Gmail gone nuts; lost an account

[BarkingGhostar]

I was one of the first beta testers before Gmail launched publicly back in 2004. I created a unique handle that I do not care to advertise here, but I tried to get into it just now and I can't. It first tried to get me to type in a series of letters that were so jumbled together that I couldn't make them out. It then prompted me to provide the account recovery email on file and gave me a hint, but that ISP hasn't been around since about 2009. No way for me to receive email from that account. It then asked me to provide an alternate email address and I gave the one on my phone, it emailed me a validation number and then went on to say they had no way of proving the alternate email was mine.

They couldn't prove that the alternate email address was mine? If I was the Gmail account holder then why wouldn't it be mine, and if I were social engineer why wouldn't the alt email be mine? Then Gmail asked for a cell phone number and I gave it, and guess what their response was? I couldn't prove the phone was mine. Finally, it said the device I was attempting to log into the specific Gmail account wasn't recognized. Really? I've been using it for seven years, checking email just fine from it. But now it has lost its mind.

And as far as Security Questions go? Gmail made damn sure that I now knew that they don't use them anymore and demand alternate email addresses and cell phone numbers--all of which they can't prove anyone owns. LOL

Fuck you, Google, Fuck you!

 

[zinfamous]

I skimmed this, but don't understand your rant.

My current, long-time gmail account was also started from a beta invite account. Never had problems. It is my email.

are you bitching that you are having issues logging into an account that you've neglected for...many many years, when standard security features that humans have long come to accept during that gap, have also changed dramatically? is that what is happening?

how about this: I created a Rockstar account for the first time, ~4 days ago with the free GTAV offer, and it now asks me to re-authenticate every single time I wake up the computer, clicking on endless blurry images that make no sense. It has identified me as a robot, 30% of the time.

now THAT is fucked up bullshit.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Sorry, yes. I went to login last night and was met with a 'we don't trust you yet' scenario. At first, after submitting my password it wanted me to key in those jumbled up characters but they were too jumbled up for me. That led to them locking me out and directing me to a recovery routine. It was during this recovery routine they demanded a cell phone number, which they said they couldn't prove it was mine, and then an alternate email address, which I provided and again they said I couldn't prove that it was mine.

All of this was based on the fact that Google/Gmail claimed it recognize the machine I was trying to access the account on, but it is the same 6.5-7 year old Windows 7 Pro 640bit machine I've accessed the account hundreds of times. I did realize during the second recovery phase where it asked for an alternate email address it tried to help me by providing it with some characters missing, but that alt email hasn't been in existence in +12 years when the ISP went out of business.

So, if Google/Gmail cannot prove that my cell phone and alternate email are mine then there isn't any way to actually recover the account all because Google/Gmail has lost its own memory of the machine I've been using for 6.5-7 years now appears different.

 

[lxskllr]

Fuck you, Google, Fuck you!

Words to live by.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

The strange thing is that I have several other Gmail accounts that I can access just fine from the same environment. And you know they moved away from the security questions not because it wasn't effective but they couldn't data mine what they wanted, which was a) another email address, and b) your fucking cell phone number.

 

[Captante]

For Google accounts you still have access to I suggest you do the following:

(1) Enable 2FA -

(2) Install Google authenticator -

(3) Create and save a set of security-codes you can use to access your Google account if locked out - *(print & store in safe place)


As for the account in question here I'm afraid you may be SOL ... I had this happen with an old Gmail and eventually I just gave up trying.

 

[snoopy7548]

Old guy who doesn't understand clouds yells at cloud when cloud does cloud things. News at 11.

 

[manly]

I skimmed this, but don't understand your rant.

My current, long-time gmail account was also started from a beta invite account. Never had problems. It is my email.

are you bitching that you are having issues logging into an account that you've neglected for...many many years, when standard security features that humans have long come to accept during that gap, have also changed dramatically? is that what is happening?

I don't know if the policy is normally published, but Google, Yahoo and other service providers will delete an account if it's not been touched for a long time. For example, G Suite contacts me about once a year to login to my (grandfathered) account which I obviously don't use, or lose it.

As to the original rant, obviously a recovery email/phone has to be linked to the account prior to one needing to recover access. Otherwise I could just wait for zin to go to bed, and then attempt to hijack his Gmail! And agreed, it's unclear if Google did something "evil" or OP simply forgot his password and has no way back in.

 

[Captante]

And agreed, it's unclear if Google did something "evil" or OP simply forgot his password and has no way back in

Unfortunately given the lack of actual support from Google for gmail account problems it doesn't really matter the result is the same.

As I posted above about all you can do is to use the tools provided by Google to secure your account BEFORE having a problem.

Otherwise best of luck!

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Old guy who doesn't understand clouds yells at cloud when cloud does cloud things. News at 11.

What logic am I not understanding?