Excuse my ignorance but how is this a violation?

GDPR requires deleting data if you ask them to delete data. How did they get your email address if they supposedly deleted your information?

Is deleting an account the same as asking them to delete it though?

Gdpr also requires data only to be kept no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. Deleting your account, even it isn’t a request to delete your data removes any purpose for keeping it.

That’s more for people booking flights and what not. With an account, they need a way to contact you if you’ve done something illegal.

GDPR also requieres that you use the data for the appropiate cause that the user opted in to. So if they have the data for legal stuff this would still be a violation.