• snrkl@lemmus.org
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    5 days ago

    I have a firstname.lastname[at]gmail.com email address.

    Every single week I get a different person’s legitimate email because they forget their email is firstname.lastname12345[at]gmail.com or some other number, and sign me up for stuff…

    I get bank statements, rent notices, holiday bookings, xbox live accounts, kayak club membership emails, pizza delivery receipts, Amazon.com accounts and purchases…

    You name it…

    XKCD calls it “Reverse ID Theft” - I call it “Identity Donation”: it’s like people think: “here… Be me for a bit… See how you like it…”

    https://xkcd.com/1279/

    • w3dd1e@lemmy.zip
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      4 days ago

      Well that XKCD comic nailed it. There is a doctor in another state with my name and occasionally patients send me their prescription questions.

      I also had to specifically ask a lady with a similar phone number to stop giving mine out.