Shut out of email account

Melanie_Lloyd

I am desperate for help. I have had a gmail account for years. This week I have several e mails warning of suspicious activity on my account. So I went to Microsoft website to find out what I could do. I had a to create another Outlook email so that I could communicate with them. Anyway they locked my email account and said I had to fill in a form to prove I am legit. As well as personal info this form asked for recent email addresses I had sent emails to, along with their subject headings. I have filled in this form 5 times, I keep getting an automated reply almost immediately saying I haven’t submitted enough evidence. I am at my wits end, have 2 holidays booked and all info will be going to my locked email, along with lots of other correspondence. I am in my late 60s, pretty good with basic online stuff but desperate for help on how I resolve this. 

oldernonethewiser

Did you have an Outlook account as your recovery account for Gmail and for some reason you had to create another Outlook mail account?

Been through the usual steps?

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/7682439?hl=en

Melanie_Lloyd

I had to create an Oulook account when I began the process. It’s because I didn’t have another email address (I have had this one for donekeys years).  It seems as if there is only this form and yet I don’t know why every time I submit it it has been rejected no explanation given. It is Kafkaesque 

oldernonethewiser

Why did you have to create an Outlook address? Was that something Google suggested you do?

Melanie_Lloyd

I think I have to explain further, I use my gmail on my iPad. It was Microsoft that alerted me to the problems. So I followed their procedure 

oldernonethewiser

How would Microsoft know?  What were the problems they alerted you about?

Melanie_Lloyd

Thank you I have now gone through gmail and am back in my account 

Ayr_Rage

There is no link between gmail (Google) and Microsoft.

It sounds like the warning emails will have been from a malicious third party.

oldernonethewiser

Make sure you change any passwords associated with email accounts, just in case.

Glad you are sorted.

PHK

Melanie_Lloyd said:

I had to create an Oulook account when I began the process. It’s because I didn’t have another email address (I have had this one for donekeys years).  It seems as if there is only this form and yet I don’t know why every time I submit it it has been rejected no explanation given. It is Kafkaesque 

Think about why Google would need you to have a Microsoft Account? Doesn’t make sense does it. 

You’ve probably been sending lots of information to scammers 

Neil_Jones

Ayr_Rage said:

There is no link between gmail (Google) and Microsoft.

There can be in certain circumstances.

It is possible for a Microsoft account (for signing into Windows/Office/other Microsoft services) to be a Gmail/Yahoo email account, they don't have to be Outlook/Hotmail accounts.

That aside though....  I wonder if the OP actually means Google for the whole thing and they needed another email provider to recover their account...