep sending you all his stuff, including his address.
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I’m not 100% certain that’s what it is but I guess I could send an email to that address anyway and see if I get a response.
 
Stu999 said:
There’s a pillock with the same name as me who keeps using my e-mail address for various things. I’m assuming he either gets his webmail provider mixed up or he’s using ‘firstname.lastname@webmail’ as his address whereas I’m using ‘firstnamelastname@webmail’ for mine.

So far I know where he lives, that he was done for speeding, was e-mailed details of a house he bought by the solicitors, that he was buying a BMW and today I’ve been sent the names of his children.

What would you do to resolve this?

Should I start a new e-mail account? It will be a pain in the bum since I use this one for pretty much everything. Should I poo through his e-mail inbox?
Click to expand...

probably easier to just change your email, but you could have had some fun replying to the emails you got,
 
I've got [email protected]

I get emails for loads for "me" from around the world, mostly for a web developer who just added his middle initial to the email address, I just forward the stuff to him now, nice bloke!

Do get the occasional more interesting one, this week I had one from a solicitor about my late fathers estate, from Liverpool not Nigeria!
Also a link for me to digitally sign an estate agent documents for a house I'm selling in London.

Luckily they've stopped sending me reminders for my dental appointments in Canada :D
 
Ree said:
goes to his door - boxing stance - loser changes name by deed poll.. there can be only one.
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This is the type of solid advice I expected.

nst68 said:
I've got [email protected]

I get emails for loads for "me" from around the world, mostly for a web developer who just added his middle initial to the email address, I just forward the stuff to him now, nice bloke!
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Fortunately my last name is slightly unusual so I’m not getting tons of emails for different people. Deffo should have had funds from that estate paid into your bank account :D
 
I used to get emails for my ghost - I have had some from a mother sending her son pictures of garden -Chairman of a tenants committee in block of flats -My name sake's wife spending all his money at M&S - estate agents sending me details of his purchase -One from a well known TV presenter - one from a private school in south midlands - these are the ones I can remember.
I even rang a Kawasaki dealer and told them they had the wrong email address.
The idiot part is when I send the sender a email telling them it's the wrong address they then email me saying we have just had a email saying this is the wrong address.
I did access one and changed his password on a ski hotel and clicked box for no up coming bargains
At first I ignored it but they do look genuine so I tell them.
 
I have <firstnameinitial><common(ish)surname>@gmail.com which I managed to bag back when gmail was invite only and I get so many emails for other people with the same initial and surname as me. There was a guy in Australia that used it last week and I debated cancelling his furniture order from a link in the email, but I thought that would be a bit too nasty. Some of the people I've managed to work out who they are on Facebook and let them know they are using the wrong email address, but I've given up now.

What surprises me is how many banks/credit agencies give out personal info without an email address being confirmed, and who have no-reply email addresses. I've called a few out on Twitter when that happens.
 
Em3bbs said:
There was a guy in Australia that used it last week and I debated cancelling his furniture order from a link in the email
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Maybe just something mildly 'awkward' added to the delivery instructions? 'Please ensure delivery driver is wearing authentic lederhosen'
 
@Em3bbs - yes, no reply e-mails are so annoying. Have to look to see if there is a ‘privacy’ e-mail address available in those cases. I find a threat of the information commissioner often lights a fire under these companies.

Just had a reply from the company that sent me the guy’s kids names basically blaming the guy who did it although they did say they would let him know.
 
robj20 said:
Thank god Gmail ignores full stops.
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I still get a few emails here and there for someone with the same first name last name as me. Mostly from Aus, though also others. Had some football stadium asking for a reference for someone I'd never heard of before too, bit odd.

If it seems important I'll let them know, if not, I don't tend to bother.

Similar theme, the old student house I lived in clearly ended up with the same phone number that was once used by a branch of abbey national. Had people calling up thinking it was the bank. Had one woman call about 4 times, one after the other, insisting it was the bank, decided after the last one that if she called again I'd ask for all her details. She didn't call again though.
 
Quartz said:
I have a very similar problem but with a domain name. It's an easy typo for a national organisation...
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I own togmail.com which looks a little like (to gmail).com. I use several name@togmail. com addresses but my actual gmail is random letters and numbers
 
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