Data breech

[KimCee]

Jurisdiction

New York

Sent email from back up Gmail account NOT associated with my name phone number or home address. Email reply came to same account but changed the name to my real name, which is not stated to them. Nor is it stated at all in that back up account.

 

[justblue]

Sent email from back up Gmail account NOT associated with my name phone number or home address. Email reply came to same account but changed the name to my real name, which is not stated to them. Nor is it stated at all in that back up account.

Interesting. Did you have a legal question?

 

[zddoodah]

Sent email from back up Gmail account NOT associated with my name phone number or home address.

I'm not sure what this means. AFAIK, one is not required to input a name or home address when creating a Gmail account. Not sure about phone number. Also, to whom did you send this email, and what was the subject?

Email reply came to same account but changed the name to my real name, which is not stated to them.

So...the recipient of your email figured out who you were. So what?

Nor is it stated at all in that back up account.

Back up account?

Data breech [sic]

Hardly.

It's not clear to me that your post raises any legal issue.

 

[KimCee]

Interesting. Did you have a legal question?

I didn't give the emailed person my legal name. When reply came it was changed my email name from XX to my legal name at the email address. So. XXX@email.com to Legalname@email.com. This email is not associated with my legal details anywhere. Nor did I share my details in the email.

 

[KimCee]

Should I retain attorney? I'm terrified. The email was to sign up for a government thing. Like I stated the email isn't associated with me in legal name, phone number, address. No link to me. Even the birthday is different.

 

[zddoodah]

I didn't give the emailed person my legal name. When reply came it was changed my email name from XX to my legal name at the email address. So. XXX@email.com to Legalname@email.com.

Ok...so?

This email is not associated with my legal details anywhere.

Apparently it is now.

Should I retain attorney?

For what purpose? Here's your story in a nutshell:

"I sent an email to someone from an email address I thought was anonymous. However, when the recipient of the email responded to me, he/she had my real name."

I suppose that, in theory, it's possible that the recipient of the email used illegal means to ascertain your identity. However, the mere fact that this happened does not mean anything legally wrongful occurred. Obviously, we're in no position to opine about what might have happened since you have provided no details about the recipient or purpose of your email or the response you received.

I'm terrified.

Of what?

The email was to sign up for a government thing.

What sort of "government thing"? Also, other than maybe a newsletter of some sort, I doubt there is any "government thing" for which you might sign up that wouldn't require you to disclose your name.

 

[KimCee]

I was signing up to attend an event. Nothing was asked, as far as personal information. I was inquiring as to what was required to be paid to attend. The reply came in name. It being a government event I wanted to remain anonymous until I decided if I would attend to be paid or not.

 

[zddoodah]

I was signing up to attend an event. Nothing was asked, as far as personal information. I was inquiring as to what was required to be paid to attend. The reply came in name. It being a government event I wanted to remain anonymous until I decided if I would attend to be paid or not.

Bottom line: Nothing you've described even remotely indicates any legally actionable conduct.

 

[KimCee]

Ty.

 

[army judge]

 

[Tax Counsel]

Should I retain attorney? I'm terrified. The email was to sign up for a government thing. Like I stated the email isn't associated with me in legal name, phone number, address. No link to me. Even the birthday is different.

You may want to at least consult an attorney to see if there is any legal issue to pursue.
Without knowing to whom you sent the e-mail, whether it's a goverment agency or a private person/company, and exactly what the content of the e-mail there isn't much I can tell you.

You might also want to speak with a expert on Gmail to see how it works in detail. Without the details of the accounts you have and exactly what you did when you sent it and what Gmail might have done on the return mail I can't tell if your issue is with Google or with the person/entity that received the e-mail.

One possibility you might want to consider is whether the IP address used when sending your mail matches the IP address that is also associated with your real name. If your computer set up has a static IP address (which means it's always the same) then it might not have been difficult for the other person/entity to figure out who you really are.

It also matters a lot what you are terrified might happen. You said you were signing up for a "government thing". If you sent it to a government agency then which agency what you were signing up for matters. If you were trying to deceive the recipient about your real identity to get some kind of benefit that's generally a fraud offense. If that is what happened then you do really need to see a criminal defense attorney so you are prepared should law enforcement come around to arrest you.

Finally, what the recipient's reply to you send may also be important.

I can tell you that the fact the sender of the e-mail figured out your real name and your usual e-mail address is not itself a crime in the U.S., either under federal or NY law. It would matter what the recipient did with that information.