Gmail account holders have reported an increase in their emails being hacked. Hackers have reached the extent of not only changing the passwords but also changing the recovery email and phone number thus making it impossible for the owner to re-access their accounts when they need to.
If you are one of the many who have fallen victim to having their Gmail accounts hacked, you are like me. Recently, hackers made their way into my email address, changed the account password, verified a different phone number while removing mine, and also changed the recovery email address. I noticed this after a few hours and I was able to successfully recover my Gmail after proving that indeed I owned it.
By following the instructions below, you will also be able to recover your Gmail account and be able to log in and enjoy all features offered by a Google account.
How to recover hacked Gmail account
- Visit “Gmail.com”
- Click “Sign in” on the top right corner
- Enter your “Email address”
- Click “Next”
- Click “Forgot Password”
- Enter “Recovery email”
- Click “Get code”
You will be prompted to tap on the shown number on your phone. But since the phone number was changed by the hacker, click on I don’t have my phone and you will be prompted to enter your recovery email address.
You will see a notice of recovery phone recently changed and you will be prompted to enter your old recovery email address to confirm that the Gmail account belonged to you. Google will send a code to your email address which you will be required to enter.
But verifying your old recovery email, you will be notified by the Google team within 24 hours whether your request to regain access to your Gmail account was successful or not. A link to set a new password for your email will be sent to your recovery email and you will be able to create a new password thus regaining full access to your account.
How to secure a Gmail account
- Add and verify your phone number
- Add and verify the recovery email address
- Activate 2-Step Verification
With the above in place, it will be hard for hackers to find their way to your Gmail. 2-Step Verification mostly especially will require the one trying to sign in to your email to provide a verification message sent to your registered phone or enter one of the codes that are given.
Final Word
Recovering a hacked Gmail account is one of the easiest things to do for those who are able to follow the instructions above. It is important to note that hackers can use your email to send spam, hoax, etc to target recipients after which they will dump it after changing credentials thus leaving you with no access.
