Requirement to have a secondary email address, to be used with first or main email address

[Billx]

I was just now reading a thread, which was dealing with a scammed TalkTalk email address.

I made the following comment:

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Hello @Ady-TalkTalk 

Could you please confirm, that it is absolutely necessary to have a secondary email address, in order to perform the 'reset password procedure' on the scammed first email address? And is that requirement enforced by TalkTalk?

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@fr8ys asked me to perhaps start a new thread. So here it is.

Bill

[Billx]

Again, in https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/Problems-with-TalkTalk-Mail/ta-p/2204405,

there is the following snippet:

'You can reset your email password in my account see Managing your email in My Account If you don’t have access to My Account, you can also use our password reset service.

However, do bear in mind that this service will only work if you have a talktalk.net email address and if you've set up password recovery details for your email account.'

password reset service is the same as what I call above 'Reset your password' procedure.

But notice 'if you've set up password recovery details for your email account'

Now that link is linkless.

Bill

[Billx]

Further, after accessing the reset tool or 'Reset your password' procedure,

In step 1, one enters the affected email address, which needs a new password.

In step 2, the procedure defaults to the SAME affected email address, instead of the alternative email address, to send the link to, to have the relevant password re-entered and renewed. Below it, are two additional options, to send the link to the mobile phone or to the alternative email address. One of the other 2 options, obviously, needs to be selected.

Further, if the user does not have an alternative email address or  a mobile phone, then as it says above, in step 1,

'If you can still access the mobile number or email address you gave us for password reset, you're good to go.
If not, you can go to My Account to reset this.', one would need to 'go to My Account to reset this.'

When you're in My Account, one will only be able to change the password directly in the affected email address.

Bill

[Billx]

Currently, there is no affected email address. So there is nothing concrete you can do for me. All's OK.

I am just looking ahead to a future improved less convoluted procedure.

I can access the reset tool, as I said above, by clicking 'Forgot your password?' link.

Thanks

Bill

[Ady-TalkTalk]

Send me a Personal Message with the affected email address and alternate email address and moblile number or not if you prefer not to. I will then have the reset tool updated for you. 

Ady

[Billx]

Hello, @Ady-TalkTalk 

I don't see it as necessary to have both. But I see it as necessary to have one of them.

Currently both options are available in my account. But I didn't set them as my options.

They were automatically set for me, somehow.

When a customer goes into the 'Reset your password' procedure

(now the 'Reset your password' procedure can't be accessed directly, but one has to click 'Forgot your password?' link first), 

the customer is advised that there will be five steps, and at the top, is shown the following message:

'If you can still access the mobile number or email address you gave us for password reset, you're good to go.
If not, you can go to My Account to reset this.'

As I said above, never did I give my two password reset options to TalkTalk as password reset options.

Neither have I found a way to delete any of them, or set a new email address or mobile phone for this purpose.

So, how do I set a completely new email address as one of my password reset options?

Thank you,

Bill

[Ady-TalkTalk]

Hi Billx, no its not necessary at present to have both an alternate email and mobile. It does however present the best options for a customer to get their password reset. When they have only a mobile, that is used when they have only an alternate email address that is used. Its always best to use the belt and braces approach in my opinion.

Ady

[fr8ys]

Interesting as if a scammer changes the password and redirects mail to their account a secondary email address is normally required.

There are probably alternative ways to verify an account holder so be interesting to see the reply.

I had an issue a few years ago but was able to regain my mailbox via the forum and PMs.

Thanks for raising @Billx