I recently fell victim to a Discord scam where a hacker impersonated my friend and tricked me into running a malicious program that gave them access to my computer and accounts. They took over my Google account by adding it to a Google Family group, turning it into a child account and making their email the parent. Now I can't log in because Google requires parent approval, and all recovery attempts are failing since the account is flagged as a child account. I know my last password and still have my devices, but I can't get back in. Has anyone else dealt with a situation like this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Plus, the hacker is using my compromised account to scam others.
4 Answers
I've got the same issue too. They changed all my passwords and made my google account into a child account under the hacker account. So every time I try to "recover email" it always says "you need approval from the parent account." I don't know what else to do
If you formatted your PC already, that's a good move. Make sure to check all your devices for malware just in case, and stay on top of contacting support. They can be slow, but keep pushing. Hang in there!
I would recommend creating a new Google account if you can and try reaching out to Google from there. Make sure to provide all the identifying information related to your original account. It might also help to change passwords for any linked accounts right away. Just to be safe!
You should definitely contact Google and explain your situation to them. They usually require identification but just make sure to clarify that your account was compromised. It's tricky because they won't assist if they think you aren't the real account owner. Good luck!
I've tried contacting them too, but since my account is classified as a child account, it's been impossible to navigate their recovery system!
That sounds like a big hassle, but I might have to do it. It's just frustrating that I can't recover the original account.