I had an iPhone 6s in 2018, and yesterday I received emails saying that nearly all the details on the Apple Account I used back then had been changed, including the password, date of birth, and security questions. My email address is still attached to the account, so I tried resetting the password, but I can't sign in because the account now asks security questions written in Chinese. I'm worried the attacker could change the password again or access old data. What steps can I take to recover, lock, or delete the account?
2 Answers
If you can access an iPhone or iPad, try signing in through the device’s iCloud account settings with the password you reset. Newer versions may use two-factor authentication rather than the old security-question setup. If you regain access, immediately review trusted devices, phone numbers, recovery methods, and signed-in sessions, then remove anything unfamiliar. You can also check Apple’s privacy and account-management pages for deletion options, but deletion may still require ownership verification.
Account deletion usually requires Apple to verify that you own the account, so you may not be able to delete it immediately if the security details were replaced. Start with Apple’s official account-recovery process and contact Apple Support directly. Explain that the account was taken over and that your email address is still yours. Avoid repeatedly guessing the altered security answers.
That makes sense. I’m mainly worried that I have no idea what information might still be stored there, so I’ll contact Apple Support and ask what recovery options are available.