[Murfy]

curious if any one can answer this (long) question:

when gmail started I got an invite for an email, so I created an email account that has been around for a while, since gmail started. in the past few years, this email has been used to sign up for facebook, instagram, ask.fm, tumblr, gaming accounts and as contact information to businesses. None of this is by me.

Some of these I get the verification and able.to say its not me, other times I find out when I get new notifications of activity, like ask.fm, one time a company sent me an email with the name, address and phone number of someone who used my email address to complain about a product and ask for a refund. (guess they didn't get it)

so I can go in and close the account, or contact the company and prove it isn't me (and that is very difficult to prove) to block someone from using it.

to the question: why do people use an email that isn't theirs when I can so easily get in and contact the company, lock them out or get thier personal information sent to my inbox? are people really that dumb or is there something else going on?

one a side note, I had to spend way too much of my time this morning convincing a company I did not sign up for an email list, because they did not have a simple unsubscribe feature.

[boriscleto]

I sometimes get notifications for a gmail address I never signed up for...

My gmail address has a dot between my first and last names. I sometimes get email from an address that doesn't have the dot...

[bertwert]

I sometimes get notifications for a gmail address I never signed up for...

My gmail address has a dot between my first and last names. I sometimes get email from an address that doesn't have the dot...

GMail ignores dots, all these would go to the same address:
example@gmail.com
ex.ample@gmail.com
e.x.a.m.p.l.e@gmail.com
example...@gmail.com

---------- Post added 14-10-15 at 09:19 ----------

curious if any one can answer this (long) question:

when gmail started I got an invite for an email, so I created an email account that has been around for a while, since gmail started. in the past few years, this email has been used to sign up for facebook, instagram, ask.fm, tumblr, gaming accounts and as contact information to businesses. None of this is by me.

Some of these I get the verification and able.to say its not me, other times I find out when I get new notifications of activity, like ask.fm, one time a company sent me an email with the name, address and phone number of someone who used my email address to complain about a product and ask for a refund. (guess they didn't get it)

so I can go in and close the account, or contact the company and prove it isn't me (and that is very difficult to prove) to block someone from using it.

to the question: why do people use an email that isn't theirs when I can so easily get in and contact the company, lock them out or get thier personal information sent to my inbox? are people really that dumb or is there something else going on?

one a side note, I had to spend way too much of my time this morning convincing a company I did not sign up for an email list, because they did not have a simple unsubscribe feature.

Change your password?

[Murfy]

GMail ignores dots, all these would go to the same address:
example@gmail.com
ex.ample@gmail.com
e.x.a.m.p.l.e@gmail.com
example...@gmail.com

---------- Post added 14-10-15 at 09:19 ----------



Change your password?

It's got nothing to do with passwords, because I have this address for years, and I change all my passwords every few months. It is someone using my email address, not my email account. I have no problem with my actual account.

Funny thing is that I used to do email marketing for a company, before I had kids, so I do know that people can make a typo and then re-sign up under another name. Or that email addresses can be sold on lists. But these are random people, not mass lists. I very rarely get spam. This one I created while working in marketing to test what a final email would look like in gmail. I just have never deleted it.

And the email has no dots in it, it was a pet name for our dog, who died 10 years ago. However it seems to be a trendy name, as in there is a soap company with the name, and it's a commonly misspelled name of a tv character, if I do a google search, there are hashtags and twitter/vine/instagram accounts with the name.

but....maybe those other people created emails with dots and didn't realize it that gmail doesn't recognize dots. But then would I still get the emails or them?

[bertwert]

It's got nothing to do with passwords, because I have this address for years, and I change all my passwords every few months. It is someone using my email address, not my email account. I have no problem with my actual account.

Funny thing is that I used to do email marketing for a company, before I had kids, so I do know that people can make a typo and then re-sign up under another name. Or that email addresses can be sold on lists. But these are random people, not mass lists. I very rarely get spam. This one I created while working in marketing to test what a final email would look like in gmail. I just have never deleted it.

And the email has no dots in it, it was a pet name for our dog, who died 10 years ago. However it seems to be a trendy name, as in there is a soap company with the name, and it's a commonly misspelled name of a tv character, if I do a google search, there are hashtags and twitter/vine/instagram accounts with the name.

but....maybe those other people created emails with dots and didn't realize it that gmail doesn't recognize dots. But then would I still get the emails or them?

If you an account murfy@gmail.com, no one could create an account mur.fy@gmail.com, etc.
If it's a common name (your email address) maybe people just use it as a joke, without them realizing it's actually someone's personal email?
You could (annoying to do, but) create a new GMail account and set-up automatic forwarding from your current account to your new account with the exeption of emails from things like that, and then just add one to the list when you get another one of a signed-up service.

[Not a Number]

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/61177?hl=en
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/32046?hl=en

I suggest getting a less common email address. Many people will just type in whatever comes to their mind when an email address is called for and they don't want to receive any junk mail. There are throw-away or temporary email services for that.

[vonBaloney]

It should have been impossible to sign up for most of those places (facebook, etc) using your email address since they confirm the address as part of the process. Sure you're not just looking at random spam (that we all get) -- I mean, can you go login to those facebook accounts?

[BrianR]

It should have been impossible to sign up for most of those places (facebook, etc) using your email address since they confirm the address as part of the process. Sure you're not just looking at random spam (that we all get) -- I mean, can you go login to those facebook accounts?

From the sounds if it he shouldn't have the relevant facebook/instagram/etc. password associated with this email, but requesting it be reset should get the verification-type email resent.

I agree though, it shouldn't have been possible for a 3rd party to sign up for these accounts if they don't have access to this email.

[jpzk]

I have a friend who had his email address/account hijacked via "mobile number confirmation/verification" ( i.e.: his email account linked to his mobile device) or something like that;
Could that be one of the possible reasons why your email (address?) was being used by others?

I am certainly not a computer expert but I thought that this could be a possibility?

[Murfy]

It should have been impossible to sign up for most of those places (facebook, etc) using your email address since they confirm the address as part of the process. Sure you're not just looking at random spam (that we all get) -- I mean, can you go login to those facebook accounts?

should be, but no. and its not random because yes, I can change the paswords and lock the people out.

I was conversing with one person on ask.fm, so yeah you can sign up without verification. I was logged in and changed the password. I did it with tumbler too. and tumbler won't block an email address so people cant use it again. not every place asks for verification. the tumbler account had been around for about a year before I got an update to services email and so I logged into the account. it was girl whoe described her self as emo, with blue hair.

I am just adding this because I found my conversation with tumblr, they said they dont know how someone could have been able to use my email because they do ask for verification, but I explained to them that I can get into this persons account, so even if they ask for verification, how can I get into an account that doesn't belong to me and change the password? so there is a serious flaw with tumblr. that is more worrisome to me. I was able.to close out an existing instagram and facebook account, one was a girl who loved horse and the other was a woman who had made a few friend and friend requests and loaded in photos before I got the verification email.

---------- Post added 10-14-15 at 01:15 PM ----------

From the sounds if it he shouldn't have the relevant facebook/instagram/etc. password associated with this email, but requesting it be reset should get the verification-type email resent.

I agree though, it shouldn't have been possible for a 3rd party to sign up for these accounts if they don't have access to this email.

I can reset the passwords of these accounts, that is why I wonder if people are really that stupid and not realize picking a made up email account might result in someone else being able to access your information.

[Not a Number]

If you are using Gmail you should get notifications each time a new device (computer, mobile etc.) is used to login to the account. You can also log into your Gmail account from a web browser and scroll all the way to the bottom of the index page. In the lower right you'll see "Last account activity" and some time and date information. Click on the "details" link and it will show the recent login activity. Details include type of access (browser, pop3, mobile etc.), IP addresses and time and date. It will also show if there are other sessions logged in and give you the option to log out any other sessions. From the popup window you can also change your alert settings.

Go into your Gmail Account and Import settings and check the section "Grant Access to your account".

[Murfy]

If you are using Gmail you should get notifications each time a new device (computer, mobile etc.) is used to login to the account. You can also log into your Gmail account from a web browser and scroll all the way to the bottom of the index page. In the lower right you'll see "Last account activity" and some time and date information. Click on the "details" link and it will show the recent login activity. Details include type of access (browser, pop3, mobile etc.), IP addresses and time and date. It will also show if there are other sessions logged in and give you the option to log out any other sessions. From the popup window you can also change your alert settings.

Go into your Gmail Account and Import settings and check the section "Grant Access to your account".

no one is logging into my account, they are just using my email address. It's like they decide to make one up because they want to download something and not use theirs emails so they don't get stuck with all the emails that I am now getting. What is kind of scary is that they are able to set up facebook, instagram, tumbler ask.fm, etc, without getting verification first, which is what is happening.

My concern was also that people are using my email address so I can go log into the account they created and lock them out (all I do is put in my email and then click 'forgot password' and a new one is emailed to me) is that I can read all the information they use, which is either all made up, or just my email is made up and I am able to get someone's personal info pretty easily.

Either way, very scary for facebook, tumblr, instagram, ask.fm. The only company that that sent me a verification recently that said 'if you did not request this account, click here and report" was microsoft. So I was able to report it to them that someone else used my email.

[BrianR]

This just happened to me with Shutterfly. Someone made an account under my email and ordered a calendar (according to the UPS tracking, it should be delivered today). I'm guessing they have a similar email to mine and miss-typed, their last name happens to be my first name which is part of my gmail address. There was no email from Shutterfly to verify the account when they first registered using my email. Shame on them.

[Murfy]

This just happened to me with Shutterfly. Someone made an account under my email and ordered a calendar (according to the UPS tracking, it should be delivered today). I'm guessing they have a similar email to mine and miss-typed, their last name happens to be my first name which is part of my gmail address. There was no email from Shutterfly to verify the account when they first registered using my email. Shame on them.

Yes this is what happens to me a lot. I don't know if they type incorrectly, but I am surprised that many let you get into the site before the email is confirmed. I will get notice of something, like a post to a site or order, and then get the confirmation email a few hours later. Maybe they use different servers for the confirmation email, but then how do they still get into the site? Very odd