I tried to contact Google and Gmail to shut down the account to no avail. The following email was sent to my contacts data base.
Over the past 3 days I have received over 100 phone calls and dozens of emails to my alternative email addresses. Several people have sent their credit card info to the site as requested.
I spoke with the receptionist at Google headquarters at 8:00 am this morning trying to reach someone who could address this with expediency. She repeatedly informed me that she could do nothing and to fill out a report. I had filled out several already over the weekend with NO response.
I have been in love with Google for years. I took my entire graduate class to an event recently by one of the Google engineers in the NY office.
This is stumping me. I am in the midst of IDENTITY THEFT, as are several others from the activity on the Google boards. And there is nothing in place to support this. My request to shut down the account has gone on deaf ears.
Fradulant bogus email sent out either Friday or Saturday best as I can tell
——————————————————————————-
From: My Name[mailto:my.name@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2007 5:52 PM
To: myemailaddress@gmail.com
Subject: Need your help….
Hello
I need to buy some stuff at
http://boxedartmembers.com/phpshop/payment-method.php (100 $) but my
credit card has been failed when I’ve tried to checkout. I’ve purchased
by my credit card before, but I don’t know why it’s declined now. Could
you please purchase it for me? I’m in hurry and it’s very important for
me, I’ll pay your cash as soon as I receive your reply.
this website offers some pre-designed templates for websites and it
offers a promotion for 1 week, it will send you a user name and password
for accessing the download page. The only thing I need is that user name
and password, so please send them by email to me after purchase. it
would be kind of you,
Thanks in advance
Regards
Tags: fraud, gmail, google, hacking, hijacking, phishing, security, SPAM
October 27, 2007 at 12:34 pm |
Please help me!! I had the exact thing happen to me on the 19th…right down to the same email sent to my entire address list. Even the date/time stamp on the email you recieved is identical to the one in mine. I keep filing reports with google but the problem is that I am working in Iraq and have limited access to communications.
Like you, I am a big fan of gmail…which is why this has been so devastating for me. Even my alternate address is gmail! But the account that was hijacked has been my main email address for years and most people on my address list don’t have an alternate address for me. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of those addresses backed up (duh) and it has been a nightmare trying to contact friends and family from Baghdad to let them know it isn’t me.
I have been unable to get any responses from google and when I came accross your blog saying that you got access back I nearly cried. I have archived emails and pictures from friends, family and especially from my little girl that are irreplaceable.
Please, if you can tell me what to do, I would be forever grateful…
Juli
October 29, 2007 at 10:09 am |
I was using my gmail account for orkut from last 2 years but before some days ago my account was hacked by someone n now i am not able to do anything so can i stop using my account by that person. My account was mahirhasan@gmail.com plz help me its urgent
Regards,
Mahir
November 7, 2007 at 6:58 pm |
Hi Juli and Mahir,
Please read another post on this BLOG as to what I did. I don’t know if anything I did helped move the situation but I do have my account back at this point. I am wary though and not as confident in using it.
Feel free to email me directly at my.account.hijacked@gmail.com
Regards,
Catherine
November 22, 2007 at 8:19 am |
My email, website and blog are under attack. The same letter is going to all my friends! I’m sick! I can’t get anywhere with Google. If anyone knows anything, please post!
November 23, 2007 at 6:23 pm |
I had pretty much the same thing happen to me as well, just yesterday…though the e-mail sent was slightly different. The person (who acted as if they were me) said that I was stuck in London and needed $3000 to get home. I no longer have access to my secondary address and Google will not let you answer your security question unless your account has been inactive for at least 24 hours…which is stupid because if someone has hijacked your account then the 24-hour period would be reset everytime they login. A hacker can do a lot in 24 hours while I just sit and wait for Google to let me answer my security questions. I have no idea what the point of that time period is.
Like the others, I agree that I have never had any problems at all with Google. But when it comes to contacting an actual Google representative that can help you with your problem, it is terrible.
I’m going to try to be patient and hope that they’ll let me answer the security questions tomorrow so I can get back into my account.
November 23, 2007 at 7:00 pm |
Hi Justin,
I posted to this BLOG things I did, some which may have helped and maybe not. It took me 5 days to get my account back – even with a lot of effort and many, many failed attempts to reach someone.
I found the board @ gmail helpful. here is the thread about my incident – lots of good links and advise. http://groups.google.com/group/Gmail-Problem-solving/browse_thread/thread/52236945deb78bad
good luck,
Catherine
feel free to email me @ my.account.hijacked@gmail.com
November 23, 2007 at 7:13 pm |
Thanks for the help. I guess I have done what I need to do and I just have to be patient now. I find it very odd that Google has no means of phone support. The frustrating part is that whoever hijacked my account could be doing whatever they want with it right now, and Google is 100% unwilling to help out with that. Their only response is “just wait.” I’m sorry, but when you know someone else has control of something that they can use to represent you, you don’t want to “just wait.” Thanks for your help, and I will keep you posted as to how it all works out.
November 25, 2007 at 5:23 pm |
Five days later and nothing. Google must be closed for the long weekend. My hacker is blackmailing me for money to get my account back. I’m of the mind that alls lost. I’m scared because he has info about my children, and where they live and what they look like and where they live, etc, and where all my family lives, my nieces and nephews and their home addresses. He oould just as easily kidnap them, right? and ask for money. I’m so scared I can’t think straight. Why won’t Google help me WHY????????
January 27, 2008 at 4:25 pm |
I am going through this hideous situation right now. To top it off, I am moving today and will be using a new ISP and of course a new IP.
Like anyone I have a lot of important info in my gmail account. I thought it would be smart to leave account verification emails in there so I always have access to my passowrds.
What is driving me nuts is that I have every email I ever sent to my wife from the day we met. To anyone else, this info is nothing. To me it is a treasure that can never be replaced.
January 29, 2008 at 7:22 am |
my gmail account -kaviitha@gmail.com got hacked and got many problems officially and personally. i got threat mail. I went and complained to the police. But i dont know how to shutdown my gmail account. would google be kind enough to shut down the account? i have provided my official address for contacting me. Appreciate if it could be done asap. I have send many request on this issue. please look into this.
January 30, 2008 at 9:24 am |
Hi,
Best thing is to read this BLOG and continue to contact GOOGLE and GMAIL directly. The police and FBI including the Internet Crime Center were not that helpful.
Good luck,
Catherine
April 21, 2008 at 11:03 am |
Hi
My account has just been hacked I can’t find any contact info for gmail. i have changed my passwords but am unconvinced this will do it?
What can i do to protect myself now and in the future?
April 21, 2008 at 1:09 pm |
Hi Ben,
Sorry to hear of your problems. Be sure your password is STRONG and change your password regularly. Every few weeks is good. Also be sure to always log into gmail securely – https rather than http.
Hacking into gmail is very easy as you can tell by this BLOG and other places on the web. Take precautions and it seems to be more secure. Also don’t expect help from the GMAIL team – they don’t offer it.
Good luck,
Catherine
August 7, 2008 at 8:49 pm |
I got hijacked and was surprised and shocked that google has such a sh*tty attitude about helping people get their system. They help screens are an endless circle that keep taking you back to the page you started at. Talked about an assenine and frustrating experience.
September 21, 2008 at 11:01 am |
Hi Catherine,
my email was hijacked as well. Only difference is, I think someone I personally know gained access to my personal information because my gmail account was deleted, so were my two yahoo email accounts, my blog, AND my myspace page. Does this happen to everyone else too, or does this sound personal? To me, it sounds like a personal attack. Why would someone delete my email accounts??? To my knowledge, no one has sent out any outrageous emails asking for money or anything like that. The accounts have just been deleted, into nonexistence. Is there a way google can recover this account? As someone else mentioned, I have personal info and archived emails that are very important.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
November 26, 2008 at 4:33 am |
I need urgent assistant shutting my gmail account. My account has been hacked into by somebody i know they changed my password as well as secret question. I cannot log in at all. I need help shutting this account down immediately, because they are using my account to sending rude e-mails like its from me to all my contacts…..HELP
May 4, 2009 at 1:48 pm |
Mine was jacked over this past weekend. my Report a Problem page to google will not send and only states an error on the page. This is ridiculous!!!!!!
May 26, 2009 at 12:25 am |
I’m at a loss..this is terribly depressing you know. I never expected my life to be so damaged so quickly. My emails have been hacked through my email and facebook account! Watch out everyone, there is a serious virus on the loose. Of course, GMail has been totally unresponsive. I am filing a police report tomorrow and calling the GOOGLE office directly. But, I am not hopeful. It is really upsetting how Gmail treats sensitive information. I understand that they may not be held responsible, but they can at least take the situation seriously. The endless circles you go through on their support site are redundant and exhausting. And the worst part is, the invitation in the beginning gives you a false sense of security and exclusivity. If Gmail is this easy to hack, they should take action and resolve the issue before peoples lives are damaged. At of this point, I’m just praying for a miracle…
June 18, 2009 at 4:51 pm |
My account has been hijacked and this is my advice: If you use gmail, find some way to make friends with someone who works at Google. I know that sounds insane but it is the only way I was able to get my account immediately disabled; my boyfriend went to uni with a guy who works for Google, so I begged him for help and he was immediately able to email someone and have my account disabled. Of course I am still waiting to hear from the appropriate department in order to get my account reinstated, but in the meantime, at least I know the hacker isn’t doing any more damage.
Go on Facebook and see if you know ANYONE who works for Google, or if any of them look like they might make interesting chat buddies.
They have an “in” we mere mortals do not.
Kate
June 18, 2009 at 7:45 pm |
Thanks Kate,
Such great advice! I added your email to the front of the BLOG.
Glad you got your account disabled so quickly. First time I’ve ever heard it happening so fast.
Good thinking,
Catherine
June 18, 2009 at 7:49 pm |
Thanks Catherine!
FYI everyone: I discovered I’d been hijacked at 9am and by 4pm had everything straightened out thanks to my friend (and new hero) at Google.
Google yourself a new mate!
Kate