They did not send the requests INTENTIONALLY.Thanks for that post.
I should clarify that I am not saying that linkln had anything to do with incorrect emails being sent. Only that I am CERTAIN that the people who supposedly sent them did not send them to me. Without that clue, I would never have known something was wrong.
LinkledIn has a feature where if you let it, it scans your associated contact list (gmail, yahoo, hotmail) and tries to match them up with their database and make an introduction for you.
If no association, you get the emails that have caused you you heartache.
It's one of those sneaky little things that if you don't actively opt out of something, you are implicitly giving them your blessings (like those old 8 cd's for a penny from the 90's). This is probably what your friends did and don't know it.
Whenever linkedin or facebook accounts want to sync your contacts, red flag!!