Can two different people share the same email address?

kford224

OK, so apologies this is not strickly relating to 'saving money', but this is the only place I could really think to ask!

This is going to sound like a ridiculous question, but is it possible in any way, shape or form, for two people who live on opposite sides of the world and have never met, to have the same email address?!

Since early last year (maybe even before that) I have been receiving emails for someone with exactly the same name as me, but aren't for me. Before you go all say it is just spam, here is a list of the sorts of things I've had...

1) Emails from friends and family members (some with family photos attached, some are just normal "how are you doing" emails). When I look closely at the 'from' and 'to' they are clearly normal everyday email addresses and some even have my name and then my email address where it is it obviously an address from their saved address list.

2) Invites via Google Calendar to meals out/events

3) Emails from a few Universities in America saying "thank you for your interest in enrolling" and the like.

4) Confirmation emails from tanning salons (yesterday I had an email asking me to verify my booking online and today I received a 'thank you' email, confirming the date and time of my supposed spray tan!!)

5) Quotes and follow up emails from companies i've never spoken to or visited.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but it is starting to freak me out a bit! I am really savvy with spam and these are definitely not spam emails (I've even checked that the Universities/senders...etc are real) and it's got me wondering whether there is a strange 'crossover' going on?!

Many thanks in advance!

jd87

I can't see that there is any kind of "crossover". The other person as probably just forgotten what their email address is and they are accidentally giving your one out. Maybe you are kford224@blah.com and they are k.ford224@blah.com.

kwikbreaks

It'll be that for sure. Or Alzheimers.

societys_child

change your password on the email account, see what happens then?

kford224

kwikbreaks wrote: »

It'll be that for sure. Or Alzheimers.

Haha!! :rotfl:

Thanks for the replies, as long as we aren't getting each others email addresses or something then that's the main thing. Just is quite spooky that's all!!

Gordon_Hose

societys_child wrote: »

change your password on the email account, see what happens then?

lol, that's not gonna stop him getting emails from other people!

Simple answer is you can't share email addresses. The most likely explanation is that someone has their friend saved in their address book, and has made a typo in the email address. Or the actual owner of the email address has signed up to various things and made a typo.

Email these people back and tell them you aren't the person they think they are emailing.

RagingGoose

Another possible explination is that the other person has misconfigured their email client and the "reply to" address encoded in the emails they are sending is your email address. This could explain why you seem to be getting replies etc..

As mentioned above I'd suggest changing your password, perhaps closing the account and getting a new one may be a good idea to be on the safe side.