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IP address and location don't match-up

Anonymous
2018-11-15T06:52:02+00:00

After recently having a few email/account scares, I've been keeping a check on my recent activity, and everything seems to have been fine and normal up until a few minutes ago, when I tried looking at my activity again.

I found that my IP address has changed recently, and the IP address in question doesn't match-up with my actual, physical location. I've included a screenshot below. In addition, in the entry below there are two unsuccessful IMAP attempts, which is worrying too as I've managed to desync my devices  - or so I had believed.

Does someone have access to my account? Should I change my password and everything else? Seeing this all of a sudden is really worrying.

Quick edit: It seems that the new IP address is still for my physical location, but if that is the case, why does the map in the screenshot show me as being at the other end of the country? I tried logging out and back in to my email account to see if that would do anything, but my location is still the same as in the screenshot. This is very worrying.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-11-15T08:57:09+00:00

    Hello finlandsberet,

    I know how alarming it is to see that the reported geological location of your IP address does not match your physical location. Don't worry, they are harmless and a common occurrence.

    IP addresses right now, like what you see, are IPv4. There are unfortunately, insufficient IPv4 available addresses to meet the global demands. Therefore, many entities re-use the same IP address for different purposes.

    See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv4_address_exha...

    Unless you have a static IP address, your ISP will normally assign you a random IP for you to surf the web, even though it may not have the correct profile/information that best describes you. Which means, it is possible, and very normal, to receive a… New Zealand (example) IP address even though you live in UK and your ISP is UK-based.

    Another reason why the geological location might be inaccurate is because the database that stores information about the IP is wrong.

    Really, you do not have to worry too much about this, and since you already have done all my 3 suggestions in our previous interaction, you are safe!

    Cheers!

    — Sutharsan

    Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-11-15T10:31:13+00:00

    I have no more questions, thank you. You've been such a big help to me over this issue, much like in our previous interactions.

    Thank you very much once again for all of your help!

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-11-15T10:23:50+00:00

    Hello finlandsberet,

    Yes, it is safe. If you are scrutinising your recent sign-in logs, check your own IP address first because it might be shuffled for every re-connection/interval.

    The geological location of your IP, has never been truly accurate.

    1. GPS limitation
    2. shared IP in the region/area
    3. re-used IP
    4. inaccurate information in database

    Do you have any more questions?

    Regards,

    Sutharsan

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-11-15T09:06:02+00:00

    Thank you once again for your help in this matter, much like in our previous interactions. I thought that it might have been just an error, but seeing it when I logged-in to my device this morning worried me. Everything seems to be fine, and nothing seems to be compromised - I shut down and restarted my laptop just to be on the safe side, and nothing has happened since, and if this happens again then I'll take this thread/conversaton into consideration and try not to worry again.

    Thank you very much once more for your help!

    Edit: So just to confirm, even though it says I am in that location highlighted in the screenshot when I am nowhere near that location, is my account safe?

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