Yesterday I got locked out of my Gmail account, and now they want a Tele #…
Why???
I don’t have a cell phone, and even if I gave them my home phone, I am over 2,000 miles away from it.
What is up with the nosy NSA behavior?!
Debbie
They’re just providing you an alternate way to get access back to your account. You don’t have to use it (I didn’t have one attached to my account for the longest time)
It’s an optional secondary authorization measure. I never provide one.
No, it’s not that.
I am locked out of my Gmail and getting this message when I try to log in…
We’ve detected unusual activity on your account. To sign in, please follow the instructions below.
Provide a phone number to continue. We’ll send a verification code you can use to sign in.
Google will only use this number for security purposes.
Standard text messaging rates may apply.
Receive verification code via:
Text message (SMS)
Automated voice call
Um, I don’t have a cell phone, and I am several states away from home. And I sure as heck don’t want to have to ask to enter someone else’s Tele # into my account?! 
Debbie
I’m 99% confident that google will not use your phone to send advertisements. It’s used to avoid hackers to crack your password. If they know your sensitive information like what elementary school you went, best friend names, mother’s maiden name, first company that you worked for, and etc… then they can eventually crack through “reset password” credentials to change the password and take OWNERSHIP of your e-mail. After that they can request password reset to Amazon/Newegg/BankAccount site’s to reset the password request that’ll be send the hacked e-mail account. In this scenario, Google can’t do anything since the hacker legitimately know all your personal information. If you don’t want this to happen they can add another verification which is send verification code to owner’s phone… Of course, if the hacker also have your phone then god help you…
But I don’t have a phone…
And if I give them someone else’s phone, then what will happen next?
Is Google going to call that Tele #?
Does that mean that the person letting me enter their phone # will forever be linked to my Gmail account?
Do I have to worry if I use Person A’s Phone # in Texas, and then I move to New York for work, that if I need to get into my e-mail, Google will be calling User A’s number in Texas where I no longer am?
Debbie
In this case, I would ask a favor to someone who owns a phone to unlock your account. After you logged in then you can disable something called “Turn off 2-step verification”. You can google that and find directions to disable that. Finally, make sure that your friend’s numbers are deleted.
No matter what, Google WILL not call you. They’ll only send verification code.
You could always buy a cheap Tracfone and give them that number. I’m sure that they cost less than $20 and when the 90 days of service runs out, you don’t have to buy a card to continue service if you don’t want to.
Still not sure I understand how this works…
So you are saying I’d enter in a friend’s tele #, hit submit, then Google would call me, and then what happens next?
IF I decide to do this, I would be doing it from church. There is no voicemail. It would have to be from one of the other church lines that is a backup line.
Is a person calling me?
Do they have to leave a voice-mail?
Is it an automate call with some code I need?
Debbie
It’s a text message with a code you can enter which gives you access to your google account. You’ll need a phone with SMS capability - or a way to access sms remotely (our cable company offers that with their phone service). I’d suggest google voice, but since you can’t access your google account… 
You can look at some of the options here: http://www.mydigitallife.info/how-to-get-us-phone-number-virtual-number-for-free/
Once you get your text and have accessed your account, you can remove the phone number in the Account link that’s in your profile: https://www.google.com/settings
The message says,
Receive verification code via:
Text message (SMS)
Automated voice call
So it sounds like they will call and give me some code?
Will I need to have them call my friend’s tele # every time I want to check my Gmail?
And what happens when I move and no longer have access to said friend’s tele #?
Debbie
I believe that means they give you the option of one or the other.
As far as I understand it, they send you a code by SMS, you use that to log in - thus providing a double-check that you really are you - and then you may be required to reset a password or something. After that, things should return to normal. Of course, I could be wrong, because I don’t use Gmail. 
I don’t see what making me provide a Tele # accomplishes… :-/
It’s not like this is my Bank where they have my address and tele # on file…
I could be a hacker, have cracked into Debbie’s Gmail, give them my (i.e. Hacker’s) tele #, and I would still have access over Debbie’s account.
So what was accomplished?
And my fear of giving something like a friend’s Tele # is that if I am locked out again, then I have to rely on being near that friend.
(What happens if I put a Tele # in for a church in Florida, and then because of work I move to Arizona?! Am I going to have to drive back to Florida to unlock my Gmail account?!)
Sincerely,
Debbie
I hate the fact that Google always asks me for my mobile number (in case I get locked out of my account).
Who know who they’ll give it to. Probably the NSA at the very least …
I’d rather lock myself out of my own account and delete my inbox than let Google have any details about me.
Same here - hence I don’t have a Gmail account.
Saw this recently. Seems apt:
It’s a one-off - like a password recovery for the forums - and will only happen when you need to regain the access. And again…YOU CAN REMOVE IT WHEN YOU’RE DONE. You go into your account (your avatar in the top right corner, then account), hit the edit where the phone number is, then remove it. Takes about 10 seconds (including page load time).
So you don’t think Google is saving that kind of stuff for forensics for the FBI and NSA later on??
Sincerely,
Debbie
Seriously? Not to be disrespectful, but if that’s the kind of paranoia you’re going to live your life under, it’s time to find a remote island and get off the grid totally. Even IF they were “saving that kind of stuff for forensics for the FBI and NSA”, so what? So you used that phone once in your life - does it really matter.
The simple reality is that anything transmitted over a phone line (copper or fiber optic), a cable line, transmitted through cellular signal, satelite, radio, microwave, sound waves and any other type of transmissions possible can be captured. A one time only, good for that one use code (it’s deactivated once it’s used) is not going to gain them anything.
Debbie has a very valid point here. Unless they already have her mobile phone number on file, there is no way Google is going to be able to establish that the person supplying the phone number is not the hacker him/herself.
Is there a way you could contact Google directly? I once had a similar problem with Yahoo and was able to work with Yahoo to establish my identity and gain access to the locked email.