Someone gained access to an older Apple account that did not have two-factor authentication enabled. They changed the account's security questions to answers in Chinese, and I no longer remember the original answers anyway. Apple Support said they cannot restore or delete the account because there is not enough personal information to verify ownership. I still control the email address linked to the account and can change the Apple account password, but I do not have any Apple device currently signed in and account recovery will not start. Is there anything else I can do to secure or close the account?
3 Answers
Having access to the original email does not always prove ownership when the account is protected by security questions and there is no trusted device. Ask support whether they can permanently disable the account, but be prepared for the possibility that they cannot reset those questions or complete recovery. This is also a good reminder to update recovery addresses and two-factor authentication whenever an old email account is retired.
If you can successfully change the password, try signing in through the iCloud account setup on an iPhone or iPad. Go to Settings, open the account or Mail account settings, choose Add Account, select iCloud, and sign in. This may take you through a newer verification process and give you the option to enable two-factor authentication. After securing the account, you can sign out of the borrowed device and use Apple’s official privacy and account-management page if you still want to request deletion.
Make the linked email account your first priority: change its password, enable two-factor authentication, review recovery addresses and active sessions, and remove anything unfamiliar. If the attacker can still answer the account’s security questions, they may continue changing the Apple password. Unfortunately, support may not be able to restore an older account when there is no trusted device or two-factor authentication available.
That sounds worth trying. I have not had a device signed in to this account, so I will see whether the iCloud setup flow gives me another verification option.