So for a long time now someone in the US has used my gmail account as a SPAM account.
I’ve been signed up for online dating etc. …I emailed one of the victims even explaining.

Now they have used it for their utility company and I have their presumed address.
Ideas?

Change your password?

Change your password?

They don’t have my password, they just fill it out as email….then I often just reset password for whatever they used it for and when it comes to my account I just change that password.

Are you sure it’s your account, anyone can spoof a send email address.

Or create one that looks almost identical to yours eg swap the letter ‘O’ for the number ‘0’ which in many fonts looks almost identical.

As above, they’ve probably registered stevextc@gmail.usa or something, and accidentally putting stevextc@gmail.com into websites. Doubt its malicious.

Are you sure it’s your account, anyone can spoof a send email address.

Or create one that looks almost identical to yours eg swap the letter ‘O’ for the number ‘0’ which in many fonts looks almost identical.

I’m guessing they created a throw-away one similar to mine but the headers show the emails coming to my addy…either by design or accident. He has booked apartment viewings etc. giving this address… and then actually moved into one of them, got utilities and given the same email addy.

at the time I was tempted to just cancel all his appt viewings….

For a while the wife was getting email receipts for Sainsbury online deliveries for someone who had miss-typed their email address and used my wife’s email by accident. In the end we logged into their account, using password recovery and closed the account to stop it.

Sounds accidental then. Don’t know what you can do about it except reply to some and say the email address is wrong.

Doubt its malicious.

I agree, which is why I never bothered too much but there is also a pattern of stuff like internet dating etc. I’d just rather not have. (Not like someone in NY is of interest anyway… and by chance I happen to have an ex lives just round the corner)

I get quite a few misdirected emails, probably because my email address is a very obvious one for someone with my name.

My most prolific alter-ego is some chap in Canada — I get quite a lot of stuff for him relating to little-league baseball and the Democrat party. I usually respond to these mails politely asking them to check their recipient’s address and usually they say “oh, thanks” and sort it out.

My most annoying one is a chap in Australia who runs a small business and gets his tax-related mails sent to me(!). I’ve tried repeatedly to get the accounting firm to change the address (or at least check it with him) but to no avail.

The ones that are my favorite though are the ones who are convinced that I must be the person that they think I am, despite my overwhelming evidence to the contrary. These sometimes take several rounds of email to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Anyway. This is all really to say that your situation sounds more like an accident than malicious intent. The trouble really is sorting it out: you need someone on the other end who has another vector of communication with the “other” stevextc and who is willing to tell them “hey, you fat-fingered your email address, over and over — sort it out”.

EDIT: I’ve just realised you mentioned you now have his/her address. You could even write to them (snail mail)?

My gmail address is the surname of my former landlord from about 17 years ago (long story but itt was my nickname for a while!).

I now get emails from his bank, sons school, various church groups etc. I presume because his email is very similar and he gives the wrong address to certain things!

I’m thinking about doing a reverse Nigerian email scam 🙂

Anyway. This is all really to say that your situation sounds more like an accident than malicious intent. The trouble really is sorting it out: you need someone on the other end who has another vector of communication with the “other” stevextc and who is willing to tell them “hey, you fat-fingered your email address, over and over — sort it out”.

EDIT: I’ve just realised you mentioned you now have his/her address. You could even write to them (snail mail)?

Yeah, snail mail did go through my head…. and although I agree it’s probably not malicious there is always a nagging doubt

If it’s a an older account, it’s a known issue with Gmail, there’s a feature where you can create custom email addresses based on your signed up one and they all arrive at your inbox (handy for tracking where addresses get passed on) see here :-

2 handy Gmail email address tricks you should know

Unfortunately it didn’t used to stop people signing up with dots in their email address (which I foolishly did), which then confuses the feature above. I regularly get emails for a guy in the states who has the same email account name except for the dots in mine.

I usually just ignore the email or politely email the sender and explain, though I’ve given up with the Honourable order of the Blue Goose as they just refuse to believe me :).

mahowlett

If it’s a an older account, it’s a known issue with Gmail, there’s a feature where you can create custom email addresses based on your signed up one and they all arrive at your inbox (handy for tracking where addresses get passed on) see here :-

I’m going to check that out…. and yep it’s a very old email (back in the invitation only time)

Was about to say, Gmail ignores dots in your email address too.

So if you have bob.g.jones @gmail.com and someone puts in bobgjones @gmail.com, you’ll get the emails.

I have the same, i get e mails from a landrover dealership addressed to a heather and also from an australian local authority, some of which look quite important but they seem to ignore my replies of wrong address.

Fully suspect it is entered wrongly on a database for these people.

Close the account.

Open new account.

Erm…

Looks simple to me.

Close the account.

Open new account.

Tell everyone you know that your email address has changed, plus update all your accounts around the internet, and tell any government agencies who have your email on record. Pick some memorable new address like “stevextc109282@provider.com” in place of your current boring “stevextc@provider.com”.

Simples.

I get email for another Greg Bowie in Alberta, Canada.

Had all sorts of stuff, agriculture stuff as he seems a bigwig in beef, conservative party shit, student applications, emails from his wife, his mother, his daughter….

I tend to just ignore it now, though I did have a nice conversation with his mother once, she seemed a lovely old lady!.

Close the account.

Open new account.

Tell everyone you know that your email address has changed, plus update all your accounts around the internet, and tell any government agencies who have your email on record. Pick some memorable new address like “stevextc109282@provider.com” in place of your current boring “stevextc@provider.com”.

Simples.

That sounds very very far from simple….

and by chance I happen to have an ex lives just round the corner)

you have the login for his dating profile – maybe you should hook him up

(presuming your ex is Louise of course)

you have the login for his dating profile – maybe you should hook him up

(presuming your ex is Louise of course)

LOL… she’s married now

Anyone know how much a return flight is ?

hello babe im from Ridgefield washington and im looking for sex meet ups
descreet fun nsa fun fwb
if you are up for
that hit me up
at hangouts apps xxxx@gmail.com or
just text me to my number (717) xxx-xxxx

It’s gonna continue until:

Close the account.

Open new account.

Erm…

Looks simple to me.

Many years ago I used to get emails to my mudshark@hotmail ac from people forgetting to put a number on or whatever. I used to reply telling them but ended up having conversations with some, best one was a lady from Boston, USA who I ended up spending an interesting weekend with.

who I ended up spending an interesting weekend with.

I thought I’d done well to be the first person with my name to apply for a gmail account, and was able to get myname@gmail.com – without having to have myname27@gmail.com

But what happens is that the guy with myname27@gmail.com, or his mates, forget the 27 so I get their mail, asking if I’m playing rugby in Hong Kong on Saturday, etc. Fortunately there were email copies to others, so I replied to them and they alerted him; he replied to me and I can now forward the emails.

OP, if you’re worried it’s malicious, just check there are no emails you don’t recognise in your ‘sent’ folder, and no forwarding rules on your account.

Edit – for some reason the forum shows @gmail.com>” in front of every address and it doesn’t appear in the edit window so I can’t remove it.