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Stupid email mistake

(23 Posts)
acanthus Wed 07-Jun-17 06:40:51

Please tell me I'm not the only one to have done this - I sent an email yesterday containing some financial/legal information (no account numbers thank goodness) to the wrong person! Same name and server, but I missed out an initial. Now, do I contact the person and ask him to ignore and delete my email, or leave well alone and hope for the best?

Baggs Wed 07-Jun-17 07:03:00

Email again using the same address as the wrong one you used yesterday.

Baggs Wed 07-Jun-17 07:04:32

Or just worry. I expect you'll worry anyway.

Check your accounts and, if you're really worried, contact the banks and explain what happened.

Baggs Wed 07-Jun-17 07:05:35

I hope it doesn't cause problems flowers

acanthus Wed 07-Jun-17 07:46:44

The bank is not involved - it was a draft letter regarding a house purchase and I wanted someone to look it over before I sent the hard copy. It's just worrying that someone else may have read it.

kittylester Wed 07-Jun-17 07:53:22

I'd be tempted to ignore it if the information isn't sensitive. Do you know that the email was delivered to anyone? The wrong email address could just not exist. Check your junk box to see whether there has been a 'failed' message.

Don't worry!!

Nelliemoser Wed 07-Jun-17 08:03:15

Acanthus You are not at all the only one to send texts to the wrong place.

My daughter was leaving a rented property and clearing out, sorting out return of deposits etc. The landlord came to check the flat was OK . DDs house mate had not seen the landlord so DD sent a text, as she thought to the house mate, decscribing him as a Hooray Henry.

Unfortunately she sent the text to the landlord instead. DD then left to go travelling leaving me to sort out the returned deposit. The landlord who was a solictor was not amused. It happens .

acanthus Wed 07-Jun-17 16:01:37

Thank you for your comments. I did have a reassuring thought today - as the draft letter was sent as an attachment, the recipient may have wisely deleted the whole email as it would be from an unknown sender. Fingers crossed....

sweetcakes Thu 08-Jun-17 10:21:25

That's what I would do if I don't know the person who's sent it I delete it with out opening it.

radicalnan Thu 08-Jun-17 10:36:57

I sent a lengthy e mail concerning the sensitive problem of my dogs sticky bottom........to a total stranger.

I received a charming response, she said she wasn't the vet but was a church of Scotland Minister and would pray for his predicament. I was so worn out and worried at the time and so grateful for her kindness.

Diddy1 Thu 08-Jun-17 11:08:19

I sent a rather personal e mail to someone, and realised when it was sent there were two people with the same first name, I just clicked onto it without checking, never do it again, didnt get a reply, hope she deleted it!

Mermaid6 Thu 08-Jun-17 11:31:16

Oh I have done that too, 3 times in fact. When I clicked on the contact I wanted it entered the one above each time and even though I know I have to double check I forget when in a hurry. It is so embarrassing particularly when you send it to your own DC and it is meant for someone close to you argh. Just too much information !!!!

wilygran Thu 08-Jun-17 11:57:46

I sent our church newsletter to the wrong (but very similar) email address for months before this nice lady emailed to say how lovely it was to hear of all our activities as she lived in Dubai & it was quite a breath of home!

grandMattie Thu 08-Jun-17 12:29:06

I once sent a mail to my SiL instead of to a friend, complaining of her behaviour! [she was bahaving like a tantrumming toddler, when I was dealing with DH, her brother's, operation for prostate cancer]. I was mortified. Never did it again... I am now almost paranoid about checking addresses grin

pollyperkins Thu 08-Jun-17 13:18:54

Im told that theres a way of deleting emails youve sent, if they've not ben opened. But no idea how. A friend once sent some sensitive and Confidential work info to all her contacts in error. She realised straightaway and someone at work deleted all her unopened ones and contcted the others explaining it was confidential and asking them to delete it.

CardiffJaguar Thu 08-Jun-17 14:03:38

Too late to do anything to recover so the recommended thing to consider is a change of email address to help for the future. Most people would simply ignore your email. If you try to contact the person you can do more damage than good.

As a warning to every reader once something has left your computer there will always be a record online even when an email bounces. That is why we should always stop and think before pressing send, as well as providing any information online.

Anya Thu 08-Jun-17 14:16:51

The man possibilities are 1) it will be deleted before opening (wisest move from unknown recipient) 2) open, read and then ignored and/or deleted and 3) you'll get a reply.

Any use of the email in anything underhand is extremely unlikely as most people are honest AND there's nothing to identify the account.

Try not to worry,

acanthus Sat 17-Jun-17 18:27:05

Thank you again for your reassuring comments. A few weeks have passed now and nothing untoward has happened, not even a reply from the unintended recipient, so am putting it out of my mind now with the resolve to always check and double-check email addresses!

Norah Sat 17-Jun-17 19:28:36

Goodness. We have all done it.

I sent an email to my husband whilst he was OOT, telling him what a fun chap he is in bed, come home soon. Reply all to my daughters as well. Fun sorting that. shock

Chewbacca Sat 17-Jun-17 21:32:11

At work, we used to run a small in house tuck shop type of chocolate and sweetie box. The price of everything was inside the lid and an honesty jar was at the side. Week after week, the honesty jar was "short" of money, which could only mean that someone was being dishonest. My boss asked me to send an email to all staff, telling them that if it happened again, he would remove the tuck shop and he was disappointed that we had a dishonest person/people amongst us. I duly wrote a stiff email and sent it to "ALL". I'd failed to notice that "ALL" meant everyone I'd ever sent an email to and it went to clients, solicitors, accountants and suppliers. I was besieged for weeks with random people asking if the tuck shop was still going or had been shut down. Never made that mistake again.

Purpledaffodil Sat 17-Jun-17 21:53:34

Just had something similar. DH got an email with an estimate for fixing a roof at a house in the USA, only difference in email addresses was a dot between first name and surname. I emailed sender to tell him of the error and that we lived in Old England not New England ?. No reply so far. But I felt I'd done the right thing.

kittylester Mon 19-Jun-17 07:36:57

When DD2 was dumped by her boyfriend, I sent her siblings an email asking them to be especially nice to her as she was distraught - she was not happy when she also got the email. blush

cornergran Mon 19-Jun-17 08:18:11

I've got five email contacts (not all friends) with the same first name. I have learned to be very, very careful. blush.