A Groups.io account is identified by your email address and is an online record of this Groups.io information associated with that email address:

• Which groups you belong to at that address
• Your Groups.io password (if you set one) or social login method (if you use one) for that address
• Preferences and settings that apply to all the groups you belong to at that address

If you do not have a Groups.io account when you join your first Groups.io group, a Groups.io account is created for you automatically and associated with the email address you used to join the group. Alternatively, you can create a Groups.io account before you join any groups using that email address (see Creating a Groups.io account).

Note: If you use different email addresses to join different groups, you will have a different Groups.io account associated with each email address. However, you can be logged in to only one Groups.io account at a time—unless you use separate web browsers or special browser features to separate the cookies used in different browser windows.

! Important: With the exceptions of “Confirm your subscription” messages and “Your Groups.io Account is Bouncing” notifications, Groups.io will not send you unsolicited email messages asking you to authenticate your Groups.io account by clicking a link. If you receive an email that requests Groups.io account authentication and it is not one of the exceptions mentioned above, it could be a phishing email and you should not click any links in it.

Tip: A good practice is to examine the link’s underlying URL. If the URL is not from groups.io, the message could be a phishing attempt. (In desktop web browsers, the URL typically is displayed at the bottom left of the browser window when you hover your pointer over a link. In the message window of an email application, the URL might appear in a popup. If you are not sure now to display a link’s underlying URL, check your browser’s or email application’s online help.)