Getting someone else's wrong email

[CaptainChewbacca]

This is a bit of a story, so bear with me.

I got into gmail early, so my gmail address is my first initial and last name @gmail.com. I didn't have to add any numbers or extra letters, which was find by me. Unfortunately my last name, while not terribly common, is still common enough that I get probably 2 or 3 emails each month that are meant for someone else. Someone else with my same first initial and last name.

Each time, I have to write back and say 'sorry, I'm not who you think I am'. I have gotten e-birthday cards, christmas letters, and pictures of some nice couple's very cute dogs. Once, I went back and forth a few times because someone thought I was their grandpa and was trying to be funny. I've gotten rental confirmations, appointment cancellations, and all kinds of stuff.

Does this ever happen to anyone else, or did I just happen to pick the magic email?

[Losonti Tokash]

My first email address was just my first and last name. There is apparently someone else with my exact name that runs some stupid Seether website and every once in a while he'll start harassing me trying to get me to give him the account. Other than that, I am blessed with a fairly rare name so it's not something that happens too often.

[General Zod]

I try and make my emails unique enough that this sort of thing doesn't happen. Like my first initial and last name instead of my first name for my work and isp emails. My gmail address doesn't have any part of my name in the email itself, so I'm safe there.

[Braedley]

I'm pretty lucky in that my last name is very rare. I have yet to conclusively find anyone else with the same last name as me who I'm not related to.

[Tolya]

I recently got an online reservation confirmation (WizzAir) from London to Gdansk. Guy's names was the same as mine, but his middle initial was "D." (mine is R. but I never use it). Funny thing is that the data in that email was enough for me to log in, see the flight and boarding pass and possibly even screw it up (cancel the reservation or move it without the guy knowing). So watch your emails when you book a ticket online.

[Soontir C'boath]

I recently got an online reservation confirmation (WizzAir) from London to Gdansk. Guy's names was the same as mine, but his middle initial was "D." (mine is R. but I never use it). Funny thing is that the data in that email was enough for me to log in, see the flight and boarding pass and possibly even screw it up (cancel the reservation or move it without the guy knowing). So watch your emails when you book a ticket online.

One would think they'd send it to the email address the customer registered on their website.

[Solauren]

That used to happen at work. The other guy with my name is in the Minstry of Health. I'm in the Ministry of Revenue.

We both get HIGHLY confidential stuff in our email.

To the best of my knowledge, he never got any of my email, but I got several pieces of his. (All got forwarded and then deleted).

Your best option if this is happening is to simply email the sender back ONCE that they have the wrong email address, and then block them.