I’m a Montanan Who Didn’t Care About TikTok Until I Did

I didn't care about TikTok until I did. 

When TikTok got popular, I just didn't feel like making an account because I didn't want another social media account. I have nothing against anyone who has a TikTok account, and I totally understand that it has helped a lot of Montana creators and that it’s a major part of their livelihood. 

But I find myself in a bit of a TikTok nightmare. Here's what happened. 

My e-mail address has been stolen and used to create TikTok accounts. Twice. 

In both instances, I received an e-mail from TikTok saying “Congratulations on your new account” with a username I did not recognize. Then, like many social media platforms, it asked me to confirm by clicking on a link in the email.  

Is This Spam? 

Both times I assumed this was spam or phishing so I ignored the emails. Except, I kept getting emails from TikTok and that's when I realized that some bot or person I don't know randomly picked an e-mail address that wasn't associated with a TikTok account (i.e my e-mail address) and created an account. 

The first time this happened, I contacted TikTok, which wasn't easy, and asked them to remove my e-mail address, and they did. This time, though, there was a link included in the “congratulations” e-mail asking if I wanted my e-mail address removed from the account (which is kind of odd). At first, because I thought it was spam, I didn’t click, but when I did click the link it had timed-out.  

Here’s What I Did 

I tried to contact customer service or tech support at TikTok and of course they want you to submit issues via the app. Eventually, I was able to find a way to submit a complaint via desktop (because I just don’t want another app).  

What I found a little weird was that part of the complaint process required government-issued documentation proving who I was. Needless to say, I did not upload my ID because it was one thing too many in a string of shady things.

Here's What Else I Did

I don't really expect to hear from TikTok because so much about this boggles the mind. Why would they allow an account to be created without an email confirmation? Why do they include a link giving you the option to remove your e-mail address? Does this happen all the time? 

Since the account is associated with my e-mail address, I just checked “forgot password,” changed it, and changed the username. 

So, I guess I have a TikTok account now.