What should I do with this account information?
June 24, 2012 8:35 PM

Someone created an apple id with my main email. I reset her password using my email, signed in as her, and have all of her contact and credit card information. What is the right thing to do here? I'm worrier that a scammer is using my LinkedIn information. Is there any result that ethically ends in me getting a new free MacBook? (haha)
posted by bbqturtle to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: If this is going to be an actual question about possible ID problems or how to handle accidental access issues, it needs to be a whole lot clearer in the wording of your question that you are not trying to profit from or exploit this situation. Please contact us if this unclear at all. -- taz

Is it possible her email is similar to yours, and this was a typo?
posted by zippy at 8:46 PM on June 24, 2012


The way to handle this is to contact Apple and let them sort it out with this other customer while you retain control of all AppleIDs linked to your email address (albeit not contact information, credit card info, purchase history, iCloud data, etc.).

If it is a scammer at work, you're collateral damage: the real target is the credit card account holder. I give this a 95% chance of being a typo or your similar oh-god-how-did-this-get-here-i-am-not-good-with-computer befuddlement.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:53 PM on June 24, 2012


Let me guess: Gmail? People don't realize it, and it's been pointed out many times on here before, but dots (.) in a gmail username don't matter when receiving mail. So these two are the same as far as gmail is concerned, and go to the same inbox: 
firstname.lastname@gmail.com
firstnamelastname@gmail.com
Also, the domain 'googlemail.com' is an alias for 'gmail.com' in areas where using the name 'gmail' is a legal issue.

So what I do is on Facebook, Apple ID, and others I add all these addresses as mine: 
first.last@gmail.com
firstlast@gmail.com
first.last@googlemail.com
firstlast@googlemail.com
It's cut down a lot of people accidently signing up new Apple IDs and Facebook accounts using my email.
posted by sbutler at 9:43 PM on June 24, 2012


Delete the credit card info and other personal information that's not yours and move on. They typed the wrong email address when they signed up.

If you're still paranoid, change your email password.

Can't help you with the new mac, it's a typo not a lottery ticket.
posted by Ookseer at 9:50 PM on June 24, 2012


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