<p>Someone named “Steven” has been using my email address to sign up for adult websites. Some of them send me a confirmation with the user name and password so I go on and unsubscribe. Others send an email telling me with a link to unsubscribe so I do. There is one that sends an email telling me that I successfully registered and I respond by asking them to delete my account to which they respond with a support ticket number and say they will get back to me but they have yet to do so.</p>
<p>The person doing this just signs up again with a different user name when he can’t log on. I don’t know his email address so I can’t ask him to stop. If I unsubscribe he just signs up again.</p>
<p>For a long time, I had this problem; I was using a gmail address that was six characters and very simple… I ended up changing my gmail address to something more complicated. It was easier than tracking down all the fake accounts that were being created. (A lot of women with the same first name and last initial as mine (think something like AnnA@********** (that’s not a possible gmail address, not six chars)) were giving my email when asked for it at stores. The last straw was when I got a whole series of emails from a car saleswoman in NY, who was convinced she’d met me personally.</p>
<p>Ugh. I really, really don’t want to change my email address. I’ve used it forever and it is my name.</p>
<p>I just can’t believe he keeps doing this. He’s obviously not getting the emails he needs. Luckily he can’t log onto my email without the password so it’s not unsafe. Just annoying</p>
<p>No. That won’t stop it. They aren’t logging into my email. They are just sigining up for sites using it and I get the confirmation emails. Then when I unsubscribe or change the password, they can’t log in so they sign up again.</p>
<p>There may not actually be anyone using your address to sign up on these sites. Like you said, it doesn’t make sense as they aren’t getting the emails to complete the signup process. The sites may be phishing, looking for you to unsubscribe or do something else that confirms your’s is an active email address that can be spammed in the future. Never unsubscribe to unknown sites/emails. Set up a filter if your email allows to send them to trash.</p>
<p>I hated changing my email address as well. However, doing it was MUCH easier than I thought; I sent one email to all the people I wanted to have the new address, didn’t close the old account (I check it about once a month), and got rid of all the spam too. Fun!</p>
<p>I have the same problem with my original AOL email (initial and last name); a simple typo will end up coming to me. I used to get an annual email as Michael confirming my tee time at a course in Orlando (I was tempted to show up for that one). Mary once used my email to register for a marathon with sponsors et al. Someone wanted to let Maureen know about our mutual ancestry. Everything has been pretty innocuous so I either unsubscribe if possible, or let the sender know about the error.</p>
<p>I had this happen in gmail except it was sent in spanish from amazon in south america. I tried to get off their list and tell them it was not me, it did not work. I finally just put it to spam.</p>
<p>I’d think the person - if a real person and not a bot of some sort - would stop eventually because they can’t confirm the membership to the sites they’re attempting to join. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t respond or unsubscribe, I’d also just delete them. Responding does let them know “someone is home”.</p>
<p>I have had this happen twice. One older lady with the same initial and last name I think was confused and was using my email addresses. I replied to one of the senders who let her friend know. The other was an obvious typo and came Wachovia. I could see the persons real name and emailed them to let them know. Both were harmless.</p>
<p>Do you have teenagers? If so, it’s possible it’s a prank meant for one of them, particularly if your email address doesn’t specify your first name. In college my husband and his friends used to sign each other up for magazines and groups, the more outrageous the better-Evangelical Christian magazines, lactation support, horrid racist groups, etc… It took years for him to get off all the mailing lists.</p>
<p>I agree with post #7 above. Treat the emails you receive as spam: trash and ignore.</p>
<p>It’s possible it’s a real person, possible it’s a prank, and possible it’s just spam. If it’s either of the last two, they’ve hit a real winner with you because you just keep taking the bait!</p>
<p>I think emilybee is probably right. Phishers will use all sorts of strategies to get you to open a link. I’d ignore the emails. Just delete them without opening them.</p>