The sale of active Gmail accounts, advertised online both in dark web criminal marketplaces and through seemingly legitimate clear web vendors, is a growing problem. I’ve been talking to Google insiders about what email users need to know.
PROMOTED First though, let’s look at the two distinct aspects of such sales here. Those within underground criminal forums are targeted at cybercriminals and usually involved stolen credentials providing access to accounts without the owner’s knowledge, until it is too late and their accounts and data have been compromised.
Those on the clear web, however, accessible to anyone with a credit card, are just as dangerous despite the air of legitimacy around the practice that is perpetuated by the vendors concerned.
Verified Gmail accounts are, you will be told, a legitimate way to kickstart marketing campaigns or for other “business” purposes. To which I respond, along with Google, balderdash. Just as buying followers on social media platforms to push a sales campaign is possible, that doesn’t make it legit or advised.
MORE FOR YOU
Google’s Unbeatable Pixel Update Leaves Other Phones Behind
Leo XIV Delivers Mass On First Full Day As Pope: Urges Missionary Work To Uplift ‘Ordinary People’ (Live Updates)
Apple Now Has iPhone 15 Pro And iPhone 15 Pro Max At Lower Prices
The purchase of Gmail accounts, however, can be dangerous as well as unethical, and leave you exposed to losing your investment in one fell swoop from Google’s legal team.
I have had an exclusive conversation with Google’s Gmail spokesperson and can now report the critical warning that has emerged as a result.
ForbesGmail Account Hacked—Here’s How To Get Human Support From GoogleBy Davey Winder
Forbes Daily: Join over 1 million Forbes Daily subscribers and get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service, and you acknowledge our Privacy Statement. Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
"This practice is damaging to the email ecosystem and violates numerous of our terms and policies,” Google’s Gmail spokesperson, Ross Richendrfer, said. Referring to the one particular part of the official Gmail program policies in particular, Richendrfer said, “You’re not allowed to create Gmail accounts by automated means or buy, sell, trade, or re-sell Gmail accounts to others.”
When it comes to the dangers of buying Gmail accounts, especially in bulk, which is the preferred method of selling them, Richendrfer warned, “bulk account buying is used as a method malicious actors employ for reputation gaming, spamming, and other forms of email-based attacks.”
Google's terms and conditions make it quite clear that trading in Gmail accounts is not allowed.
GoogleThe bottom line, then, is that not only is the sale of Gmail accounts potentially dangerous but the buyer has no protection at all and will lose their “investment” as soon as Google detects the activity.
Google said that it has defenses to protect users from these activities, “but we encourage all legitimate users to sign up for their Gmail accounts directly through Google."
Forbes1 Million Android Consumer Backdoors Confirmed—What You Need To KnowBy Davey Winder
Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work.
Google’s Android Nightmare—Samsung Must Now Decide
Buy Without Borders: A Global Investor’s Guide To Maximize Your Portfolio With Property
If there’s one term investors might use to describe stock markets, what would it be? The word “uncertainty” may spring to mind, as trade conflicts, geopolitical shifts, technological disruption, inflation and other sources of volatility dominate headlines.
For high-net-worth individuals looking to grow, protect and secure their wealth, one investment alternative may offer portfolios a strong hedge against risk: global property. As a separate asset class, property doesn’t perform in lockstep with stocks or bonds, doesn’t have to be tied to specific sectors or industries and offers novel opportunities for diversification.
Take, for example, geographic diversification: real estate assets spread around the world can help insulate portfolios from unexpected local, domestic or regional turmoil, particularly in stable, highly-developed markets like London.
Thanks to the increased availability of specialized financial partners, cross-border ownership no longer has the same barriers to access. Yet, international real estate remains a largely untapped opportunity among even some of the savviest investors, says Louisa Finch, Head of Client Acquisition at Standard Chartered Jersey, a leading international banking group.
Louisa Finch, Head of Client Activation
Image provided by Standard Chartered Jersey“When we’re speaking to our clients [about] diversification, I think property is sometimes that forgotten asset class in terms of their future planning,” she says. “But, real estate comes into its own in terms of having a different angle [for] their overall portfolio.”
Finch says that “angle” could range from long-term capital appreciation to high-yield rental income to asset protection and beyond. She also points to lifestyle considerations like providing safe housing for a child who plans to study overseas, accessing business opportunities and more.
Below, explore key insights for investors to tap the potential of cross-border ownership and capitalize on a portfolio that’s diversified for the future.
Access To Key Markets Requires The Right Partner
The U.K. has long been a top real estate destination among the high-net-worth community, with purchases by foreign investors totaling GBP50 billion (equivalent to about $64.5 billion) since the start of 2022.
“The U.K. property market has been around for a long time,” says Finch, who focuses specifically on London and its periphery. “It's a well-known market, especially with international investors.”
So what’s stopping investors from expanding property holdings there? Finch says it’s most likely finding a reliable banking partner to help make the investment.
“The U.K. offers an investment opportunity with not too many barriers. That being said, I think it’s really important that investors gain the right advice, in terms of navigating the legal and tax [pieces],” she says. “They do need to make sure they’re getting that advice and making sure they fully understand what they’re going into in terms of that investment.”
The U.K. boasts political stability, a strong rule of law and an open-door policy for foreign investment. Thanks in part to those solid fundamentals, the country’s stable and resilient real estate market has remained popular among overseas investors.
The local market is also becoming more attractive, with interest rates starting to come down and the weakened pound making property relatively cheaper for foreign investors, says Finch.
For buyers whose wealth is based in U.S. dollars, the London market offers savings of more than 40% from 2014, thanks in part to a drop in the pound’s value.
Rental Incomes Can Generate Residual Benefits
Diversification and wealth accumulation aren’t the only factors to consider in owning global property. Investors looking for steady income stand to benefit, particularly in markets where there’s a persistent demand for rental properties.
“Buy-to-let income is a definite useful stream to add if you just want something that is going to give you that regular income over a period of time with an asset that history dictates it will grow in terms of appreciation,” Finch points out.
And it wouldn’t be too difficult to gain an attractive yield in a market like the U.K., where, on average, about 12 renters are currently chasing each home for rent —even amid an easing of supply-demand imbalance.
“An actual asset that, once you finish the financing, is giving you a regular rental yield in an environment such as the UK, especially London, can be quite an attractive income stream later on in life,” Finch says.
Owning Global Real Estate Provides Personal Returns, Too
Other overseas investors are simply looking to buy a home for visiting the U.K. or to provide a safe place for their children to live while going to school there.
An affluent couple from Hong Kong that Finch is working with hopes to buy a place in London, where their child is looking to study. The property would also function as part of their overall wealth portfolio and long-term goal to hold property in the U.K.
“Whether that is for them potentially as a retirement piece—or if it's something that they just want to use while their child is studying, see that capital appreciation and then obviously sell the property at the right time,” Finch says.
Unique Wealth Needs Dictate Different Paths To Purchase
Investors from Hong Kong have been big buyers of real estate in the U.K., says Finch, but many of her clients hail from across other parts of Asia, as well as Africa and the Middle East. To meet their needs, Standard Chartered has established wealth advisory hubs in Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to the island of Jersey, a self-governing British Crown Dependency.
The Jersey office focuses on investors placing Assets under Management anywhere between $200,000 and $5 million. Many of Finch’s clients make up the fast-growing class of the “emerging affluent,” gaining their wealth either by starting a business or by inheriting part of a generational wealth transfer that’s projected to total an $18 trillion over the next five years.
Jersey — Provided by Standard Chartered Jersey
Marc Le Cornu“We want to handhold those clients through life journeys,” says Finch. “From the starting point of a young professional all the way up through their career, all the way up through their entrepreneurial journey, there’s a segment within [Standard Chartered Bank] that will look after them.”
Catering to a segment of Middle East clients, the bank also offers Shariah-compliant financing services, overseen by a supervisory committee.
“Whichever type of investment you’re looking at, it's really key to be well-versed and understand and go in with your eyes wide open,” says Finch, adding that getting expert advice on everything from investment strategy to tax and legal issues is key to investing in the U.K.
“I think the beauty of us here in Standard Chartered Jersey is that we have an extremely extensive, strong network across 53 markets globally,” says Finch. “We understand both our clients [and] we also have a really good understanding of the U.K. market.”
Leverage A Global Financial Hub To Connect And Grow Capital
Regardless of the why, investors looking to gain a foothold in key property markets must consider the where. Finch suggests looking for a launching point that’s a safe haven with strategic benefits and global access, like Standard Chartered’s Jersey location.
Named the top international finance center for 10 years running, Jersey is independently self-governed, sets its own fiscal policy and has a strong regulatory framework with a long history of political stability. It’s also tax neutral and sits within the U.K. banking system. The island is also equipped with one of the fastest broadband networks in the world, enabling clients to easily open and access their accounts from anywhere at any time.
“It’s also extremely well connected in terms of geography,” Finch says. Situated in the English Channel, between east and west time zones, the island serves as a logical hub for investors to access resources and opportunities around the world.
“Because of our extensive network across the globe and our position here in Jersey as an international banking center, we can connect you in terms of your community, your wider family, your businesses,” says Finch. “And it should be reasonably seamless across borders. … Jersey can make the world smaller.”