Why Am I Getting Login Attempts From Unknown Locations?

It usually means a service detected authentication activity associated with your account.

That might be:

Read the notification carefully.

There is a major difference between:

A failed attempt means the account defenses may have worked.

A successful unfamiliar login requires much faster action.

The FTC identifies a notification that someone tried to log in, or actually logged in, when it was not you as a warning sign of possible account compromise.

IP-based location information is not perfect.

A legitimate login can sometimes appear in another city because of:

So do not make the decision based only on the city name shown in an alert.

If the device is clearly unfamiliar and you were not signing in at that time, treat the alert seriously.

Someone may know your email or username and be guessing passwords.

They may also have obtained an old password from a different exposure and be testing whether you reused it.

The FTC warns that attackers can use stolen username-and-password combinations against other accounts when people reuse credentials.

The account receiving the login attempt does not necessarily need to have experienced a breach itself.

Start with the official account.

Do not use a login link contained in an unexpected security message unless you independently trust it.

This helps you avoid a common problem: fake security alerts designed to make worried users enter passwords into phishing pages.

Change the password if:

Choose a completely new password.

If you reused the old password elsewhere, replace those copies too.

The FTC specifically recommends changing compromised passwords on the affected account and anywhere else the same password was used.

NIST recommends a password manager to make unique credentials practical across many accounts.

MFA can make a failed login attempt remain exactly that: failed.

Even if someone knows the password, another authentication requirement may prevent access.

NIST states that MFA provides an extra layer of protection when a password is compromised.

If MFA is already enabled and you receive an authentication request you did not initiate, do not approve it.

An unexpected authentication prompt can itself indicate that someone has reached the second stage of a login attempt.

A failed login attempt can attract your attention while an old unauthorized session remains active.

Remove anything you do not recognize.

If unauthorized access seems likely, consider using the provider's option to sign out other devices.

The FTC recommends signing out devices after recovering a compromised account and reviewing recovery information and account settings.

Someone who accesses an account may try to make their access permanent.

They might change:

Check these settings after suspicious login activity.

If something was changed, correct it through the official account security tools.

Repeated failed login attempts do not necessarily mean your account will eventually be compromised.

If you have:

the attacker may have very little useful information beyond the identifier itself.

Still, repeated attempts are a good reason to ensure that an old password is not being reused.

You generally do not need to change a strong unique password every time someone unsuccessfully tries to log in unless you have evidence that the credential itself may be compromised.

Yes, sometimes.

An old exposure may contain an email, username, and password combination.

Someone can then test those credentials later.

The FTC has highlighted how reused credentials exposed in one breach can be used to compromise another system.

But do not assume every login attempt comes from a breach.

Identifiers can be obtained in many ways.

Exposure checking gives you one piece of the picture.

Passkeys can substantially reduce the usefulness of stolen or guessed passwords.

NIST explains that passkeys use unique cryptographic credentials and are designed to resist phishing more effectively than traditional passwords.

For a frequently targeted account — especially your primary email — moving to stronger authentication can be more valuable than repeatedly worrying about every failed password attempt.

4safer can help you review whether an identifier associated with suspicious activity may also appear in known exposure information.

The result should be interpreted alongside your actual account history.