Users recently began posting about receiving the aforementioned email. Understandably, it sent people into a panic. Fortunately, however, others soon began corroborating the claims, making it clear that this was an error from Google instead of an actual action that has been performed.
Google has made a public statement acknowledging the mistake, and assures users that they have nothing to worry about. However, it’s also worth noting that some concerning accounts point to this being more than just an erroneous email.
Google Pay is just one of countless NFC payment methods. | Image credit — Google
However, for most people, this was indeed just a glitch. Perhaps a result of some backend failure, but mostly culminating in a false email. If you have received this email I would highly recommend changing your passwords and resetting your two-factor authentication. And even if you haven’t it’d be wise to do so anyway because the extent of this glitch is still unknown.
Perhaps it’s also prudent to remind everyone that they should never keep all their money in a single place, be it a regular bank account or some other financial institution. Though most major companies nowadays have a ton of safeguards in place it’s never out of the realm of possibility that a software glitch wreaks havoc.
Just look at what happened with CrowdStrike: a crisis that crippled airports around the world and grounded dozens of thousands of planes. There’s also AT&T, which let user data get stolen and got fined for it. Data that should have been deleted years ago.