Elderly Mom Locked out of MSN Email account, not getting the verification code by text and form is getting denied. HELP PLEASE

Question

My elderly mom, who set up her email more than 20 years ago has been locked out of her email account. I set it up a while back to have my cell phone as the verification code number because I am the one who always helps her with tech issues. The number in her account is correct and it shows the right digits but when I request a verification code, I get an error that code won't work right now. So I selected verify other ways and filled out the several page form. She doesn't remember a security question from 20 years ago but we did put in three email addresses she emails regularly. It asks for recent subject lines which is ridiculous because she doesn't have access to her account to look that up. Surely people don't just remember all their email subject lines word for word. After completing the form the best we could, Microsoft is saying we don't have enough info to verify which is wild. We provided full name, birthdate, state, zip code, three email address contacts in account and of course there is no way to speak to anyone to get help with recovery. Frustrated is an understatement. Please help.

Answer 1

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

You mentioned: "I get an error that code won't work right now."

The error message you received indicates that your mom's account is temporarily blocked due to the system detecting unusual activity.

Since you have access to your recovery phone number, kindly perform these steps to fix the verification method error:

1. Perform a password reset via Incognito/InPrivate window using different devices and network services.
2. If it doesn't work, wait exactly 48 hours to reset the password.
3. If the issue persists, kindly wait exactly 1 week to perform another password reset. The idea is to wait for the account lock to expire first before you reset the password, as stated in this article: https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/troubleshooting-verification-code-issues-409090c4-92b5-42b9-8ae6-bcc97e62fc48#:~:text=If%20you%20received%20a%20Microsoft%20verification%20code%20that%20you%20did#:~:text=If%20you%20received%20a%20Microsoft%20verification%20code%20that%20you%20did

Important: Please make sure not to attempt to sign in or reset the password within that timeframe (48 hours or 1 week), as this may reset the lock cooldown.

Thank you for your understanding! Please feel free to let me know if you need anything else.

Best regards,

Darhyl