Google :( - DPChallenge Forums

05/24/2010 12:16:49 PM · #1

Just wondering if anyone has/had the same experience with Google as I have at the moment. My account is temporary disabled, I seems to have violated the Service Agreements. My last action was to put some (quite normal) portraits of some family members on a Picasa webpage. I know they weren't that good, but can that be a reason to disable an account? No word from Google yet :(

05/24/2010 12:26:46 PM · #2

If you've got malware onboard that's using your google acc't to spam, that would do it...

Stopzilla is free and does a good job of rooting that stuff out.

R.

05/24/2010 12:44:11 PM · #3

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

If you've got malware onboard that's using your google acc't to spam, that would do it...

Stopzilla is free and does a good job of rooting that stuff out.

R.

Thanks, I'm gonna take a look at that. Hope it helps.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

05/24/2010 12:52:09 PM · #4

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

If you've got malware onboard that's using your google acc't to spam, that would do it...

Stopzilla is free and does a good job of rooting that stuff out.

R.

When did Stopzilla go freeware? I bought a lifetime licence years ago.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

05/24/2010 12:56:32 PM · #5

Originally posted by Kelli:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
If you've got malware onboard that's using your google acc't to spam, that would do it...

Stopzilla is free and does a good job of rooting that stuff out.

R.

When did Stopzilla go freeware? I bought a lifetime licence years ago.

I found it confusing that there was no mention of either the price or that it was free on the main page.

05/24/2010 12:59:36 PM · #6

Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by Kelli:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
If you've got malware onboard that's using your google acc't to spam, that would do it...

Stopzilla is free and does a good job of rooting that stuff out.

R.

When did Stopzilla go freeware? I bought a lifetime licence years ago.

I found it confusing that there was no mention of either the price or that it was free on the main page.

I think there's a free trial maybe. I know when I started using it there was, then you have to buy it. They had yearly plans or a lifetime licence. I can say it does work well.

05/24/2010 01:01:32 PM · #7

That's weird, I coulda' sworn it was one of the free ones :-( They sure did hide the pricing aspect. Not only that, when you go to the ordering page it tells you 9.95 for a year, but then in smaller print that they bill you 39.95 and then you get a $30 rebate... WTF?

There are other malware tools that are free. I am sure someone can recommend one.

R.

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

05/24/2010 01:07:34 PM · #8

Free or not, it's scanning my system at the moment, will take a while. Just curious if it can find something.

MikeO

Fujifilm x100

05/24/2010 01:13:24 PM · #9

Threatfire is free and one I use

Threatfire

tpbremer

Nikon D80

05/24/2010 01:31:27 PM · #10

Malwarebytes works really well--I don't have the link, but search for it, it'll be easy to find.

Message edited by author 2010-05-24 13:31:53.

05/24/2010 02:04:59 PM · #11

Still scanning, nothing found yet... But just wondering: why have should it be so difficult to give a specific reason for blocking instead of a general blah, blah reason? Still no answer from Google. On the website they want my mobile phone number, but they don't specify why they want that. Am i really bugged?

05/24/2010 02:27:49 PM · #12

Originally posted by hajeka:

Yeah, you're being had. They wouldn't ask for your mobile number.

05/24/2010 02:29:50 PM · #13

Originally posted by hajeka:

Jaysus, that can't possibly really be from Google. Are you sure your "account" has even been stopped? Sounds like somebody phishing to me. Do NOT respond to that mail.

R.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

05/24/2010 02:31:24 PM · #14

Originally posted by Kelli:

Originally posted by hajeka:
Still scanning, nothing found yet... But just wondering: why have should it be so difficult to give a specific reason for blocking instead of a general blah, blah reason? Still no answer from Google. On the website they want my mobile phone number, but they don't specify why they want that. Am i really bugged?

Yeah, you're being had. They wouldn't ask for your mobile number.

eta: My nephew just had a nasty trojan that was deleting all his files and blocking his internet access. I had to do a system restore, but he had already lost everything at that point. Now my sister is getting email confirmations under his email and snail mail of applications for credit & a car loan. They're going to have fun straightening all that crap out.

Ristyz

Apple iPhone 12 Pro

05/24/2010 03:24:07 PM · #15

Someone I know recently had their gmail account hacked into. While she was out of the country, they emailed her entire address list with a message saying she had been mugged in London and everything was gone, money, cell phone, etc and that she needed money, 1500.00 in fact. Totally a scam. Kinda spooky when it comes from a known email address tho. I did know her well enough to know that she wouldn't be asking for money from me and that she wouldn't take her cell phone overseas.

I also have a neighbor with a Trojan that takes up all the bandwidth when their computer is on. (ISP says they are working on tracking it down, but with only 15 people on my fixed wireless service tower how long can that really take? Lazy jerks. they don't care enough to stay an hour after biz hours when said computer usually gets turned on to track it. 3 weeks of this crap now.)

MikeO

Fujifilm x100

05/24/2010 03:38:59 PM · #16

This may be of help, not read it all.

Google email forums

hihosilver

Nikon D200

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

05/24/2010 03:43:16 PM · #17

Originally posted by hajeka:

I am wondering if you have tried logging into your google account from a different computer other than the one your are currently using? If you can access your account from a different computer, then you should reset your password immediately and have the password sent to an entirely different email address.

If you do any kind of online banking or have any logins to any financial institutions, now would be a good time to change all those passwords as well and not from the compromised computer where this issue is occurring.

05/24/2010 04:47:26 PM · #18

I tried another computer (thanks for the idea!), but that doesn't help, and no, I'm not giving my mobile number to anyone without any reason, although it's an https site and verified as Google.

Still scanning, have some adware and some trojan problems according StopZilla. Looks like it takes some time for the scan to complete and it's late for me now, so I'll think I have to wait until tomorrow to see all the problems :( Hope I have some response from Google at that time. I'll let you know the results (if any).

05/26/2010 04:50:19 AM · #19

Stopzilla (note:free for scanning, you have to pay form removing) found nothing serious, just some old archives. Good time to remove them:) Still no word from Google or any reason why my account was disabled, so I took the gamble and entered my phone number. Got a verification code and it worked!

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

05/26/2010 07:57:14 AM · #20

Originally posted by hajeka:

Be forewarned. You're probably going to find some hefty charges on your phone bill. I'd call your cell phone company and ask if anyone started third party billing on you.

05/26/2010 08:38:43 AM · #21

It may be legit, probably is in fact: I found this:

Originally posted by google forums:

Google Mail asking for mobile phone number

Not sure if this is where it should go being it's Google Mail, but it's still a Google service/product.

It's just weird. Never had Google ask me for a mobile phone number for verification until yesterday when I tried to make a new account.

I think it was because I got the captcha wrong twice. There's have always been harder to read than Yahoo's. Then on the third try I thought I got it right, but it was asking me for a mobile phone number after I submitted the form.

Is this a new thing? Any of you guys experiencing this?

**************

Relatively new, but well documented, as it's the easiest way to confirm (via SMS) that a human is doing the verification.

**************

Gmail have change their security terms i think. Now they are asking for mobile number for activation like facebook verification method.

**************

This might be happening when you have more than a few gmail addresses all logging in from and/or being created at the same ip. It's one of the latest trends to keep spammers from starting up too many accounts. IMO it's Brilliant.

For whatever THAT's worth...

R.