Recover your hacked Google / Gmail / Orkut / YouTube Accounts

It will be the worst nightmare for many of us if someone has hacked into our Google account as it will affect all Google services like Gmail, Orkut, YouTube, etc. Like many other online services, Google tries to protect your password recovery option with the secret question and the secondary email address that you had provided while creating the account. Follow the below steps to recover your account

Step 1: Try to reset your Google Account password

1. Click on the “Can’t access your account?” link just below the “Sign in“button. On the new “Forgot you password?” window that opens, type in your Google account/email address.
2. Once you submit you may be asked to type in a verification word which would be displayed as an image.
3. Click “Continue”, you will receive an Email to your secondary Email id with a link to reset your password. Click on this link and then provide your new password.
4. You would receive a reset code on your mobile if you have configured SMS as an option for password recovery (Read through the end of this article to know how to configure your mobile number for password recovery).

But this may not work in most of the cases. Why? The password recovery option is linked with the Secondary Email address, mobile number and the secret security question that you had provided. These could be easily changed by the hacker once he gets the control.

Step 2: What if password recovery option fails

If the forgot password option fails then the only step is to fill up the recovery form and wait for the response from Google.The recovery form would need you to provide the below information

1. Last login date
2. Account creation Date
3. Google products you used with this account and the date you started using each one

Recover Gmail account through SMS

Need your recovery code via SMS? Enable account recovery via SMS on your Google Account options.

1. Login to your account and click Change password recovery options.
2. Select India from the drop-down menu and enter your mobile phone number and Click Save.

Currently the mobile numbers from the following service providers are supported for this configuration in India:

1. Aircel Cellular Limited
2. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)
3. Bharti Airtel Limited
4. BPL Mobile Communications Limited
5. IDEA Cellular Limited
6. Reliance Telecom Limited
7. Spice Communications Limited
8. Vodafone

To get your recovery code follow and complete “Step 1” mentioned above and you would get to a page where you enter the recovery code (Recovery code would be sent to you as an SMS on your mobile by the time you finish this step).

1. Enter your recovery code and click Submit recovery code.
2. Give your new password in the window that follows. Remember to give a complex password with special characters and numbers to further secure it.