Getting emails from U.S. Bank for someone else's account?

Looking for advice on a frustrating issue. I’ve been getting emails from U.S. Bank, but I don’t even have an account with them. It looks like someone may have accidentally used my email when signing up for banking services.

Here are some of the emails I’ve received:

  • ‘Thank you for applying for a U.S. Bank Smartly Checking’ – includes an application ID.
  • ‘Welcome to your new checking account’ – includes the last 4 digits of an account number.
  • ‘You added or edited data sharing with [a third-party service].’
  • ‘Biometric login is enabled in the U.S. Bank Mobile App.’
  • ‘Welcome to U.S. Bank Smart Rewards.’
  • ‘Thank you for applying for a U.S. Bank Smartly Savings.’
  • ‘Your U.S. Bank application’ – explains that the savings application was denied due to factors from Chex Systems.
  • ‘Your Personal Loan application is waiting for you to complete.’
  • ‘Important information about your application’ – says the account is open and a debit card will arrive soon.
  • ‘Your U.S. Bank debit card was added to Apple Pay’ – lists the last 4 digits of the debit card.
  • ‘Your balance has fallen below $100.’
  • ‘Welcome to the U.S. Bank Mobile App.’

I called U.S. Bank customer service, and they confirmed that my email is not linked to my personal information. But they also said they can’t remove my email without the account holder’s approval.

I can block the emails, but I’m wondering—how is it possible to open a bank account without verifying the email? Is this common, or some kind of mistake in the system? Any advice on how to stop these emails and maybe even notify the real account holder to fix their info?

Banks don’t always verify emails before sending notifications. Check if there’s an unsubscribe link, or just block them. Because of privacy laws, the bank can’t update the email without the account holder’s permission.

@Rudy
Unsubscribing might not stop all notifications. Also, avoid clicking anything in emails like this—some scams make emails look real. If the domain is legit, it could still be a case where scammers exploit a bank’s email system to send messages. Best option is to mark them as spam or block them.

Some companies don’t fully verify email addresses. PayPal is a big example of this. People also mistype their email or use a fake one to sign up for things.

Whether this is a security risk depends on the situation. Some people think it’s harmless, but if sensitive banking documents are sent, that could be a problem. Banks aren’t required to verify emails before linking them to accounts, at least not in all cases. If this were tied to a mortgage or loan, it could be more serious.

Only thing you can do is filter/block the emails and avoid clicking anything inside them.

A lot of sites don’t actually check emails, even if they send a verification link. I get tons of messages for other people because my email is a common name Gmail address.

Sounds like someone is using random emails to create a fake identity for banking. This happens when people mix real and fake info to open accounts.

Could be a scam. I’d block and ignore them. Definitely don’t click on any links.

Palmer said:
Could be a scam. I’d block and ignore them. Definitely don’t click on any links.

I thought so at first, but these emails seem completely legitimate. The links go to the bank’s real website, and customer service confirmed that the application IDs are real. So it’s not phishing—it’s just that someone else used my email by mistake.

@Ashton
U.S. Bank customer support should be able to send a notification through their internal messaging system to the account holder. If they log in, they might see it and fix their email. No guarantee they’ll check, but it’s worth a shot.

You might want to file a formal complaint just to push the bank to do something about it. You aren’t responsible if someone used your email, and banks are usually supposed to confirm email ownership when creating an account. Some banks use one-time codes to verify, but if they didn’t, that’s on them.

It’s frustrating to keep getting these notifications. If the bank won’t help over the phone, maybe try going to a branch and explaining the issue in person.