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Ask HN: Help – Locked out of 10 years Gmail account

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Re: Ask HN: Help – Locked out of 10 years Gmail account

#41

Post by BaudouinVH »

schiffern wrote: post #11
Jabbles wrote: post #3

Did you follow the steps at https://support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/2402620 ?

Trying this now. Edit: the closest solution is to try account recovery, which is what I was doing. :( I don't want to "spam" the recovery form, since I suspect that will only make it worse. Edit2: trying Gmail app and Google Authenticator now, to see if that makes a difference. Will update with progress. Edit3: no dice. Gmail app just loops me to a message saying "Google couldn't verify that this account belongs to y…

- I had similar trouble accessing my facebook account - the FB recovery process involved me holding some valid ID in front of my webcam. Could Google have something similar ? (Access was restored swiftly)

- Have you, by any chance, stored some google recovery codes somewhere ?

- Isn't there a "call me and read me a one-time six-figure code" option available in all the login/authenticate option Google provides ?

hope it helps

Re: Ask HN: Help – Locked out of 10 years Gmail account

#42

Post by sho »

Alex3917 wrote: post #10

The longer it's been since anyone has logged in, the more confidence Google will have that it's really you trying to log in. In all likelihood you'll be able to get back in within a couple weeks.

This saved me during my big scare about a year ago when I suddenly found myself locked out of an important account with no way to get back in (phone number was old and inaccessible). The password was fine, they just didn't believe it was me for some reason.

A few months later it suddenly worked again, and I seized that opportunity to move permanently away from gmail. I was lucky. I do not want my access to my online identity to be governed by luck, however, so really advise anyone who will listen to make the move before this kind of sob story happens to them.

"It won't happen to me" - I thought that too, and no doubt so did the OP. Won't it? How much will it cost you if you're wrong?

It now costs me $50/yr to know it won't happen to me and I'm more than happy to pay a fair price for a good product, like I do for everything else.

Re: Ask HN: Help – Locked out of 10 years Gmail account

#44

Post by Double_a_92 »

hoffs wrote: post #39
marvindanig wrote: post #20

Google's strategy of locking out people from "everything" is just insane! Someone needs to lawyer up and make them pay through the nose for stealing access to individual’s personal data that doesn't even belong to them.

How is it everything? You get locked out of your account.

Which in the case of Google is for quite a lot of services...

Re: Ask HN: Help – Locked out of 10 years Gmail account

#45

Post by vertis »

schiffern wrote: post #11
Jabbles wrote: post #3

Did you follow the steps at https://support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/2402620 ?

Trying this now. Edit: the closest solution is to try account recovery, which is what I was doing. :( I don't want to "spam" the recovery form, since I suspect that will only make it worse. Edit2: trying Gmail app and Google Authenticator now, to see if that makes a difference. Will update with progress. Edit3: no dice. Gmail app just loops me to a message saying "Google couldn't verify that this account belongs to y…

Be calm. You may be locked out, but sometimes it just takes time to get back in.

Re: Ask HN: Help – Locked out of 10 years Gmail account

#46

Post by maxpro »

fsflover wrote: post #26
manholio wrote: post #8

You don't matter for Google and creating HN spam threads won't change that. At worst, it will solve your particular problem and invite similar spam threads from other victims of faceless corporations.

Such topics help more people realize that Google should not be trusted with managing their emails (or anything really). More threads like this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31782952

This!

I wanted to switch from Google few times (always postponed it to a "next time"), but reading this today I realized how devastating it would be to get locked out. So in the next few days I will move away from Gmail.

Re: Ask HN: Help – Locked out of 10 years Gmail account

#47

Post by hu3 »

krono wrote: post #31

Whilst it might not be of help to OP, I suggest everyone else to do a data export for all your important services every once in a while and save it with your other backups. https://takeout.google.com https://account.microsoft.com/privacy/download-data

Is there something like this for Apple?

Re: Ask HN: Help – Locked out of 10 years Gmail account

#49

Post by trollied »

nikanj wrote: post #6

I love how the HN front page is the only way to reach a human at Google. No amount of money can get you a support ticket opened with an actual person in a situation like this

Google One might have helped. https://one.google.com/about/support

Re: Ask HN: Help – Locked out of 10 years Gmail account

#50

Post by Double_a_92 »

yucky wrote: post #7

I've been locked out of 17 year old gmail account for awhile now because I refuse to sync my phone to it. I only want to login to delete the contents and deactivate the account. It still forwards to my Thunderbird which is how I noticed Google stops dedicating spam protection to un-synced accounts (or something). So, they want me to go away, and I want to go away, but they won't let me go away.

> Google stops dedicating spam protection to un-synced accounts

The spam filter just broke at some time in the last year. I get 1-2 obvious trash spam in my inbox every day. Literally things with a subject like "You _WON_ !! ** our give_away!"

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