Has Anyone Successfully Got a Refund from Google Ads After a Hack?

My Google Ads account was recently hacked, and a significant amount was spent without my permission. The campaigns and activity were completely unfamiliar, which made it clear it was unauthorized access. I immediately paused all ads, secured my account, and contacted Google Ads support with details of the issue. However, the refund process is unclear, and I’m not sure if I’ll recover the lost amount.

Has anyone here successfully received a refund after a similar situation? Any advice or experience would be really helpful.

I went through something similar a while back. After my account was hacked, Google did issue a partial refund, but it took persistence with multiple follow-ups with support and escalating the case helped.

The key things that worked for me: documenting everything (screenshots of unfamiliar campaigns, login activity, timestamps), filing a dispute through Google Ads support, and also contacting my bank to flag the unauthorized charges as a backup.

Google doesn't guarantee refunds, but they do investigate. The sooner you act and the more evidence you provide, the better your chances.

I actually went through something very similar not too long ago, so I completely understand how stressful this feels.

In my case, I noticed unusual campaigns running and a sudden spike in spend that I hadn’t authorized. The first thing I did was pause everything immediately, secure my account by changing passwords, enabling 2FA, and removing any unknown users. After that, I contacted Google Ads support and raised it as an unauthorized activity / compromised account issue.

To answer your main question, yes, I was able to get a refund, but it wasn’t instant and required a bit of follow up.

Here’s what helped in my situation:

• I clearly explained that the activity was unauthorized and pointed out specific campaigns, locations, and timings that didn’t match my normal behavior

• I shared screenshots and a short timeline of what happened

• I confirmed that I had secured the account after detecting the issue

• I kept following up politely when there were delays

Google’s team reviewed the account activity, and after a few days, they confirmed it was suspicious. The refund was processed shortly after that. It took around a week overall.

A couple of important things I learned:

• The faster you report it, the better your chances

• Be very clear and structured in your explanation

• Make sure your account is fully secured before they review it

• Keep checking your email because they may ask for additional details

That said, refunds aren’t guaranteed in every case. It depends on their investigation and whether they confirm the activity as unauthorized. But from my experience, if everything clearly points to a hack and you act quickly, there’s a good chance you’ll recover the amount.

If you’ve already paused ads and contacted support, you’re on the right track. I’d suggest just staying persistent with follow ups and making sure all your evidence is clear and easy for them to review.

Yes, some people have got refunds from Google Ads after a hack, but it’s not guaranteed.

It usually depends on how quickly you report it and whether you can prove the activity wasn’t done by you. Google will investigate, and if everything checks out, they may refund the amount or give ad credits.

Just make sure to report it immediately, secure your account, and follow up with support. The process can take some time.

I’ve been through this, so I know how stressful it feels. My Google Ads account got hacked, and ads ran without my permission, spending a lot of money. I immediately paused all campaigns, changed my password, turned on 2FA, and checked for any suspicious access. Then I contacted Google Ads support with screenshots and details showing it wasn’t me.

It wasn’t quick Google asked questions and took time to review everything. But staying polite, clear, and persistent helped. I eventually got a partial refund. It didn’t cover everything, but it was a relief.

My advice: act fast, secure your account, document all unusual activity, and keep following up with support. It can take time, but if you provide clear evidence, Google takes it seriously.

Yes, it is possible to get a refund for the amount lost in Google Ad accounts because of hacking and other unauthorised access to the Google Ad account. Being a well known Google Premier Partner agency, we have successfully helped our clients to get a refund of the amount in Google Ads accounts after unauthorised access.

I have been managing Google Ads accounts for our for more than 15 years. During this period, I have seen some Google Ads accounts were hacked. Most of these unauthorised access and ad spending happened by hacking the Google account of the owner and then accessing the associated Google Ads account. 

The typical pattern is that hackers get access to the Ad account and then remove other users from the account. In our case, we are a digital agency and have "partner" level access to our client's ad accounts. The hackers would first remove our agency's access from the accounts since they know that the agencies have the expertise to quickly notice the hacking and recover access. However, once the agency's access is removed, the agency cannot do much.

If you suspect unauthorised access in a Google Ad account or if you lose access to your account, the first thing to do is, to report the problem to Google. Follow this link to report unauthorised access:

https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9355975

In addition to reporting the problem through the above link, if you have a relationship manager with Google, you may directly communicate the same with your contact person.

In our case, Google responded within 2 hours after reporting the unauthorised access. The immediate action from Google was to suspend the Ad account to prevent further abuse. Once the account is suspended, you can continue the communication with Google. Once you convince Google that your account was compromised and you are the original owner, Google will restore your access and remove the aunthorised users. 

It may take further communication with Google to get a refund for the amount lost through the unauthorised access.

In a recent incident, one of our clients lost about 400 EURO overnight through unauthorised access. The intruder removed all of our admins from the ad account and created some campaigns to promote their fraudulent business.  We noticed this within a few hours but by that time, around 400 EURO was lost. Fortunately, we were able to recover the account and also get a refund from Google for this. 

Here is a helpful link to request a refund for unauthorised spending on your Google account:

https://payments.google.com/payments/u/0/unauthorizedtransactions 

Let me know if you require any help regarding getting a refund for unauthorised spending on your Google Ad account.