Adventures in Spam

I've blogged about this before, but to summarize: A number of people have signed up for things with my email addy. This can be problematic because I get their plane reservation info -- and one airline let me get in without a password and I had access to their seat and luggage info -- restaurant reservations, job listings, cable company bills and service call reservations, real estate listings, as well as emails from their banks, the stores where they have credit cards, and myriad other sites/places. I've gotten email from a woman trying to set me up with her friend (I answered that one and boy, was she embarrassed!), someone trying to change my password because she thought the email belonged to her uncle who couldn't log in, someone thinking I was their niece, and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. I know things about some strangers that I really shouldn't have access to. And over time, I've figured the emails for tattoos, etc, were spam not intended for me, but now I'm sure because some Viagra spam has come in addressed to someone with the last name of Stafford. Yes, along with spam intended for me, I'm now getting other people's spam. And it's a bit disconcerting to know that I'm getting more email for strangers than I am for myself.


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Email Hijinks

Years ago, I posted, here or elsewhere, about people who didn't know their own email address(es). They'd sign up for dating sites, bank accounts, cellphone service, charge accounts, real estate listings, etc. and I would get the email confirmations. I'm a proud early gmail user, with a simple email addy. I can understand how someone can mistake their longer, more complicated addy for mine (yeah, sure). But really, it's starting to get ridiculous.

Among the mistaken emails I've gotten over the years was an apology from a woman who kept trying to change my password because she thought the account was her uncle's (no doubt a Sheldon "Shelly" S). Then there was the woman who emailed to tell me the guy she'd told me about was interested and should she forward my addy to him. When I replied that my husband might not like that, she was properly embarrassed and answered that she was glad she checked first. I had no idea what the right addies were, but I didn't much care. I'd spent enough time getting into accounts and changing or removing my addy from the not-my accounts, or, better, canceling them.

For a long while, I'd had a bit of a respite. Then this year, the airline reservation emails started, for someone in Puerto Rico traveling in a group to Florida and back. Unable to get into the account to remove my email addy, I sent all the emails to spam. Then came a second airline's email and that did allow me into the account, no password required when clicking through the link in the email, and I removed my addy, but not before toying with the idea of changing the seat location, or even canceling the flight! No, I didn't but I sure was tempted. ;)

Tonight, I got an email for a woman ordering DISH service. In Iowa. I have her full name, address, phone number, and DISH account number. What I don't have is her actual email address to forward the email. So I Googled her. And bless Ms. Shelly (apparently, short for Michelle) Skel...'s heart, she has a Google+ account and a YouTube account, but still, I cannot get her email addy. I even read a bit about her in an article and on a Yahoo! group. I found her Facebook account, too, but she's careful about who can see what. And I'm not paying one of the many online search sites to look up her email addy, which they might or might not be able to find. So, Ms. Shelly Skel... (I can't quite bring myself to fully identify her publicly), wife of Mike, of Iowa, please learn your damn email addy and use it when you sign up for things. Many thanks.


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