I have never owned an Apple device besides a 2008 iPod, which I still use occasionally with iTunes. I created an Apple account years ago, but I had not logged in for a long time. A few weeks ago, I began receiving emails saying that the account's date of birth, password, and other details had been changed. I changed the password, but then I was asked to answer old security questions that I no longer remember. Resetting them requires details about a credit card I used years ago and no longer have. Since then, the password has been changed again, and the recovery questions now appear in Chinese. I do not understand how someone could make these changes without access to my email, and I am worried that I may be locked out permanently. Is there any way to recover the account?
1 Answer
Because the account still relies on old security questions instead of newer recovery and two-factor authentication, the normal automated recovery process may not be able to verify you. If you cannot provide the requested answers or payment details, the account may be effectively unrecoverable. The attacker may have gained access through an old password, a compromised email session, or previously exposed account information, rather than bypassing every recovery step directly.
That is what confuses me—the account was changed before I could recover it, yet I am the one being stopped by the security questions. I will check the security of my email and other accounts, but it sounds like Apple may be the only possible recovery route.