Locked out of Google acct

I have a google acct for which I got a routine google security email the other day asking me to verify my recovery email. When I tried to log in to verify, I was running a vpn. It wouldn't let me log in. Since then, all efforts to log in have been refused, including from my recovery email acct. And google doesn't "recognize" the device I try to log in from (it's the system I always use to log into that acct).


There seems to be no way to contact google to straighten this out. I have about 30 gmail addresses and don't use any of them for anything sensitive. It wouldn't kill me to lose the acct, but I would like to recover it if possible.


Any ideas?

Snick said:

Not sure but the VPN may have caused an issue.
Have you contacted Google support?
Bil

My VPN never locked me out before (although it will keep me from logging in while it's in use). As to Google Support, after navigating a tedious menuing system, I end with a recorded recommendation for an unhelpful web page.



The "Recovery Page" requires me to log in. Which I'm unable to do, since it rejects my log-in. It's true genius at work.

I'm not sure what their IP address is, unless google.com counts (pings fine) and the public dns server (8.8.8.8).


Also, as to the vpn, I can't remember previously attempting to sign into google.com (I rarely do that unless the need arises), but I do I have 9 or 10 gmail accts in Thuinderbird that are checked regularly while using the vpn with no problem.

Just getting around to addressing this. Oddly enough, although it wouldn't let me log in to recover the acct (not using VPN), I decided to run the vpn and picked one of multiple vpn servers available. It then asked to send a code to a cell ph (I usually tell them to go jump. Who trusts google with private info?). I gave them the number of a cell ph I rarely use, got the code, entered it and tada!...I was allowed access.


Can't say why the vpn IP worked, given that I generally have 'rotating' vpn IPs at various times, and thunderbird checks mail every 10 mins, so the account has had several IPs.


At any rate, I don't use any of my gmail accounts for anything sensitive or important, so it wouldn't have been a huge loss, but I'm glad it was sorted, albeit oddly.


Thanks for your help.