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I get those quite often. As far as I've been able to tell, they're typically someone else sharing my first and last name, and they're using a Gmail address with

I get those quite often. As far as I've been able to tell, they're typically someone else sharing my first and last name, and they're using a Gmail address without the '.' in my usual first.last@gmail.com address. Gmail doesn't care about the period, so firstlast@gmail.com gets to me as well. And only me... You might think that if trying to access utilities, or apply for a job, you might use an address you can actually receive messages on.

jfoster 4y ago
Yeah, usually, though when I tried to sign up to Doordash my account already had someone else's details filled, and even though I corrected them to my details, I could never place an order; Doordash had pre-banned me. Many calls to customer service couldn't fix it, despite promises each time. Now that I'm aware of this security flaw, I'm not sure whether that instance was incompetence or malice.
- tlavoie 4y ago
  I've occasionally let my curiosity take me down the rabbit hole, to see if I can figure what it's all about. In one case, the email reminder about an upcoming job interview gave me enough to call the recruiter, and ask if they have alternate contact means for the interviewee. Apparently yes, there's a phone, so I suggested that they use it to ask them for their real email address. Also, if someone uses my email to sign up for some site, you know I'll be using the password reset functionality immediately, then checking that site out ASAP.
wang_li 4y ago
That happens to me too. My suspicion is that the sign ups are happening via telephone and the agent handling the sign up is fucking up the spelling or leaving off the disambiguating elements, digits or whatever.
- tlavoie 4y ago
  The ones I come across likely had no human in the process but the one signing up for whatever service. The one that signed up for hydro at least I could "creep" using Street View, see where he lives. ;)

jfoster 4y ago

Yeah, usually, though when I tried to sign up to Doordash my account already had someone else's details filled, and even though I corrected them to my details, I could never place an order; Doordash had pre-banned me. Many calls to customer service couldn't fix it, despite promises each time. Now that I'm aware of this security flaw, I'm not sure whether that instance was incompetence or malice.

tlavoie 4y ago
I've occasionally let my curiosity take me down the rabbit hole, to see if I can figure what it's all about. In one case, the email reminder about an upcoming job interview gave me enough to call the recruiter, and ask if they have alternate contact means for the interviewee. Apparently yes, there's a phone, so I suggested that they use it to ask them for their real email address. Also, if someone uses my email to sign up for some site, you know I'll be using the password reset functionality immediately, then checking that site out ASAP.

wang_li 4y ago

That happens to me too. My suspicion is that the sign ups are happening via telephone and the agent handling the sign up is fucking up the spelling or leaving off the disambiguating elements, digits or whatever.

tlavoie 4y ago
The ones I come across likely had no human in the process but the one signing up for whatever service. The one that signed up for hydro at least I could "creep" using Street View, see where he lives. ;)