Why is someone using my Gmail?

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elrechazado

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Weird situation - for like 2 years now, someone is very consciously using my Gmail. The weird thing is that it's not being used as a throwaway. Stuff they obviously need like fantasy football, Facebook, doctors offices, forums, even important mortgage docs recently. if anything looks important, I respond politely and say they have the wrong email. etc. We clearly have the same name, and it's clearly the same person because it's in a specific city well away from me. It keeps happening. Is this person just dumb or not caring, despite lots of this stuff being really important?

So what gives? Is he getting these emails? Is Gmail sending them to both of us? I know Gmail does some things with name.name@ or name1@, so is that what's happening?

I've changed pswd dozens of times because it seems odd. Anyone ever had that happen?
 
I he logging into your Gmail or are you just getting mail for him?

If you're just getting emails, he probably has a similar address.

Anyway, turn on two factor authentication just to be sure.
 
Doesn't Gmail treat name@gmail.com same as n.a.m.e@gmail.com (etc. variations like na.me@gmail.com)?
If it does, this could explain this.

I think someone complained about the same issue before, some years back.

EDIT Or more likely, there's a very small difference between your and the other email address.
 
I had google notify me about attempts to access my gmail from odd locations like SE Asia and Africa. Nothing what your describing. Are you sure you don't have someone you know who's just fucking with you?
 
Most likely an older person or someone not good with computers giving the wrong email because they are similar and not realising. The emails are likely just going to you, they are not getting them, and then they are mad/annoyed when they aren't getting them and confused as to why.
 
Shadynasty said:
I had google notify me about attempts to access my gmail from odd locations like SE Asia and Africa. Nothing what your describing. Are you sure you don't have someone you know who's just fucking with you?
Click to expand...
Nah, trolling friends would do something funny.
Some of the times I've replied I've had legit replies back - dr office, etc.
 
You should be able to see a list of recent login's with the associated IP addresses in gmail.

On the main email page, scroll down to the bottom and you should see "Last Account Activity" or something similar, as well as a time (hours, "yesterday", what have you). Click it and it'll give you a list of recent logins.

See if there are odd IP addresses accessing your account.
 
Zomba13 said:
Most likely an older person or someone not good with computers giving the wrong email because they are similar and not realising. The emails are likely just going to you, they are not getting them, and then they are mad/annoyed when they aren't getting them and confused as to why.
Click to expand...
It's actually someone clearly younger, since I've gotten quite a bit of their email.
 
Probably very small differences.

Like if you use johndoe@gmail.com and he uses john.doe@gmail.com.

You would think he would've figured it out by now, but in ADDITION, he may be using johndoe@icloud.com, and thus get it mixed up occasionally.

OR his variation he doesn't get wrong very much, but it's mistaken in his handwriting when he fills forms, or he pronounces it such that it's a vague spelling when spoken ver the phone.
 
If you don't notice any odd login attempts, it's probably some person who doesn't remember their email.

edit: this page should show all the devices that you've used your account on.
 
I've got a jsmith@gmail.com type address and was getting pay slips and training schedules for a stranger for a few months. It seemed like a dude was giving my address to a few different companies.

I kept emailing back and politely explained that they had the wrong person and it eventually stopped.
 
I've had this gmail address for over 10 years: firstname.lastname@gmail.com

and in the past two years I keep getting someone else emails. It's important stuff like home owners insurance, personal emails with photos, etc.

It's either some sort of sophisticated phishing attempt or his address is the same as mine without the period in the middle.
 
My first gmail account has been registered for a bunch of horse racing sites, Capcom gaming sites, and Uniqlo by some Japanese person that must really want it as their own. They even went so far as to use it to create a twitter account which I have since co-opted. Hey, it's my e-mail.
 
I get someone else's emails coming in to my gmail account all the time. I was a fairly early adopter so I chose my first my first initial + surname@gmail.com.

Turns out, even though my surname is relatively uncommon, lots of people with the same surname and first initial still think it is their account. Very annoying but I gave up caring a long time ago. If they're too dumb to remember their own email address they can suck it.

Sorry Jane in Australia.
 
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10313?hl=en

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:

johnsmith@gmail.com
jo.hn.smith@gmail.com
john.smith@gmail.com
Click to expand...

Looks like i remembered right...


One suggestion on the page is to check someone isn't forwarding mail to you.
 
Woorloog said:
Doesn't Gmail treat name@gmail.com same as n.a.m.e@gmail.com (etc. variations like na.me@gmail.com)?
If it does, this could explain this.

I think someone complained about the same issue before, some years back.

EDIT Or more likely, there's a very small difference between your and the other email address.
Click to expand...
Yes. I complained about it because PSN treats them as different emails, so someone on there is using a variation of my email address, with a period in it, and I'm getting his ads and store notifications. Nothing else is compromised, though.
 
Vinegar Joe said:
I get someone else's emails coming in to my gmail account all the time. I was a fairly early adopter so I chose my first my first initial + surname@gmail.com.

Turns out, even though my surname is relatively uncommon, lots of people with the same surname and first initial still think it is their account. Very annoying but I gave up caring a long time ago. If they're too dumb to remember their own email address they can suck it.

Sorry Jane in Australia.
Click to expand...

I've had the same, also someone in Australia as it happens. I've tried to correct it several times but at this point I've given up. So I get her billing notices and such.
 
My non-junk email is my first and middle initials and then my last name. I've had several instances of people accidentally using it, ranging from their tax software to Verizon.
 
People subscribe to stuff using my email all the damn time, I normally just reset the password and move on, in my case I signed up to Gmail early and have a very generic username.
 
Yeah same deal. I have firstnamemiddlename@gmail.com and I keep getting emails for firstname.middlename - including emails related to their work and other stuff. It came to a head last month when they were trying to sign up for a Microsoft live account and gave that email again - and I got all the password notifications etc. Once I realized it wasn't someone try to break into my MSN account I had a bit of a laugh about it. Then finally they emailed me from another account asking me for the verification code for msn password reset. I told them to go make a new account, attached to a new email that they own, and haven't heard from them since. Lord knows why they didn't think to do that in the first place?
 
Same thing has started happening to me during the last year. Guess it's the downside to having a real name as your email address on a public domain.
 
I've been getting this shit from dozens of people for years. People should really be more careful about this stuff. I'm getting one guys kids grade school emails and pictures of his soccer team.
 
Tanis said:
I've got a jsmith@gmail.com type address and was getting pay slips and training schedules for a stranger for a few months. It seemed like a dude was giving my address to a few different companies.

I kept emailing back and politely explained that they had the wrong person and it eventually stopped.
Click to expand...

I've got my own domain,
actually, 3 domains,
so this isn't a problem for me.
 
Strimei said:
I've had the same, also someone in Australia as it happens. I've tried to correct it several times but at this point I've given up. So I get her billing notices and such.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I severely regret not getting full name + surname. At least that would cut down the potential duplicates a ton.

Got a real strange one the other day asking if I was some kid's legal guardian. I nope'd the fuck out of there.
 
Persona7 said:
Logging into any of that persons accounts or resetting their passwords is a crime.
Click to expand...

In my case it isn't people accidentally using my email, it's people signing up to something and not wanting to you their real address, so they'll think of something generic to use in the email field and it ends up being mine. They're using my email as a junk account without caring if it needs verification.
 
This happens to my wife all the time. She has received some crazy personal/private stuff meant for this person. It's been going on for years, too.

I'm glad I stuck my middle initial in my own address
 
People who have used my gmail address FREQUENTLY and not just once:

A famous actress
A senior Vatican figure tasked with investigating pederast priests
A slutty illiterate chick from New Jersey
An Ayn Rand fan with an odd obsession
Random bastards
 
elrechazado said:
Weird situation - for like 2 years now, someone is very consciously using my Gmail. The weird thing is that it's not being used as a throwaway. Stuff they obviously need like fantasy football, Facebook, doctors offices, forums, even important mortgage docs recently. if anything looks important, I respond politely and say they have the wrong email. etc. We clearly have the same name, and it's clearly the same person because it's in a specific city well away from me. It keeps happening. Is this person just dumb or not caring, despite lots of this stuff being really important?

So what gives? Is he getting these emails? Is Gmail sending them to both of us? I know Gmail does some things with name.name@ or name1@, so is that what's happening?

I've changed pswd dozens of times because it seems odd. Anyone ever had that happen?
Click to expand...

This happens to me all the time. I get so many e-mails that belong to other people that it boggles my mind on how close our e-mails have to be for his close friends, to e-mail me. What is even stranger is when I get e-mails for services they he/she signed up for. Do they not know their own e-mail address?

I have gotten e-mails from Apple in Italy, a Nissan dealer in Arizona, and a Jeep dealer in Ohio somewhere.

Once I got an e-mail from a dad e-mailing his family about making plans for some big event, and I had to actually reply and let him know that he had the wrong e-mail.
 
I have a name that's incredibly popular in french speaking parts of the world so I get random ubisoft stuff in french from someone using my firstnamelastname@gmail.com along with various attempts to login to my name always coming from France, Quebec, Algeria. Pretty fun.
 
I happen to have a gmail email which I use for spam email that also appears to also be the same as a last name. Because of this, I'm always getting other people's emails. Off the top of my head:

- vacation photos from random people or photos of their children
- various payment notices to a student because he apparently signed up using my email to receive his bills
- preschool updates for a number of children
- AARP subscription for a senior
- a mailing list for a beer league baseball team for a law firm
- access to a number of online accounts from dating sites to XXX sites (i've either had to contact the site itself to remove the account, or I login since I can reset the password, and try to delete the account manually)
- someone used my email to try and become a lyft driver. I was there from the beginning from this guy's journey to becoming a full fledged driver. Getting lyft to remove my email though was a bit of a hassle.


I've gotten quite a bit of stuff over the years.
 
I got in on gmail real early so my addy is very simple.

I get peoples sign up and hotel reservations and stuff all the time.

I do the good guy thing and call and tell them their customer gave them the wrong email addy and they should contact them.
 
//ARCANUM said:
That's seriously how GMAIL handles email accounts??

That seems irresponsible and also like a huge invasion of privacy.

For example, if I have a person I want to spy on whose gmail is: first.last@gmail.com, I can just make an email account of: firstlast@gmail.com and I'll get their emails? Are you serious?
Click to expand...


Well mostly you get them when the real person mistypes their own email or it's misheard but yes. That's actually how words and symbols work rather than Gmail.
 
ummm.... so that means if you've got a . in your gmail address, it's quite easy for someone to spy on you.

how is that not a *huge* problem for people?
 
//ARCANUM said:
That's seriously how GMAIL handles email accounts??

That seems irresponsible and also like a huge invasion of privacy.

For example, if I have a person I want to spy on whose gmail is: first.last@gmail.com, I can just make an email account of: firstlast@gmail.com and I'll get their emails? Are you serious?
Click to expand...

No you misunderstand. You can't make that second email account because the name is already taken. But that doesn't stop people misspelling their own email account and the emails winding up in someone else's. So for example I have bobblah@gmail.com and somebody else has bob.blag@gmail.com. If they try to sign up for something and accidentally type bob.blah, the period gets stripped and rather than the emails going to an invalid address, they come to me.
 
Two factor fam.

I use Outlook, but forgot that I had my old gmail account as a backup for my Origin account.

Someone from Russia managed to hack it and take over my Origin account. I only had Sim City on it and no payment method so fuck em.
 
elrechazado said:
Glad I'm not alone with this. The real question seems to be "who are these people who repeatedly get their own email wrong"?
Click to expand...

People who don't use their email. It's like when I need to put my license plate number on a form. I think I know what it is, but I use it so infrequently that I accidentally might swap the order of two of the characters.
 
Septimus Prime said:
Yes. I complained about it because PSN treats them as different emails, so someone on there is using a variation of my email address, with a period in it, and I'm getting his ads and store notifications. Nothing else is compromised, though.
Click to expand...

Strimei said:
I've had the same, also someone in Australia as it happens. I've tried to correct it several times but at this point I've given up. So I get her billing notices and such.
Click to expand...

If they won't stop spamming you, the solution is simple:

1) Go to PSN site.
2) Recover Password -> email.
3) Problem solved.

//ARCANUM said:
That's seriously how GMAIL handles email accounts??

That seems irresponsible and also like a huge invasion of privacy.

For example, if I have a person I want to spy on whose gmail is: first.last@gmail.com, I can just make an email account of: firstlast@gmail.com and I'll get their emails? Are you serious?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's how gmail handles accounts and it's awesome because it gives you plenty of variations to use.

Not sure how/why you think it's an invasion of privacy when only one person can actually sign up for an account.

ARCANUM@gmail = arcanum@gmail = a.rcanum@gmail, and so on.

They're all the same account.
 
KSai said:
My first gmail account has been registered for a bunch of horse racing sites, Capcom gaming sites, and Uniqlo by some Japanese person that must really want it as their own. They even went so far as to use it to create a twitter account which I have since co-opted. Hey, it's my e-mail.
Click to expand...

Coincidentally, I had the exact same thing happen to me with my first Gmail address. It wasn't exactly a common address either. I'm not sure what I did with their Twitter account though.
 
This happens to me on a regular basis, despite the fact that my name is not common. Once I deleted someone's twitter account because I couldn't register under my email address. They weren't too active so I think it was fine.

I'm quite harsh on these people but I feel they deserve it.

One time I got a flood of emails for some guy who had just started university and had signed up to about ten societies using my email address. I managed to track him down and had an amusing exchange of emails where it turned out that not only did we share the same name but he was basically doing the same set of courses I did when I was there.
 
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