If you have a gamil account, you login to that account no so frequently mostly weekly once, and one day you tried to login to your account but you can’t, and says “Invalid Password”. And you tried all the ways to get back your account, but failed. Because your account hacked/hijacked by someone and all security credentials are changed. So now what will you do? you can request Google to restore access to your account by filling form (use Can’t access your account? link under gmail login), but you should know well about your account like which emails you recently sent, name of email labels etc…

So here is the details required to request Google, not all required but most are required. The more details you provided, the more changes to regain access to your account. Please note that the changes are very less, so all the requirements are important.

1. Remember Your Security Question / recovery email:
If your account is not hacked (like you forgot your password) or just hacked, then it will help you to recover your account by requesting a password reset. But if you account hacked for more than a day, the hacker mostly changed these security credentials like security questions and recovery emails, sometime they will remove all other recovery options like mobile number.

failed?, try next..

2. Account Related Details:

Prepare the following,

• Account creation date and last successful login date, if you don’t remember correct date, give closest estimate date, and the last password that you remember.
• Did you received verification code your email password reset request, then find the code from your recovery email inbox.
• Do remember the last five email addresses you sent emails and few names of labels. Most of us don’t remember this thing, but if you remember it will help.
• If you were received an invitation to create your email from someone, prepare that too. But it’s very rare to remember if your email is very old, it will help much.
• And finally, if you are using any of Google product with your lost email account, better remember the date on which you started using each one.

That’s all to recover your lost email account. But I am not sure everybody remember such information. Because most of us remember only security questions and recovery emails, but these things will changed as soon as the emails hacked/hijacked.

Here is my situation, few days before I lost control of my 3 email accounts. All are used for one of Google products like Adwords, Blogger and Google+ ( I lost control after singing to Google+, I am not sure this is the case). All security settings are are changed or disabled. The security questions is changed to “dale con” and the recovery email is changed to my another email which is also hacked. Other security settings are disabled or removed like mobile number and secondary security question.

I tried my best to regain access to these 3 emails, but failed. Because I don’t remember the dates and I sent emails very rare, mostly I used these email account for Google products and receive product related emails.

So do remember the following to avoid your emails hijacked:

1. Never click any links directly from your email, even you received from your trusted friend/person. Because your friends email also may be compromised or your browser may be compromised. To open any link, copy and paste the link in your browser.
2. Remember some information about your email like date you created your account, last few email you sent, details about Google products you used with your account.
3. Login to your account frequently as possible. It will help you speed-up the recovery process.
4. Don’t share your email in public forums, discussion boards and social networking services publicly. That will create more changes of your account hacked/hijacked.
5. Use one email per Google product and use unique password for each email. So that you won’t loose all at once.

Google provided a security check list for protecting your Google account. Check that here.

So, better be more cautious to be secured as possible.