Every once in a while you get “the call.”
The one where the customer is in full panic mode and thousands of dollars are on the line.
This was one of those days.
A local business owner called because a disgruntled employee had quit… and changed the password on the company’s main Gmail account on his way out the door.
Inside that account? Years of customer emails, quotes, invoices — basically the lifeblood of the business. No access = massive financial loss and possible lawsuits.
They were using a personal @gmail.com address for all company email (super common with smaller businesses). When I heard that, my heart sank — Google almost never hands over control of personal accounts, even to the business owner.
**Step 1 – Tried everything remotely (no luck)**
- Standard recovery → tied to the ex-employee’s phone
- Security questions → Google said “not enough info” and denied us
At that point most shops would shrug and say “call a lawyer.”
Not us.
**Step 2 – On-site hero mode**
I grabbed my kit and headed over. My hunch: maybe the password was still saved in the browser on the main office computer.
Opened Chrome → Password Manager → bingo!
The ex-employee had been signed into his personal Google account and syncing passwords. Even though he’d signed out, Chrome still showed **75 saved passwords** from dozens of sites.
The one saved for Gmail itself? Already changed, of course.
But people reuse passwords… a lot.
I started trying variations and passwords from unrelated sites (banking logins, forums, fantasy football — whatever was in the list).
About 50 passwords in… **jackpot.**
A password he used for a random forum worked on the company Gmail.
We logged in — 200+ critical emails were right there. High-fives, happy dances, and one very relieved business owner who didn’t have to rebuild years of records from scratch.
**The real fix – never let this happen again**
They were on DreamHost (great host!), so I showed them how to switch to **Google Workspace** with their own domain (@theircompany.com) in under an hour.
Now they own the accounts, can reset any password instantly, and look way more professional.
(Here’s our full 2025 guide to Google Workspace → https://fireytech.com/fireyfeed/google-workspace-best-computer-repair-tulsa/)
**Moral of the story**
At Fireytech we don’t just fix the symptom — we save the day and then make sure the villain can never strike again.
Whether it’s a rogue employee, ransomware, or just a computer that “won’t turn on,” one call really does it all.
**Call or text the heroes at 918-258-FIRE (3473)**
On-site, in-shop, remote — Tulsa’s highest-rated since 1997.
#Fireytech #ComputerRepairTulsa #OnSiteRepair #GoogleWorkspace #TulsaIT #HeroMode