I've never owned a modern Apple device—just a 2008 iPod that I still use occasionally for music. I created an Apple account years ago when I started using iTunes, but I hadn't signed in for a long time. A few weeks ago, I began receiving emails saying that the account's details, including the date of birth and password, had been changed. I tried changing the password, but I was blocked by recovery questions I don't remember. Resetting those questions 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 are now displayed in Chinese. How could someone take over the account without going through my email, and is there any way to recover it?
1 Answer
If the account still relies on old security questions, recovery may be extremely limited. The attacker may have gained access through an old password reused elsewhere, a compromised email account, or previously known personal information. Once they changed the account details and recovery answers, the original owner can end up locked out while the attacker remains signed in. Contact Apple’s official account-support team and provide proof of ownership, but be prepared that they may not be able to restore an account that cannot pass the legacy verification process.
That’s what worries me—the account still uses security questions, even though I was receiving the change notifications by email. I’ll try official support, but it sounds like the recovery options may be gone.