Can't remember Yahoo! security questions (locked out)

[Manos]

I try to access my yahoo! email account. After I enter my password it says that I logged in from a different device. It asks for Captcha then for a security question!

Unfortunately

- I never filled correctly my security questions

- I never filled an alternative email and

- I also never filled a mobile number.

So what am I going to do? Yahoo support really sucks, as there is no phone number, or online chat, or at least IRC. SOMETHING. The only thing I see is pre-defined Questions & Answers. And nothing else. Noone mentions that it can stand the same situation as me!

What can I do?

[Guest seanseany]

Open a new account.

[+BudMan MVC]

This is some kind of joke right? YOU fail to fill out all the features that they give you to recover your account, but their support sucks on a service they give you for free ;)

As stated - create a new account, this time follow the instructions and complete the recovery options.

[Manos]

Seriously? You must be kidding right? "Open a new account" is the answer I can get from ANY forum. I didn't expect to get it from this one.

If today you were locked out from your email account and you had a lot of serious emails to answer, would you leave it like this and open a new account?

Most likely if I was a US citizen I would look for Yahoo's phone number or go by my own at their offices. You can't lose your work like this. Yes, I have an email at my domain but I was using this as well from the office. I have every right to access my personal data. And if I was about to open a new account I would go for a Gmail one.

[+BudMan MVC]

You have every right to do what? Access an account you don't know the personal security questions too? Nor paid for - get real dude.

You have NOBODY to blame but yourself! If you would correctly setup the account in the first place, you would not have to be crying on a public forum that you lost access to a FREE account because your own stupidity.

"If today you were locked out from your email account"

I would use the recovery options that the service provided, and I setup to recover my password ;)

I can have email set to another one of my email accounts, I can have it text me to my cell number, Or I could correctly answer some simple questions that I clearly should know the answer too, like what street I grew up on, etc. ;)

[Arachno 1D]

Yahoos perspective :You are unable to verify its you account security details so they deny you access

Forum perspective : You are unable to verify its you account security details and are locked out because you didnt make any back end authorization

Your Perspective : Yahoo locked you out and its unfair,the forum wont help you and its unfair but you still want to access this account even though you have no authority and no proof its you account.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Another perspective: The OP wants to access another person's account, which explains why he doesn't know any of the security details.

[nabz0r Veteran]

I am afraid you are gonna need to either remember your stuff or create a new account. Even if you succeeded in contacting them they are gonna ask you for proofs which as you said you have none.

[+BudMan MVC]

support: Hello this is Yahoo Support how may I help you.

user: I can not seem to login to my account [email protected]

support: Can you tell me the city you were born in, or how about fav sports team

user: No I just typed in any old thing when setup the account, don't recall what I put in there.

user: But this is billy and my email address is [email protected] - please reset the password and tell me what it is.

support: click!

"there is no phone number, or online chat, or at least IRC. SOMETHING."

So how many email accounts do you think they have.. I would have to guess quite a few, so do you think there are 6, 7 or even 8 zeros in it. But you want them to man phone lines and or chat/irc for people that don't recall their security questions or filled them out with gibberish?

Yeah I can see your point now - yeah their support really sucks :rofl:

Lessons learned the hard way are always the best!

[+Warwagon MVC]

This won't help you now, but for future reference, start using a password manger such as "Roboform, or last passpass" (I use roboform). Use different passwords for different sites and edit your web mail password card to include the security questions you used along with the answers. This lets you sync them online as an offsite back as well as giving you the option to print hard copies.

The benefit of doing this, besides having the questions and answers in front of you, is that you can generate random looking answers like 1moEkJ60S81E for each security question.

I do this because security questions are the weakest link to even the strongest password. If you have to start over with a new account (at this point I think you might), I would suggest using a service which gives you the option of two-factor authentication such as Gmail (As an example).

Two-factor authentication in combination with random security question answers, will give you a very secure account.

[Hum]

I try to access my yahoo! email account. After I enter my password it says that I logged in from a different device. It asks for Captcha then for a security question!

Unfortunately

- I never filled correctly my security questions

- I never filled an alternative email and

- I also never filled a mobile number.

So what am I going to do? Yahoo support really sucks, as there is no phone number, or online chat, or at least IRC. SOMETHING. The only thing I see is pre-defined Questions & Answers. And nothing else. Noone mentions that it can stand the same situation as me!

What can I do?

What is the original computer you were using to set up and use the Yahoo account ?

Go back to that, and you should be fine.

And reset your password, secret questions, and record them for future reference.

You do NOT need a mobile number -- don't fall for that Yahoo! trick.

[+Warwagon MVC]

What is the original computer you were using to set up and use the Yahoo account ?

Go back to that, and you should be fine.

How will he be fine? The only way he would be fine is if that machine is set to log into yahoo mail automatically. Otherwise just because he "Used" that machine to setup a yahoo account means nothing.

You do NOT need a mobile number -- don't fall for that Yahoo! trick.

I'm not sure how yahoo does it but in the case of Gmail, giving them your mobile number is VERY useful, as it allows them to text message your mobile phone with a authentication code in the event you get locked out of you account. This makes it trivial to reset your password.

[Hum]

^ That also wastes your minutes, for those who have limits, and invites spam/robo-calls.

Yahoo! will never get my personal number.

[+Warwagon MVC]

^ That also wastes your minutes, for those who have limits, and invites spam/robo-calls.

Yahoo! will never get my personal number.

How would spammers get your mobile number? In the case of giving it to Google, it is also used as a two-factor authentication to get into your account. So if you are assuming someone gets into your account and grabs your mobile number, then your account security blows. I doubt Yahoo would just be giving that phone number out to spammers. if they do you may want to think about switching providers.

In the case of the OP, if yahoo authenticates with a cell phone his problem would have already been solved.

To the OP .. do you by chance use yahoo messenger?

Upon doing a quick search for your issue online, it appears that your account may be currently logged into some form of yahoo messenger either on a different computer or mobile device. If you are using Messenger, sign out of it on that other device and then try to log into your account again.

If you suspect it is your mobile phone but unsure how to log out, try turning your mobile phone off. Then try logging in again.