My email address being used by someone else for gas bill

[Sanparom]

Okay, this is a strange one, please bear with me. I have one address and don't own any other property. I pay my bill online, not via direct debit.

A couple of years ago, I opted for paperless billing on my gas account, therefore I only ever receive bills via my online account.

Last week, I tried to log into my account to pay my bill, but realised I couldn't remember my password, so I had it reset and then was able to log in. When I logged in and had a closer look at the account, I noticed that the bill was not for my address (name the same, address different), but for another completely different address belonging to a stranger. After delving deeper, I realised that I could see this person's account details and all previous bills.

I contacted Bord Gais because I am concerned that obviously I should not have access to someone else's account and am also concerned that I may have been paying someone else's bill (as well as my own, which is attached to a different email account that I don't use that much any longer). When I rang them, they told me that my email address is linked with my own home address and this person's address! But I don't know her. They said that they are investigating this, but has anyone ever heard of a similar situation before?

Surely this is a data breach and the other person needs to be told, but the Bord Gais employee told me that she didn't need to be told!! I'm just wondering how to deal with this because it is a situation I have never encountered before. Apologies if the above is a bit confusing. I'm confused myself!

 

[RedOnion]

Not utility bill, but I've a recurring similar issue. Another person keeps trying to use my email address for various purposes. I know their name. It's the same as mine. My email address is my name. My assumption is that this other person uses the same email provider, but their email address should have a number or something in their email.

The other person probably signed up with the wrong email address. Their mistake.

 

[PGF2016]

I've come across this lately. Tell the provider to contact the other person via phone or post to request a different email address.

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

My email address is my name. My assumption is that this other person uses the same email provider, but their email address should have a number or something in their email.

Someone has the same email address as me except with their year of birth as well.

I get reminders for his NCT appointments

I suspect this problem could be data entry (not his). People just read the name and don't append what comes next.

 

[RedOnion]

I suspect this problem could be data entry (not his).

In my case it's very much the person themselves. I don't know them. It was fine until they got an iPhone, and I was plagued for 2 days as they kept trying to set up their apple account with my address!

 

[elcato]

Is it a gmail account ? I started off years ago with firstname.secondname but I receive emails sent to firstnamesecondname as well. Google decided the dot would be ignored, I have received email for another person with same name which is sent to the latter even though I always use the dot when giving and using my email. It's not unusual to the data entrants making mistake I'd say.

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

Google decided the dot would be ignored, I have received email for another person with same name which is sent to the latter even though I always use the dot when giving and using my email.

Dots and underscores have always been redundant in gmail addresses.

People thing they have [email protected] but most likely this was already taken and they had to append another string of characters. They've just forgotten.