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Ask Slashdot: Someone Else Is Using My Email Address

Posted by EditorDavid on from the unsubscription-preferences dept.

periklisv writes: I daily receive emails from adult dating sites, loan services, government agencies, online retailers etc, all of them either asking me to verify my account, or, even worse, having signed me up to their service (especially dating sites), which makes me really uncomfortable, my being a married man with children... I was one of the early lucky people that registered a gmail address using my lastname@gmail.com. This has proven pretty convenient over the years, as it's simple and short, which makes it easy to communicate over the phone, write down on applications etc. However, over the past six months, some dude in Australia (I live in the EU) who happens to have the same last name as myself is using it to sign up to all sorts of services...

I tried to locate the person on Facebook, Twitter etc and contacted a few that seemed to match, but I never got a response. So the question is, how do you cope with such a case, especially nowadays that sites seem to ignore the email verification for signups?
Leave your best answers in the comments. What would you do if someone else started giving out your email address?

6 of 565 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory XKCD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    https://www.xkcd.com/1279/

  2. I use President@whitehouse.gov by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Four administrations now, and the Secret Service hasn't called me yet.

    1. Re:I use President@whitehouse.gov by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Is that you Hillary?

    2. Re: I use President@whitehouse.gov by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nyet. Is Putin. I have idiot assistant send me emails now, using the twitter.

  3. I punked a snapchat user who did this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I live in Australia and have a name common in the U.K. Some English teenager set his snapchat recovery email to my email address. (Firstname.Lastname@gmail.com).
    When I received a password reset I got into his account and I fired up conversations with all the girls on there telling them how I've always desired them and want to have hot steamy sex with them.
    One responded with "hey I'm your sister!!" I replied "Game of Thrones. Let's do this"
    Fun times.

  4. Re: Reset the password on the accounts. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dear needlessly promiscuous 47 year old monkey

    My name is Barrister j.c.don a Legal practitioner and member of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Institute of International Affairs in my country.

    I am forwarding this proposal to you out of the intuitive confidences I have about you and your ability to assist in the executtion of a certain straightforward transaction.

    The transaction involves a cash investment of the sum of US$40,500,000.00 (Forty Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in Estate business or buying of shares in a strong reliable company in your country. The investment will be under your supervision, control and on behalf of my client, a former Military Governor of a State in Nigeria during the immediate past Military Regime. As a result of a very personal and political reason, he has decided to maintain anonymity for now pending a confirmation of your willingness to assist and co-operate in execution of the project....