[jamies]

I have a similar address. I’m sure you can guess. It’s insane how much daily mail I get that isn’t for me. I get completed contracts, credit card statements, you name it.

One thing I occasionally do after a beer or two is reset someone’s password using my email address — just revenge in my opinion.

[switchbak]

I have one guy - I know EVERYTHING about him. I keep telling his contacts to let him know he keeps giving out the wrong address. We're talking very sensitive contractual stuff. I figure it's on him by now.

The best is when the lawyers get all official with me. Yeah, no - this is your mistake, don't get all uppity that you sent sensitive stuff to the wrong address.

From time to time I think about responding with a Goatse, but that's too much even for me.

[fbdab103]

I know everything about my email doppelganger except her real email address. To be fair, seems like she does not know it either.

[1123581321]

I've matched some of them by googling ('a'..'z').each {|l| puts "first#{l}[e-mail]"}

The one who handed out thousands of business cards, and who has the same MI as the start of our last name, has caused the most sensitive information to be sent to me, by far.

[lhamil64]

I'm having a hard time understanding what you are saying you Google.

[joombaga]

The first name and last name with each middle initial e.g. if you know they're John Smith then search for [e-mail], [e-mail], etc.

[1123581321]

Thank you, and fun fact: [e-mail] is a special address that returns a 'does not exist' error.

[deathanatos]

My landlord does this. Every email, no matter how mundane, ends with an all caps warning that the information in it might be privileged or confidential, etc. and how I'm to delete it posthaste if I was not the intended recipient.

Like … I don't take orders from an email. You're basically begging to be uploaded to the Internet like that.

[waveBidder]

I mean, these are the same people who nickel and dime tenants for repairs the owners are legally responsible for, expecting to get it through bluster.

[wolverine876]

> reset someone’s password using my email address

Don't you risk a crime of breaking into someone's account? Regardless, that could cause someone real harm.

[atoav]

If somebody else creates an account tied to your email adress they implicitly agree to have anybody who controls that account use these features.

If they don't like that they should use their own email address instead. If it was unintentional, it is their fault for not paying attention.

[wolverine876]

That may be how you feel about it, but the court may see it differently. If someone's paycheck is mistakenly mailed to you, even in cash, you can't deposit it.

[atoav]

I don't live in the US, but if I receive an emvelope with my name and address on it I am allowed to read it.

And if in that envelope it says I opened a bank account, I am allowed to close it or at least ask the bank wtf they are doing.

Now I'd always argue for not acting destructively and be nice to people, e.g. assume they made a mistake and help them fix it. But if you are confusing my inbox with your own, you shouldn't be surprised if I read your mail. Mail that might expose other people's secrets.

[averageRoyalty]

Sounds like an American thing, as most of the world don't have "paychecks".

The internet is global, and American laws aren't super relevant.

[pigeons]

I agree that we should be mindful that there are many global legal traditions, but "unjust enrichment" is an English Common Law concept and much broader than American laws.

[averageRoyalty]

Fair point, but the "paycheck" example was an analogy around an account being opened in your name, and a poor one.

[drewmol]

>Reset someone's password using my email address

How does that work?

[bogota]

They setup the account with his email on accident because it’s likely close to a lot of other emails.

Essentially it’s his account although legally I don’t know how that would go if say you emptied someones bank account

[bombcar]

If someone signs up with your email, you can trigger a password reset and it sends an email - to you.

[drewmol]

Ahh I didn't grok that, Thx it makes sense now.