The strange story of Donovan McLeod: the user who lost his account and data saved on Google services for a simple change of residence not communicated
Can you lose your Google account simply because you forget to update your new home address on the Net? Yes, you can and it happened to a Reddit user, Donovan McLeod. The only fault of the user was that he didn't change his domicile but for Google it was a suspicious activity.
Account blocked for a change of residence. Imagine relying on the various services offered by Google. Not only emails but also the use of an Android smartphone or tablet, linking your account to your personal account and even saving your personal data in the cloud. Everything could be blocked at any moment. Simply in case you make a move without notifying Google of your new residence. The company, in fact, evaluates this sudden move as a possible suspicious activity or a fraud attempt, and blocks all your data without notifying you and especially without a real and valid reason.
The story of Donovan McLeod
McLeod was a victim of all this. Shortly after his transfer, Google notified him that there was some suspicious activity on his account and that it had been blocked. Through a call with a company representative, Donovan proved that it was really him and not a braggart. He had to release all his driver's license and passport data, but Google didn't trust him and didn't unlock his account. A very important account for the user since he used email for work, he used the cloud and above all he had associated his credit card. To the following requests of explanations Google answered in a dry way: "Our policy is not to discuss the specific reasons for an account closure".
The difficulties in creating a new account
Google to the continuous pressures of Donovan answered inviting the user to create a new account. This was practically impossible, since it would have been impossible for him to use his old data, like his credit card for example, since they were already associated to the blocked account. The only fault was that of not having notified Google of his transfer. And it hadn't been years since his move but only a few weeks. After his testimony on Reddit McLeod was given his account back by Google. Who apologized. The fact remains that many other users were annoyed by the matter and questioned the real efficiency of Google's services. If all it takes is a change of residence not communicated instantly to lose all data, maybe it's better to use other services of storage and conversation on the Net.