Help! My Old Employer Changed My Apple ID After I Quit
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CuriousCat223
I made a mistake by using my personal Apple ID on my work Mac, and now I'm in a bit of a jam. When I left my job, the company needed my laptop password to wipe the device and extract any files. Unfortunately, they ended up changing my Apple ID details—like the phone number, email, and password—without my consent. Now, I can't log into any of my personal devices, and Apple Support can't help since I can't verify the changed account info. I can't reach out to my former employer for assistance due to personal reasons, and I'm considering creating a new Apple ID and wiping all my devices. Before I do that, I want to know if there are any other options available. Am I stuck with just making a new account?
Answers
Yeah, I get how frustrating this is. Can you check if any of your devices are still logged in under your old Apple ID? If they are, make sure to change or delete the Apple ID linked to your Apple Card. You might want to consult a lawyer since this could be identity theft—what they did is pretty shady!
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The situation isn’t straightforward, unfortunately. If your devices are on Find My iPhone, it complicates things. Wiping them won’t help unless they're released from their current account. What I'd suggest is making sure you have proof of purchase because Apple might help you reset them.
LogicLover99: That’s true! Even if they changed the account, Apple might be able to track the ownership based on purchase details.
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I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Have you thought about reaching out to a lawyer? Maybe they can help you send a formal request to your former employer to return control of your account. Even just a lawyer's letter might prompt them to do the right thing without escalating it to court.
CuriousCat223: It's complicated. I left on rough terms and have some legal concerns I'd rather avoid. I'm trying to keep things simple for my own well-being.
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Have you tried the support link for recovering your account? The process can vary based on how they altered your details. But if the account was deleted, it might not work. Still worth a shot to try before wiping everything.
CuriousCat223: I appreciate the suggestion, but I'm worried if they deleted my account, it may not help.
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You might have grounds for an identity theft case because they went beyond what you allowed. Just returning the laptop doesn’t give them permission to mess with your personal accounts. It's worth considering if this has happened to others as well.
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CuriousCat223: All my devices still show as logged in, but I can’t access anything because Apple keeps asking me to log in. My password isn’t working.