Google has locked me out of the account

Question

I forgot the password to my account and I have been trying to reset the password. To reset the password, Google keeps sending a verification code to the same email of the account that I'm trying to reset the password for.I really do not get the point, I do not have the account logged in on any of my devices. I have tried all the previously used devices to reset the password from. It still keeps sending the code to the same email.It's an account I use for AdSense and I have unpaid revenue in there. I have literally tried 5 different devices that I have used the account on, I can verify the phone number but then it keeps asking me to verify a code that's sent on the same email.Now that I'm trying potential passwords, it asks me to solve a captcha everytime and I've tried so many times that it says I've entered the captcha wrong even though it's correct. We're 3 people literally looking at that and solving it and it's done that 10s of times.

fsflover · Accepted Answer

There have been a lot of such threads on HN already. People should stop trusting Google.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22705122
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17428707
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9768593
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19513501
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30677471
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=350968
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24709282
(Some of those threads also have related advice.)

oliverx0 · Answer

Curious if this would work:If you are in the US, try contacting google by every possible venue and keep a track / paper trail of your communications. If non of these methods work, then sue them in a small claims court. This is something for which you do not need a lawyer, and you can get up to $3000. They will probably take you seriously enough to try to solve it without going to court.

kyrra · Answer

I assume you've tried following this guide? https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/7682439?hl=enAs far as I know, that's about the only way to do things if you can't get in.

advisedwang · Answer

If the email address to which it is sending the verification code is not @gmail.com (e.g. you use workspace or have a vanity domain+forward) you can change the email forwarding or redirect the domain to a different email provider for long enough to get the code.

nitn · Answer

Update: Now it says "Unavailable because of too many failed attempts. Try again in a few hours."

nolok · Answer

You use that account for adsense revenue, but you did not add a secondary recovery email, nor a recovery phone number ?
When you do not have any other recovery, google tries a recovery method based on questions ("when did you register the account", "what's an email address you often contact", ...) where the answer do not need to be strictly exact, have you tried that ? And you failed it ?
If yes to both of those, how do you expect google to differentiate between you and someone else who make the same claims ? Do you want google to give a new password to anyone who makes that claim ("it's my account but i don't remember it's password, nor have its recovery method, nor remember enough to answer questions about it") about your account ?
I believe google's account locking is sometime too hard, and them locking the whole google environnement with it is wrong, but in your case google is doing the right thing in not granting access to someone who cannot in any way prove he should have it.

nitn · Answer

Note: I have a recovery phone number set on the account. A code is being sent to my phone, after I enter the code, that's when I'm being asked to verify the code from the same email.I wouldn't be bothering about the account if I had not set a recovery phone number.

bo1024 · Answer

Gaslighting captchas are so evil.

endisneigh · Answer

How do you want Google to solve this? And how can they be certain you&rsquo;re the owner?

nitwit005 · Answer

It sounds like your real issue is a money problem, rather than an email problem. That is, Google owes you money, and you can't access it. You should probably chat with a lawyer about the legal side of things.

cameldrv · Answer

I've seen this before. The only solution is to find a sympathetic Google employee you know. They have a special support form they can use to unstick this.

throwawayHN378 · Answer

Should&rsquo;ve created some backup codes

temp8964 · Answer

If you can&rsquo;t pass the captcha, it sounds like a browser problem. Have you tried with different browsers? Or even through different internet networks?

Google has locked me out of the account

I assume you've tried following this guide? https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/7682439?hl=en
As far as I know, that's about the only way to do things if you can't get in.

If the email address to which it is sending the verification code is not @gmail.com (e.g. you use workspace or have a vanity domain+forward) you can change the email forwarding or redirect the domain to a different email provider for long enough to get the code.

Update: Now it says "Unavailable because of too many failed attempts. Try again in a few hours."

Note: I have a recovery phone number set on the account. A code is being sent to my phone, after I enter the code, that's when I'm being asked to verify the code from the same email.
I wouldn't be bothering about the account if I had not set a recovery phone number.

Gaslighting captchas are so evil.

How do you want Google to solve this? And how can they be certain you’re the owner?

It sounds like your real issue is a money problem, rather than an email problem. That is, Google owes you money, and you can't access it. You should probably chat with a lawyer about the legal side of things.

I've seen this before. The only solution is to find a sympathetic Google employee you know. They have a special support form they can use to unstick this.

Should’ve created some backup codes

If you can’t pass the captcha, it sounds like a browser problem. Have you tried with different browsers? Or even through different internet networks?