ICloud

So I bought my wife her first ever apple product (an Ipad A16) to do some drawing/digital media creation. We created an apple account and set up the new ipad, went to the app store and purchased a specific app that she knew she wanted, after which she also installed netflix/hulu and everything was fine. She only used it for about 20-30 mins after that just testing out her new app and deleting some apps she knew she wouldn't use. The next morning it said she had to sign in again, but gave us "an unknown error has occurred" after entering the password. We can use the ipad and use the apps we have already downloaded, but we cannot download anything else. We went online to icloud.com to try and sign in, and it said her account had been locked for security reasons. We had to fill out an unlock request and send it off, and this morning we got an email back saying the request had been denied. Now we aren't even given the option to request the unlock again, when we put in the email/password it just says "Your account has been locked and cannot be used". I called apple support and they said removing the activation lock "might" work, but we cannot sign in to request it and we cannot sign in to request a refund for the purchase we made in order to justify a new account. Any Ideas would be greatly appreciated.

So I'm going to preface this by saying I'm going to reach out to Apple Support tomorrow. I'm so annoyed.

I called them earlier today and we spoke for a few hours trying pretty much everything. But I couldn't get this error to go away:

"Your identity couldn't be verified. Check your network connection and try again."

I get this only on my Mac, which hasn't had any issues prior to today. My iPhone, iPad, and Watch don't have this issue. Happens whenever I try to access anything that uses iCloud.

Signing out of Find My fully, removing my Mac from Find My, rebooting, signing back in and signing in to iCloud fixed things for 3 hours, but I'm back to not being logged in again.

Anyone else seen this and have a decent fix?

Hi all, my elderly father in law is having this issue. The phone and account are both his.

I found a password of his that gets us past the account login screen, but after that it says the account is locked. I initiated steps to recover it using a phone number as well as an email. I’ve gotten emails back that state someone from Apple will call at a certain time but it has never happened.

This has been going on for weeks and I’m at a loss for how to proceed. Is there better way to get in touch with support at Apple or get a response?

I was using it like normal and on a random Thursday it got locked, ignored it and learned now I can’t update apps/ download apps

Basically I need help on how to get it un-locked cause apple support keeps pulling the BS of sending me the entire ToS article expecting me to read that shit, off I gave it to ChatGPT to read and it states it’s either cause of

1. Fraud( I have never committed fraud)

2. Problems with parent account going down a the account of a Minor( My parents accounts are completely fine)

3. They made a mistake( Probably)

So what can I do cause they said that I would need to re-buy apps I bought like Minecraft ( which would delete my worlds) and Fortnite

Another post I just read is the catalyst for this. Designate a legacy contact for your Apple account. This is a person that will have access to your Apple account after your death.

Apple account legacy contact

You can also do this for other things such as your Google account. If you have a will, I highly recommend adding a page with all your accounts, logins, etc (you have to keep this updated, it's easier if you use a password manager). The passcode for my iPhone is also included. We see so many posts here about people being unable to access a loved one's phone after their death. This is how you get access - Apple account legacy contact.

Last week, I nearly lost my Apple account to a quite sophisticated phishing attack.

The attackers:

• Created a LEGITIMATE Apple Support case in my name (Case ID: 102750168703)

• Cloned Apple's support portal (appeal-apple.com)

• Social engineered my 2FA code disguised as a "ticket closing confirmation"

Timeline:

• 3:17 PM - Unsolicited Apple 2FA codes start arriving

• 3:21 PM - Call from Atlanta number claiming to be Apple Support

• 3:31 PM - 25-minute call walking me through resetting my iCloud password

• 3:44 PM - SMS with link to fake portal (appeal-apple.com)

• 3:47 PM - Email: "Your Apple Account was used to sign in on a Mac mini (2024)"

I don't own a Mac mini...

The Vulnerability: Apple's support case system allows ANYONE to create support cases in others' names without verification. This generates legitimate communications (real case numbers, official @apple.com emails) that scammers exploit for credibility.

Obvious Learnings:

• Enable hardware security keys (FIDO2) for 2FA - immune to phishing

• Don't trust unsolicited calls, even with legitimate case numbers

• Verify URLs even with verified certificates (appeal-apple.com ≠ apple.com)

• Watch for unexpected device sign-in emails

• Question everything during "security" calls

This attack is active right now.

Full detailed breakdown with screenshots: https://medium.com/@eric.moret/i-almost-lost-my-apple-account-to-the-most-sophisticated-phishing-attack-ive-ever-seen-cff92a470950?postPublishedType=repub

Has anyone else experienced this or similar attacks?