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Can you help me figure out this scam?

  • 21-03-2017 9:40pm
    #1
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 7,242 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    I hope this is the right place for this.

    I'm not entirely sure whether this even is a scam. Someone is using my email address to order items online. I don't know whether they've somehow put my email address down as a mistake. Or whether they're using my account for some reason. I can still access my account so they haven't changed any passwords (though obviously I have now). But they are ordering stuff online from various shops. I'm getting the emails so I am contacting the shops to tell them to stop the orders. I'm not clicking on any links in the emails, but contacting the shops via their websites with screenshots of the emails.

    However, I'm trying to figure out the point behind this? The shops can see the orders because they're cancelling them. So it's not a fake email. I can see all the orders so they're stopped straight away. I just don't see how the scam can work, or even if it is a scam?

    Am I missing some new fandangled way of ordering stuff using am email address belonging to someone else? BTW, there are no debits from my account so the only thing they're using belonging to me is my email address. On one purchase it has a full postal address of the purchaser and everything.

    Can anyone shed any light on it?


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 84,762 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    M


    The scam may be to somehow engage you to think someone is using your email address, you then send off some financial details to the business to confirm it wasn't you and they rip you off.

    No business is going to accept orders via email without payment organised.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,696 ✭✭✭✭drunkmonkey


    Have they put a phone number on any of the orders? Gardaí would be glad of the tip off if you gave them order details and didn't stop it along with the delivery address. Just ask the Garda you talk to for an update once they visited the myster shopper, would be a nice little win for them.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 7,242 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    Thanks Atlantic Dawn. I did think of that, which is why I didn't reply to the emails or click any links on it. I just contacted the shops via their own websites and/or Facebook pages.

    One order was for collection at a store. Another one was for delivery to an actual address so I assume some bank verification was done? It said the payment method was MC. I'm not sure what that is?

    Maybe it's not a scam at all and it's someone putting my email address in by mistake. It's just 3 different shops typing in the wrong address is a bit much so it made me curious.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,029 ✭✭✭um7y1h83ge06nx


    MC is probably Master Card.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 7,242 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    Have they put a phone number on any of the orders? Gardaí would be glad of the tip off if you gave them order details and didn't stop it along with the delivery address. Just ask the Garda you talk to for an update once they visited the myster shopper, would be a nice little win for them.

    They're all UK based. The phone number is blocked out except for the last few digits. The address is clearly visible though.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,116 ✭✭✭archer22


    I get e-mails intended for another person sometimes on one of my e-mail accounts.
    It appears the mail account was theirs at one stage but they let it lapse for some reason...then it was awarded to me when I signed up.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 157 ✭✭Qreq


    It might not be a scam that affects you beyond annoyance. Nothing prevents a person from typing whatever email address they like on any website.

    There are people in the same situation on these two threads. Some commenters suggest you have more control over whatever they subscribe to than they have over your email.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/517xba/how_can_i_stop_someone_using_my_email_address/

    https://www.reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge/comments/5z0b88/some_guy_used_my_email_address_to_sign_up_for_his/


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 7,242 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    archer22 wrote: »
    I get e-mails intended for another person sometimes on one of my e-mail accounts.
    It appears the mail account was theirs at one stage but they let it lapse for some reason...then it was awarded to me when I signed up.

    Oh really? I didn't know email addresses were reassigned after a certain period of time. My address is still very much active, but I wonder did two issue?
    Qreq wrote: »
    It might not be a scam that affects you beyond annoyance. Nothing prevents a person from typing whatever email address they like on any website.

    There are people in the same situation on these two threads. Some commenters suggest you have more control over whatever they subscribe to than they have over your email.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/517xba/how_can_i_stop_someone_using_my_email_address/

    https://www.reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge/comments/5z0b88/some_guy_used_my_email_address_to_sign_up_for_his/

    I'll have a look at those links now thanks. But you're right and that's why I couldn't see the angle of the scam, if there was one. I can see exactly what they're ordering and have full control to cancel the orders without them even knowing. A friend sent me a link about amazon accounts and how people were sending around emails identical to Amazon ones saying orders had been placed. You click a link and tell them it wasn't you and all of a sudden you have to give bank details to cancel . But that doesn't seem to be the case here. All the shops can see the orders when I give the reference numbers.

    Two of them are going to come back to me tomorrow so it'll be interesting. It couldn't be a scam really?

    Mastercard! Of course!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 128 ✭✭Pseudorandom


    Oh really? I didn't know email addresses were reassigned after a certain period of time. My address is still very much active, but I wonder did two issue?



    I'll have a look at those links now thanks. But you're right and that's why I couldn't see the angle of the scam, if there was one. I can see exactly what they're ordering and have full control to cancel the orders without them even knowing. A friend sent me a link about amazon accounts and how people were sending around emails identical to Amazon ones saying orders had been placed. You click a link and tell them it wasn't you and all of a sudden you have to give bank details to cancel . But that doesn't seem to be the case here. All the shops can see the orders when I give the reference numbers.

    Two of them are going to come back to me tomorrow so it'll be interesting. It couldn't be a scam really?

    Mastercard! Of course!

    Could it not be as simple as two people with very similar email addresses? I get work email all the time for someone with a similar name to me and I just roll my eyes and forward it on to the actual person (who also sometimes gets mail for me).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,032 ✭✭✭colm_c


    Two more plausible options:

    #1 they've mis-typed email the address multiple times, this is currently happening to me where someone called Cindi is asking for test drives in various honda/hyundai dealers in Ohio and I keep getting emails asking about my test drive! After 10 such emails, I did a bit of facebook stalking and found the right person and let them know they're mis spelling their email address...

    #2 It's not a real order, but a fake one and if you click through from the email address to cancel it they may have a fake website setup to capture your amazon etc. login, in the hope that your amazon password is the same for your email, bank, paypal etc. which unfortunately is quite common.

    If you can rule out #2 (should be easy enough if you know what you are doing), then do a bit of social media stalking and you should be able to find the person.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,181 ✭✭✭Lady Haywire


    Is your email a gmail one? I wonder if someone could have set up an email with a very similar username to yours & be putting a '.' somewhere in it instead of a dash etc.
    Gmail doesn't recognise a dot/full stop as a character & ignores it, so if you were marysmith@gmail.com & the other person thought their address was mary.smith@gmail.com, the emails would come to you.
    Same goes if they decided to use marysmith+1@gmail.com, would be rerouted to your account.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 7,242 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    Could it not be as simple as two people with very similar email addresses? I get work email all the time for someone with a similar name to me and I just roll my eyes and forward it on to the actual person (who also sometimes gets mail for me).

    Yes, it very well is as simple as that. Now its looking more and more plausible that that's exactly what happened. I just wasn't sure. I've never had it happen before. I wouldn't know where to begin finding the real me that should be getting the emails. The name is the exact same as mine. So I wouldn't know how to forward them on. I could go into the account like they did in that reddit thread Qreq posted, request a new password and see exactly what details the other person used. Two of the shops are going to contact her today so she should be made aware of it today and if it's all as innocent a it now seems that should be that.
    colm_c wrote: »
    Two more plausible options:

    #1 they've mis-typed email the address multiple times, this is currently happening to me where someone called Cindi is asking for test drives in various honda/hyundai dealers in Ohio and I keep getting emails asking about my test drive! After 10 such emails, I did a bit of facebook stalking and found the right person and let them know they're mis spelling their email address...

    #2 It's not a real order, but a fake one and if you click through from the email address to cancel it they may have a fake website setup to capture your amazon etc. login, in the hope that your amazon password is the same for your email, bank, paypal etc. which unfortunately is quite common.

    If you can rule out #2 (should be easy enough if you know what you are doing), then do a bit of social media stalking and you should be able to find the person.

    I feel your 'if they know what they're doing' proviso is an important factor here :D I've never really done Internet stalking before, but I could give it a go and see if I can find her.
    Is your email a gmail one? I wonder if someone could have set up an email with a very similar username to yours & be putting a '.' somewhere in it instead of a dash etc.
    Gmail doesn't recognise a dot/full stop as a character & ignores it, so if you were marysmith@gmail.com & the other person thought their address was mary.smith@gmail.com, the emails would come to you.
    Same goes if they decided to use marysmith+1@gmail.com, would be rerouted to your account.

    Yes it is Gmail. And again, the reddit threads above seem to center around Gmail accounts too. You are more than likely correct. And they've put some sort of character in that isn't recognised, which explains why they keep doing it.

    Changing my password wont make much of a difference then, as long as she keeps typing whatever she's typing, I'm going to keep getting her order confirmations.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,959 ✭✭✭Jesus Shaves


    Got something similar from Halfords a few days ago with an address in Northern Ireland, it was an e-receipt, it didn't come from a Halfords email address.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,604 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    I had the same issue with xbox live and Gmail. This lad in America signed up with the dot in his email. I all his emails from xbox.

    I even reset his xbox account once by accident and could see his credit card details and address. I was trying to reset my Microsoft account and reset his password.

    Microsoft didn't seem to be bothered until I copped on what happened.


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 15,120 Mod ✭✭✭✭whiterebel


    It could be that someone has saved the incorrect email address, when is then put Indy the auto-fill function. You would think they would wonder where their email confirmations are going.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,739 ✭✭✭nava


    I have the exact same issue as OP on my gmail account, but for 2 people 1 in UK another in the US (occasionally), for the UK users I also get emails sent to me by their friends, I managed to get the correct email address so I just forward to them if they are important. I been happening for years but she still enters the wrong email address. Email address they just had a extra letter mine is joeblogs@gmail.com they have joePblugs@gmail.com

    In my case for orders I could see the name (same as mine) but user in UK as shipping to address, I say in your case is the same, just a typing mistake but once the typed wrong once it might be in the autofill so when they order they just select it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,116 ✭✭✭archer22


    In my case my surname and that of the other person were the same.When I put my full name in hotmail stated that was taken and gave other suggestions, so I accepted one of their suggestions.
    Every so often after I got e-mails intended for another individual who lives or lived in Manchester.Most of the mails were from financial institutions and shopping sites also some personal mails...most stated they had not heard from the person in a long time.That is why I concluded the e-mail account previously belonged to the person who left it lapse.
    I rarely get of those mails now as I replied to the senders and informed them the person they were trying to communicate with was no longer the holder of this e-mail address.
    Anyhow it does show the risk of leaving an e-mail account lapse.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 36,170 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    archer22 wrote: »
    In my case my surname and that of the other person were the same.When I put my full name in hotmail stated that was taken and gave other suggestions, so I accepted one of their suggestions.
    Every so often after I got e-mails intended for another individual who lives or lived in Manchester.Most of the mails were from financial institutions and shopping sites also some personal mails...most stated they had not heard from the person in a long time.That is why I concluded the e-mail account previously belonged to the person who left it lapse.
    I rarely get of those mails now as I replied to the senders and informed them the person they were trying to communicate with was no longer the holder of this e-mail address.
    Anyhow it does show the risk of leaving an e-mail account lapse.

    Email accounts should never be re-used. Yahoo do it too. Its a joke.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 7,242 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    So, one of the shops has come back to say the customer has a similar email address, as you all correctly predicted. One shop has come back however to say the error occurred because someone at the till typed the wrong phone number so the whole store are being retrained on their till operating. I'm not quite sure they understand the issue :pac: . Anyhow the other person has been told so that's that.

    Thanks all for responding and managing my paranoia!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,857 ✭✭✭professore


    My daughter had a whole Facebook profile with lots of friends, nights out etc somewhere in the US. We only found out when she started getting friend requests via her GMail account from lots of Americans.

    Turned out that the person in the US has the same name and the GMail address she used to sign up to Facebook was my daughters one, so she got all her facebook notifications.

    We replied to the friend requests explaining the situation (since we couldn't find out what her actual e-mail was and also couldn't friend her on Facebook because she rejected it ... naturally) and some of them accused my daughter of hacking their friend's account. Some people!!!!


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  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 7,242 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    professore wrote: »
    My daughter had a whole Facebook profile with lots of friends, nights out etc somewhere in the US. We only found out when she started getting friend requests via her GMail account from lots of Americans.

    Turned out that the person in the US has the same name and the GMail address she used to sign up to Facebook was my daughters one, so she got all her facebook notifications.

    We replied to the friend requests explaining the situation (since we couldn't find out what her actual e-mail was and also couldn't friend her on Facebook because she rejected it ... naturally) and some of them accused my daughter of hacking their friend's account. Some people!!!!

    That thought crossed my mind. If I found out the other persons address and emailed them would they accuse me of hacking!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 48 cardshark


    This kind of thing also happens in the company I work for.

    We don't require customers to verify email addresses when initially creating an account so technically 2 people could open 2 different accounts using the same email.

    When one of them contacts us confused about emails they are receiving, we will then try to contact the other person to let them know they have set up an account with an email address already in use and ask them to change it!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 933 ✭✭✭Shougeki


    I have this crap happening to me for a few years, from about 6 or 7 different accounts. I was a very early adopter for gmail, so it is a number of people with numbrs or slight variations. Some of the crap I have recieved:
    • Invitations to family events
    • Tax Certificates
    • Insurance Certs
    • Membership to the National Rifle Association
    • Hotel Bookings all over US & Canada
    • A Death Certificate
    • Job acceptance email [who the hell could put their own email wrong on a job application?]
    • Plane Tickets
    • Shopping Receipts
    • Subscription to Dr Ben Carsons sh*t
    • Much, much more

    I have managed to contact a lot of them through the years, but at this point if I get a receipt, I cancel it. It is their own fault for not paying enough attention. Two weeks ago I got an email receipt for the Hotel Pensylvania in Washington, for $327. Cancelled it. Now that jackass won't have anywhere to stay, and it was non refundable. He won't make that mistake again.


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