I didn't send you an email.

This wasn't the blog post I have scheduled for today I felt like I needed to rearrange things because of an online drama that I had yesterday. I want to share something that happened so maybe could reassure you that it is a thing or I could be totally wrong and all of this is a massive coincidence and someone does have the same name as me that is in the blogging world.

I will say this now, if you think you got an email from me over the past few days about a blog guest post, you didn't, it wasn't me! 

Over the weekend I got an email from someone called Kim Carberry, yes it was weird as that is my name and I thought my name was pretty unique. The only Carberry's that I know apart from family is an Irish jockey, I think he's retired now. Anyway, the email address was my name with a couple of numbers. It definitely wasn't either of my email addresses that I use or anything close. I didn't think anything of it as my email provider picked up it was spam. The sender was asking if they could share their story as a guest post and it was written by someone who’s first language isn’t English. I know my blog posts are not always grammatically correct but this was something else.

Yesterday I got a message from another blogger asking if I was doing blogger outreach and had contacted them about a guest post. I obviously hadn't and that really worried me! I went straight to a couple of blogging groups on Facebook in a mad panic asking if it seemed someone was pretending to be me and was that even a thing. I always think worst case scenario.

Some very wise bloggers reassured me that a lot of emails about guest posts use fake names. Come to think of it in the over the years I've had emails from Joey Bing, Monica Green, Chandler Green, Ross Buffay and Rachel Bing. (Any friends fans will see the connection. lol) 

I have done security checks on my email and account and everything seems safe from my side, it is just someone trying their luck and like other bloggers have said they could be using my good reputation and name to get goodness knows what as I've been told they are only offering $20 per guest post.

There are no laws about people using your name even if it is an uncommon name. I wouldn't have thought twice if it was a common name like Joanne Smith or Karen Jones and I knew bloggers with those names, they are just common names and nothing to worry about but my name... My biggest worry is that they are actually pretending to be me. I will be reporting it to the police if that is the case. I only found out today that you can report cyber crime through Action Fraud.

It has really got to me. I was on the verge of tears for most of yesterday and just felt sick. I feel violated. I am so worried that people in the blogging world might see the name Kim Carberry and think of me. I did put a couple of posts on social media about this but I don't know how many people have seen them. I'm not a big blogger but I stay out of drama and try to help out others if I can. I wouldn't go emailing random people that I have never really spoken to before and certainly not about guest posts. I am not that type of person. I often feel too shy to message someone about something mundane like extra help with a recipe they've shared or some more information about a day out. I felt sick yesterday asking for help on the FB blogging groups as I generally try to go it alone and muddle through but with this I just couldn't.

I know I don't have to defend myself but out of all the people I spoke to online yesterday most thought it was me emailing them. I wanted to set the record straight. The only email I use for blogging is the one on here on my contact me page and my personal one is one I set up when I was young and stupid which is really embarrassing when I have to give it out to anyone. 

Have you heard of anything like this happening before? Did you get an email from the other Kim Carberry?