Unknown project in my account – no IAM/Billing access, can't remove myself, Gemini API active

Google Cloud Build with AI Conversational Agents (Dialogflow CX)
1

I need help investigating a project that appears in my Google Cloud console that I did not create: (PII Removed by Staff). A similar unknown project (PII Removed by Staff) appears on a second Google account of mine.

What I’ve checked so far:

- The projects are NOT linked to my Google AI Studio API keys – I verified in AI Studio, where my key was attached to a different project.

- I have no access to Billing, IAM, or admin sections, so I cannot see who owns the projects, remove my own account from them, or delete them.

- The only section I can open is APIs & Services, and when I enter the project I can see Gemini API calls being activated.

- No billing account is visible to me on these projects.

My concerns/questions:

1. Is there any Google service that auto-creates projects like this where the user gets only partial access? Or does this indicate a third party added my accounts to their projects?

2. Is there any way to remove my own account from a project when I have no IAM access at all?

3. Could my presence in this project expose any of my information to its owner (beyond IP/user-agent in audit logs)?

4. I’m on the free tier so I can’t open a support case – what’s the best way to get Google to investigate? I have already submitted the “Report suspected abuse on Google Cloud” form.

Any guidance from people who’ve seen this pattern would be much appreciated. Thanks!

2

Don’t stress about it. What you’re seeing is totally normal and happens to pretty much everyone who uses Google Cloud or Google’s AI tools.

System-Generated Project: Google automatically provisions managed infrastructure projects when an account interacts with integrated tools such as Google Colab, Vertex AI, Google Workspace add-ons, or Gemini services.

Access & Ownership: Because these are platform-managed projects, administrative (IAM) and billing rights are retained by Google. You are assigned limited view permissions, which is why you cannot remove yourself or delete the project.

Cost & Security Impact: You will not incur any charges for activity on these projects, and they do not consume your personal project quotas. Your individual Google Cloud projects, data, and credentials remain entirely isolated and secure.

Recommended Action: No action is required. If you wish to perform standard security maintenance, you may review and revoke access for any legacy third-party applications or extensions via your Google Account Permissions.