Google Age Verification

[Secret Chief]

I've just had an email from (allegedly) google saying because my age isn't verified my settings have been tweaked. It also offers me the option of logging into my google account (via a link on the email) to verify my age. To do this, two options are offered, one of which involves providing my credit card details - saying no charge will be made and any admin fee will be refunded.

It all sounds too obviously a scam. I've reported it as spam and deleted it. But it looked totally legit (especially since the link actually does take me to my google sign in page).

I'm not sure which would be the most annoying - getting a scamming email or google genuinely thinking anyone would provide banking details.

Thoughts? Anyone else had this?

 

[Secret Chief]

 

[SalixIncendium]

I've just had an email from (allegedly) google saying because my age isn't verified my settings have been tweaked. It also offers me the option of logging into my google account (via a link on the email) to verify my age. To do this, two options are offered, one of which involves providing my credit card details - saying no charge will be made and any admin fee will be refunded.

It all sounds too obviously a scam. I've reported it as spam and deleted it. But it looked totally legit (especially since the link actually does take me to my google sign in page).

I'm not sure which would be the most annoying - getting a scamming email or google genuinely thinking anyone would provide banking details.

Thoughts? Anyone else had this?

I haven't, but if I did, I'd likely go into my setting manually to see what my DOB is showing and other related settings may have been changed.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I've just had an email from (allegedly) google saying because my age isn't verified my settings have been tweaked. It also offers me the option of logging into my google account (via a link on the email) to verify my age. To do this, two options are offered, one of which involves providing my credit card details - saying no charge will be made and any admin fee will be refunded.

It all sounds too obviously a scam. I've reported it as spam and deleted it. But it looked totally legit (especially since the link actually does take me to my google sign in page).

I'm not sure which would be the most annoying - getting a scamming email or google genuinely thinking anyone would provide banking details.

Thoughts? Anyone else had this?

Well I know how easy it often is to mimic a legitimate Login, as myself and a few friends (mostly them) did such as a prank many years ago when I was involved in computer accounts. And this prior to the internet. Nowt but laughter came from such, or malice as intention, but it is wise not to accept anything these days without a serious think as to where it might have originated. Not much thought required for this one though. I seem not to get such fortunately, or even spam, mainly because my presence on the internet is miniscule, and deliberately so.

 

[Rival]

YouTube has age restricted some of its videos that never used to be, for me.

 

[Secret Chief]

The other "option" was to provide photo ID. I don't think so.

 

[Stevicus]

I've just had an email from (allegedly) google saying because my age isn't verified my settings have been tweaked. It also offers me the option of logging into my google account (via a link on the email) to verify my age. To do this, two options are offered, one of which involves providing my credit card details - saying no charge will be made and any admin fee will be refunded.

It all sounds too obviously a scam. I've reported it as spam and deleted it. But it looked totally legit (especially since the link actually does take me to my google sign in page).

I'm not sure which would be the most annoying - getting a scamming email or google genuinely thinking anyone would provide banking details.

Thoughts? Anyone else had this?

I've never encountered anything like this. Some sites might ask you to click a link stating that you're 18 or over, but it seems that they just take your word for it.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I've just had an email from (allegedly) google saying because my age isn't verified my settings have been tweaked. It also offers me the option of logging into my google account (via a link on the email) to verify my age. To do this, two options are offered, one of which involves providing my credit card details - saying no charge will be made and any admin fee will be refunded.

It all sounds too obviously a scam. I've reported it as spam and deleted it. But it looked totally legit (especially since the link actually does take me to my google sign in page).

I'm not sure which would be the most annoying - getting a scamming email or google genuinely thinking anyone would provide banking details.

Thoughts? Anyone else had this?

My google account on my phone is asking me to add my birthdate, and it seems related to new rules instituted in the Play store controlling app downloads.
Obviously, don't trust anything off a link, but this might be legit?

 

[Secret Chief]

I've never encountered anything like this. Some sites might ask you to click a link stating that you're 18 or over, but it seems that they just take your word for it.

My DOB is already on my google account (and hey, I'm over 18!)

Youtube keeps bugging me to verify my age but I CBA.

 

[Secret Chief]

My google account on my phone is asking me to add my birthdate, and it seems related to new rules instituted in the Play store controlling app downloads.
Obviously, don't trust anything off a link, but this might be legit?

Possibly, but I reckon my dodgy email is riding on the back of such new rules then. Bank or ID details. They having a laff?

 

[exchemist]

I haven't see this one, but thanks for the warning.

You should be able to see who is emailing you by clicking an arrow beside the sender field - at least you can on Mac. With scammers, this invariably bears no relation to the business they pretend to be emailing from. Whenever I'm suspicious it's the first thing I do.

And anyone asking - cold - for credit card or bank details in an email MUST be a scammer.

 

[exchemist]

The other "option" was to provide photo ID. I don't think so.

That's a new one. ID theft, then?

I haven't had a scam email in a while. There were loads during the Covid restrictions. ButI'm still getting preposterous Indians ( "Good-morning-Sir-how-are-you-today?" ) on bad phone lines, claiming to be from BT and talking nonsense about "wirus" on my router.

 

[HonestJoe]

Thoughts? Anyone else had this?

I suspect this could well be legitimate since it has been the kind of thing organisations like Google have been pushed to address recently.

Either way, I would avoid clicking a link in any unsolicited email like this. Even if it appears to be taking you to a legitimate page, it could potentially be doing something untoward behind the scenes.

In this example, it would be better to go to the Google page directly. If this is a valid settings change, I'd expect it to either pop up on the actual page or at least be referenced in the settings page.

 

[exchemist]

I suspect this could well be legitimate since it has been the kind of thing organisations like Google have been pushed to address recently.

Either way, I would avoid clicking a link in any unsolicited email like this. Even if it appears to be taking you to a legitimate page, it could potentially be doing something untoward behind the scenes.

In this example, it would be better to go to the Google page directly. If this is a valid settings change, I'd expect it to either pop up on the actual page or at least be referenced in the settings page.

Not a chance. There is no way they would ask for a photo ID or credit card details.

Maybe @Secret Chief can let us know the actual email address it came from. Pound to a penny it will have nothing to do with Google. My bet is something dodgy with a .be extension. For some reason a lot of the scammer addresses seem to be in Belgium.

 

[Secret Chief]

I suspect this could well be legitimate since it has been the kind of thing organisations like Google have been pushed to address recently.

Either way, I would avoid clicking a link in any unsolicited email like this. Even if it appears to be taking you to a legitimate page, it could potentially be doing something untoward behind the scenes.

In this example, it would be better to go to the Google page directly. If this is a valid settings change, I'd expect it to either pop up on the actual page or at least be referenced in the settings page.

I agree in theory about the clicking on a link. But in this case, the email looked totally legit, I clicked on the link which took me to (what looked like my google sign in page), and it was only then that the dubious options appeared.

 

[Secret Chief]

Not a chance. There is no way they would ask for a photo ID or credit card details.

Maybe @Secret Chief can let us know the actual email address it came from. Pound to a penny it will have nothing to do with Google. My bet is something dodgy with a .be extension. For some reason a lot of the scammer addresses seem to be in Belgium.

Too late to check - I reported it it as spam then deleted it.

 

[Secret Chief]

Just got this off Quora:

 

[Secret Chief]

- Google is asking for my credit card. Is this a scam? - Gmail Community


....none too helpful...

 

[Secret Chief]

- https://www.reddit.com/r/google/comments/kthfkh/google_asking_for_idcredit_card_age_verification/

....for real?

 

[Secret Chief]

This is on google support:

- Update your account to meet age requirements - Google Account Help


"If you do meet the minimum age requirements, you can verify your age with a government-issued ID that shows you meet the requirement. You may also have the option to verify your age with a credit card.

If you use a credit card, any temporary authorization will be fully refunded. If you use an ID, Google will delete the image after verifying your age.

Important: After you sign in to your Google Account you’ll get instructions on how to directly upload a valid ID or enter credit card information. Google will never ask you to provide this type of information in an email.*

• If you choose not to set up supervision or verify you’re old enough to manage your account within 14 days, your account will be disabled and your account information will be deleted after 30 days."

*the email did not request the info - it was only once I went to my account page. The email was just a link to it; called "Check settings."