Google account hacked? Here's how to find out

New Delhi: Any Google service, whether it's Google Play, Gmail, Google Drive, or Google Photos, has become more of a requirement than an option. We frequently use and rely on these Google applications and services in our daily lives. Google allows us to combine various services with a single account to make our experience more convenient and personalised. With this account, you can access a variety of applications such as YouTube, Play Store, and others.

While the Google account simplifies our work by connecting all services, it also holds the key to our financial and personal information on these apps. This implies that once the security of your Google account has been breached, the hacker or fraudster can obtain any information they choose. 

As a result, it is critical that you exercise caution when utilising Google services to avoid having them hacked. Most of the time, consumers are unaware that their Google account has been compromised and that an intruder is remotely accessing all of their sensitive data. It is advisable in this scenario to seek for certain symptoms that signal a possible data breach.

After compromising your account, the first thing a scammer would do is change the password. So, if you notice any strange activity on your account, simply go to account settings and reset the passwords for the numerous programmes linked to your Google account. Here are some additional methods for determining whether your Google account has been hijacked. Security incidents and device activity This Google function informs you of the activity associated with your Google account.

To review the activities, follow the steps below.

Step – 1 Create a Google account.

Step – 2 Now, from the left navigation panel, select security.

Step – 3 Then, on the "Recent security occurrences" tab, click "Review security events."

Step – 4 Examine the activity and look for anything odd. If you notice a behaviour that you were not aware of, click "No, it wasn't me," else select "Yes." Unusual device If someone obtains access to your account credentials, the user may attempt to log in from a new device. This could be a significant red signal that your account has been compromised.

 For this follow the steps below.

Step – 1 Navigate to your Google account.

Step – 2 From the left menu panel, select security.

Step – 3 Now, on the "Your devices panel," select "Manage devices."

Step – 3 Google will then display a list of all devices from which you have logged in to your Google account.

Step – 4 If you come across a device that you don't recognise, simply click "More details" below the device name.

Step – 5 Now, select "Don't recognise this device?" "and then follow the on-screen instructions to log out of your account and secure it. Notably, there are other ways in which Google might alert you to any unusual activities on your phone. These alerts appear in notifications such as "About odd sign-in or a new device on your account." Change your account's security settings, as well as its username and password. A red bar appears at the top of the screen, stating, "We've discovered suspicious activity in your account."