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[Septimus Prime]

As far as I know, this doesn't have much effect on me, other than I get a bunch of unwanted emails.

As you may or may not know, Gmail ignores any periods you add into your email address, so, for example, neogaf123@gmail and neo.gaf123@gmail will both point to the same recipient. It looks like someone is taking advantage of this quirk to sign up for things using a variant of my account name (so, if my email address were neogaf1@gmail--which it's not--someone is signing up using something like neoga.f1@gmail).

At first, it was PSN. Someone in Europe signed up for a free month of PS Plus. I assumed this was probably someone who just bought a PS4 in Europe and put in a throwaway email address. I did call Sony to make sure nothing got tied to my account.

But then he never stopped. Now I'm getting confirmation emails from other things he's signing up for, like soccer leagues and some other things coming in foreign languages.

Is there anything I can do to stop this? I have no idea who this person is.

 

[Arkos]

What's your email address and password, I'll take a look

 

[Septimus Prime]

What's your email address and password, I'll take a look

Thanks, bro.

 

[Rebel Leader]

It's simple... you change your email

 

[Faddy]

Not much you can do. Is your email address firstname.lastname@gmail.com because I have my name and I get the occasional email meant for other people with my name. Nothing malicious though.

 

[stephen08]

I've been having this problem too. I don't know how else to deal with it so I reset the password, log in to whatever account they made, and remove the e-mail address from the file. It potentially screws them over which is a shame but I don't know how else to deal with it.

 

[-griffy-]

Some guy signed up for a fantasy football website with my Gmail using the same technique, so I started getting spammed with every message/update/alert from his group. After trying to contact the website and getting nowhere, I just clicked "forgot password" on the website, received the password change e-mail, changed the password on the account, logged in, left a message in his fantasy group telling his friends to tell him to use a different e-mail, and then deleted the account.

 

[Soodanim]

I've had this before - I've have people legitimately (or, least, seemingly so) sign up for things like cable and I've received their statements via email. I've also had one-off things from American companies and sites, but I just assumed that those were some form of mistake (typo, wrong email provider typed in, etc) or purposely made up for the sake of filling in the form.

I've also had a couple of hand typed emails, and on both occasions I've written rather verbose replies just to tell them that there's been a mistake. One was a job offer from America (for quite good money) that I kindly declined due to the daily commute from England potentially being problematic, and the other was a conversation between some family members talking about a trip and hotels that had gone a few emails deep before I had a chance to respond.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

Try emailing them.

 

[Tesseract]

i'm your huckleberries

 

[Maintenance]

I'm having the exact same problem here, and the thing is, I don't even use that email everywhere.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Not much you can do. Is your email address firstname.lastname@gmail.com because I have my name and I get the occasional email meant for other people with my name. Nothing malicious though.

It's not, but it's a fairly common word, followed by a number, since I got my account relatively early.

I've been having this problem too. I don't know how else to deal with it so I reset the password, log in to whatever account they made, and remove the e-mail address from the file. It potentially screws them over which is a shame but I don't know how else to deal with it.

I'm considering doing this. I've already changed my password and have been using two-factor authentication for some time now, so I don't think he can or wants to compromise my account. I just don't want to be getting his emails.

 

[le-seb]

Is there anything I can do to stop this? I have no idea who this person is.

Your email address has just been caught on some site, included in some database, and your mailbox will probably get spam until you burn it.
There's nothing you can really do about it, except using one-time email accounts for everything.

 

[Leonsito]

Muy gmail account is very popular due to its simplicity, mainly in south america. However, the worst thing someone has registered it to was to some website about big black busty womans in Baltimore....

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

Change your email

 

[Simon Belmont]

I have a firstnamelastname@gmail.com account and this shit happens to me all the time. If it looks important enough sometimes I track them down through facebook, but most of the time I just ignore it.

 

[Shady859]

It's not, but it's a fairly common word, followed by a number, since I got my account relatively early.

Probably not malicious then it's just people typing in junk on something throwaway seeing if they actually need to register.

Sounds like it's time to change your main to something less random and save that one as an alt.

 

[andshrew]

I'm considering doing this. I've already changed my password and have been using two-factor authentication for some time now, so I don't think he can or wants to compromise my account. I just don't want to be getting his emails.

If they're not using your actual email address you could create a rule or filter (or whatever the gmail term is) which will automatically junk any emails sent to the address they're using.

It is most likely a genuine mistake by the other person though.

 

[crazyrabbits]

I had something like this happen with my backup account. Someone thought I was a member of a rabbit specialty club located in California and used the email address (tied to a guy who had a different name as me) in emails, newsletters and at least one classified ad. For some reason, I was signed up for adult dating sites, all sorts of spam and continued to get emails from this club (which, coincidentally, was going through an upheaval and having arguments with each other).

 

[massoluk]

This is the first time I heard about gmail ignoring "."
Now I'm scared, I have similar email, it's not common, but I guess it doesn't matter. Anyone can fuck me over with if they want.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Sign up for granny porn using THEIR e-mail address.

That will show them.

 

[Maintenance]

This is the first time I heard about gmail ignoring "."

Same, I should've used _

 

[tmarques]

Not much you can do. Is your email address firstname.lastname@gmail.com because I have my name and I get the occasional email meant for other people with my name. Nothing malicious though.

I suppose we all get that every now and then, but what I don't understand is the imbecile trying to create a facebook account with my email address. Not only once, but maybe half a dozen times over several weeks. I never understood the logic behind that.

 

[Daniel Jackson]

Happens to me too sometimes. My address is very simple and elegant, it's just firstname@verybigemailprovider

 

[Syriel]

Some guy signed up for a fantasy football website with my Gmail using the same technique, so I started getting spammed with every message/update/alert from his group. After trying to contact the website and getting nowhere, I just clicked "forgot password" on the website, received the password change e-mail, changed the password on the account, logged in, left a message in his fantasy group telling his friends to tell him to use a different e-mail, and then deleted the account.

This is how you handle it.

 

[99hertz]

Inform the companies but don't log into the accounts. You don't know if they using stolen credit cards to sign up for crap. Chage your email password too and choose a strong one.

 

[Alchemy]

Only happened to me once with an Origin and Xbox Live account, someone tried to set up their info with my firstname.lastname@gmail.com address. Looked like someone in the UK who had TitanFall plus 3 months of Live. Ended up just recovering the passwords for the accounts and changing all the info on them. No idea why someone would use random emails for that shit.

 

[Persona7]

I had a similar issue...I had to make a new email.

 

[Beardz]

When hotmail changet to outlook, I changed my email from firstname_lastname@hotmail.com to firstname@outlook.com

Was the best/worst idea.

 

[ClosingADoor]

If its all coming to the same variant of your email and not the one you actually use yourself, set up a filter and let it end up in the trash right away.

 

[Cat Party]

I always assume these are phishing attempts and just block the emails.

 

[illiniguy05]

Man, I'd hate to see the inbox for the guy that owns eatshit@aol.com, whenever I get asked for an email I use that one.

 

[davepoobond]

How do they get away with having active accounts since most of the time you need to verify your email address by clicking a link or something?

 

[Gattsu25]

I have a firstnamelastname@gmail.com account and this shit happens to me all the time. If it looks important enough sometimes I track them down through facebook, but most of the time I just ignore it.

I have this problem with my work email because my firstname+lastname combo is pretty common. I sometimes get emails that are intended for an exec and NOOOOPPPPEEEE out of there so quickly. I basically just forward them all to him and ask if they were meant for him and then shift+delete the shit out of those emails.

 

[Septimus Prime]

How do they get away with having active accounts since most of the time you need to verify your email address by clicking a link or something?

Yeah, I don't get that, either. I get those mails and just send them to spam.

 

[The Albatross]

I'm pretty sure that gmail has a filter that allows you to automatically move an email based on the address that it was written to into specific folders. For instance, you could have myemail@gmail.com but use myemail+spam@gmail.com and that would go to your original email (myemail@gmail.com) but you could then setup a rule in gmail so that it automatically filters/labels/skips-the-inbox for that email.

Here's more about it:
http://lifehacker.com/144397/instant-disposable-gmail-addresses

(sorry it's LikeHacker)

Do periods work the same way here? If they do, then you could route all period emails to go into a certain folder/spam/skip-the-inbox or something.

 

[number11]

As you may or may not know, Gmail ignores any periods you add into your email address, so, for example, neogaf123@gmail and neo.gaf123@gmail will both point to the same recipient.

Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?

 

[Suikoguy]

my firstinitallastname is not even that common and i've gotten probably 15 different services sent to me I did not sign up for.

One time even a car reservation... it was canceled "accidentally".

 

[Septimus Prime]

I'm pretty sure that gmail has a filter that allows you to automatically move an email based on the address that it was written to into specific folders. For instance, you could have myemail@gmail.com but use myemail+spam@gmail.com and that would go to your original email (myemail@gmail.com) but you could then setup a rule in gmail so that it automatically filters/labels/skips-the-inbox for that email.

Here's more about it:
http://lifehacker.com/144397/instant-disposable-gmail-addresses

(sorry it's LikeHacker)

Do periods work the same way here? If they do, then you could route all period emails to go into a certain folder/spam/skip-the-inbox or something.

Yes. They work the same way. I use myemail+myself@gmail to send things to myself.

I may set up a filter, like people are suggesting (thank you, everyone!). I'm not sure I want to change my email address yet, though.

 

[Kaladin]

Some guy registered my e-mail when he bought his new Hyundai around Christmas time. It's not even the firstname.lastname thing either.

I even got his Hyundai Blulink service contract which had his personal info, vehicle VIN number, and the security question to his account......thankfully, it didn't have his SSN.

I contacted Hyundai and got a response that they would look into it but nothing further.

I still got his monthly Bluelink checkup e-mails for a while before un-enrolling myself. You would think this guy would notice he wasn't getting these.

Also.....maybe related, maybe not. I got a notification from an insurance agent in January that I had signed up for their roadside assistance club. Thing is, I don't have insurance with them and haven't been looking for insurance lately. I called the insurance company and they made sure none of my information was associated with the account and reassured me my identity hadn't been stolen. I told them about the Hyundai thing and that it may be related and they said they would look into it.

Haven't heard anything about it since then.

 

[Cipherr]

Some guy signed up for a fantasy football website with my Gmail using the same technique, so I started getting spammed with every message/update/alert from his group. After trying to contact the website and getting nowhere, I just clicked "forgot password" on the website, received the password change e-mail, changed the password on the account, logged in, left a message in his fantasy group telling his friends to tell him to use a different e-mail, and then deleted the account.

lmao

 

[toohectic]

I have the same problem and it drives me nuts. It appears as though two different people think that their gmail address is mine. They sign up for legitimate services with billing that would require access to email, so I have no idea why they keep doing it. I have changed my password and enabled TFA, so I know they don't have access. I wish every site required that email addresses were verified by clicking a link in test email. I get at least two new services signed up each week; Luckily no porn sites have been registered...yet. Ugh.

Sounds like a wider spread problem than I thought. Is there a gmail.com.uk or gmail.uk or similar email domain? Mine always seem to be UK related services or at least the individuals live in the UK.

 

[Mr-Joker]

I had this problem, where I had e-mail saying that I have opened up an account for stuff that I have never done.

I just ask for password, log into those account and close them down so I don't get any further e-mail.

 

[Septimus Prime]

I have the same problem and it drives me nuts. It appears as though two different people think that their gmail address is mine. They sign up for legitimate services with billing that would require access to email, so I have no idea why they keep doing it. I have changed my password and enabled TFA, so I know they don't have access. I wish every site required that email addresses were verified by clicking a link in test email. I get at least two new services signed up each week; Luckily no porn sites have been registered...yet. Ugh.

Sounds like a wider spread problem than I thought. Is there a gmail.com.uk or gmail.uk or similar email domain? Mine always seem to be UK related services or at least the individuals live in the UK.

Yeah. Actually I think my person is also from the UK, come to think of it.

 

[Chezzymann]

Most the promotional email for me goes in the spam filter so if I do have someone doing that its probably all auto marked as spam.

 

[Fusebox]

I get lots of genuine personal emails to my gmail, but sent to . separated variants of my address. I figure those people actually had a . address back before gmail decided it would ignore them.

 

[Sinfamy]

I signed up someone I didn't like for Sarah Palin daily newsletters once.

 

[cheststrongwell]

I used to do this. Sorry pimp@gmail.com.

 

[Stinkles]

Happens to me all the time but it can be entertaining. Once got mail from the Vatican about child abuse. Intended for a cardinal.

 

[RockTurtle]

someone hijacked my hotmail and even hijacked my myspace account linked with it just because my nickname was the name of his garage band.

had been a while since i logged in, so he had used it pretty extensively for promotions and stuff. I recalled that there was an important address i needed to get from that email, so imagine my surprise when i logged in again and found all my shit deleted and all this rock band crap in it.


So what did i do? the only sensible thing.

changed the password. deleted all his emails and contacts. Logged into myspace. erased all his songs, images, and replaced the images with a crude image and a nice big message. "DON'T STEAL PEOPLE'S SHIT NEXT TIME".

consequently, it was the last time i logged into that email.