(MacOS) Can not log in, not accepting password

[jnelsoninjax]

My wife's uncle called her last night and said that somebody from T-Mobile called him about his account, and he needed to do something on his computer, which is an apple laptop, but otherwise unknown. I know what this call was, and he claims that he did not download anything to the computer, but since that call, he has been unable to log in to the computer. He also said he doesn't know what the reset key is. I know nothing at all about the Apple OS, so I can not assist him, but my wife volunteered me to try and help him... so my question is this: Is there a way for him to regain control of his computer, or does he have to do a reset? If the latter, how is that even done. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Typically, you can boot into recovery, open the terminal, and type resetpassword " and select the account you wish to reset, and it will reset the account password. Used it a few times.

[adrynalyne]

Probably has the caps lock key on. 😜

[Circaflex]

On 01/03/2025 at 08:49, jnelsoninjax said:

My wife's uncle called her last night and said that somebody from T-Mobile called him about his account, and he needed to do something on his computer, which is an apple laptop, but otherwise unknown. I know what this call was, and he claims that he did not download anything to the computer, but since that call, he has been unable to log in to the computer. He also said he doesn't know what the reset key is. I know nothing at all about the Apple OS, so I can not assist him, but my wife volunteered me to try and help him... so my question is this: Is there a way for him to regain control of his computer, or does he have to do a reset? If the latter, how is that even done. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/102633
 

This provides you with a guide.

[jnelsoninjax]

On 01/03/2025 at 09:59, adrynalyne said:

Probably has the caps lock key on. 😜

You know how many times that has happened to me? At least windows warns you now!

[jollybgood]

It sounds like your wife’s uncle was targeted by a tech support scam, which may have locked his Mac. First, restart the Mac and boot into Recovery Mode by holding Command (⌘) + R. From there, use the Reset Password tool or, if needed, create a new admin account to access files. If that fails, you can reinstall macOS without erasing the disk to regain control. Once access is restored, disconnect from the internet, scan for malware, and change all important passwords.