Permanently locked out of my account after recovering

Question

Permanently locked out of my account after recovering

Cristian U 0

Hi, I’m hoping someone can help me out with my situation.

A while back I fell for a phishing scam which led to my main Microsoft account being compromised. I submitted a recovery form to get it back, followed by what I believe was an escalation form since I was getting desperate to regain access. The next day I submitted another recovery form which went through and I was able to update my password and security information.

However I believe the escalation form I submitted previously led to my account being permanently locked the day after I recovered it. I received an email stating that the reason for the lock was due to the password and security information changes, but those changes were made by me and not by anyone unauthorized.

My account was compromised on April 12th and I was able to recover it on April 13th, but the following day it was permanently locked. When I recovered I went through it and it was still exactly the same as it was.

Since April 18th I have been submitting a new recovery form every three days but have not received anything back. My most recent submission was done earlier today and I still have no update on my account.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hornblower409 8,425 Reputation points

2026-05-06T20:52:51.54+00:00

@Cristian U said

followed by what I believe was an escalation form

There is the Account Recovery form
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/help-with-the-microsoft-account-recovery-form-b19c02d1-a782-dee6-93c3-dc8113b20c42

But I don't know of any "escalation form". Do you have any idea of what other form you submitted?

Was it a Account Reinstatement Form?
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/concern/accountreinstatement

What does the Account Sign-In Helper say about the current status of your account?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/i-can-t-sign-in-to-my-microsoft-account-475c9b5c-8c25-49f1-9c2d-c64b7072e735
Cristian U 0 Reputation points

2026-05-06T21:36:37.65+00:00

@Hornblower409 It ended up getting my account permanently locked. The day after I recovered it on my second recovery form attempt, I got an email from that reinstatement form that said:

“Account security is a top priority at Microsoft, and we have a team dedicated to investigating and validating fraudulent activity. The account and billing activity associated with your Microsoft account was thoroughly reviewed by our fraud team, and I can confirm there was unauthorized access to your account. Unfortunately, during the investigation process, we found that your security information has been changed.

Unfortunately, when security features are updated on an account, we are unable to assist with an account recovery as these types of updates and/or removal are completely out of control of customer service. We are unable to make any changes to the security information on the account due to security protocols set up and the acceptance of the Microsoft Services Agreement when the account was created.

The only option we have is to permanently suspend this account to prevent any further use. At this time, I have successfully suspended this account, and this will remain on indefinitely.”

I’m still frustrated about it two weeks later, that security information change was made by ME when I recovered the account, because the recovery page literally told me to change it. On top of that, the sign-in helper form won’t do anything for me since my account is already locked. I still have the new password I set during recovery, but every time I try signing in it just says the account is locked and sends me back to the reinstatement form
Hornblower409 8,425 Reputation points

2026-05-06T22:26:22.57+00:00

@Cristian U said

that security information change was made by ME when I recovered the account

After doing some research, it looks like you are not alone. There are multiple people who got caught in the same trap. I was not aware of this glitch in the Account recovery process. Unfortunately I don't see any clear way out of this mess.

Ask your favorite AI something like this and you'll get plenty of hits. But it's going to be a tough row to hoe.

Microsoft Account locked because your security information has been changed. The only option we have is to permanently suspend this account to prevent any further use. But it was me who made the changes

2 answers

Your answer

Hornblower409 8,425 Reputation points

2026-05-06T20:52:51.54+00:00

@Cristian U said

followed by what I believe was an escalation form

There is the Account Recovery form
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/help-with-the-microsoft-account-recovery-form-b19c02d1-a782-dee6-93c3-dc8113b20c42

But I don't know of any "escalation form". Do you have any idea of what other form you submitted?

Was it a Account Reinstatement Form?
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/concern/accountreinstatement

What does the Account Sign-In Helper say about the current status of your account?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/i-can-t-sign-in-to-my-microsoft-account-475c9b5c-8c25-49f1-9c2d-c64b7072e735
Cristian U 0 Reputation points

2026-05-06T21:36:37.65+00:00

@Hornblower409 It ended up getting my account permanently locked. The day after I recovered it on my second recovery form attempt, I got an email from that reinstatement form that said:

“Account security is a top priority at Microsoft, and we have a team dedicated to investigating and validating fraudulent activity. The account and billing activity associated with your Microsoft account was thoroughly reviewed by our fraud team, and I can confirm there was unauthorized access to your account. Unfortunately, during the investigation process, we found that your security information has been changed.

Unfortunately, when security features are updated on an account, we are unable to assist with an account recovery as these types of updates and/or removal are completely out of control of customer service. We are unable to make any changes to the security information on the account due to security protocols set up and the acceptance of the Microsoft Services Agreement when the account was created.

The only option we have is to permanently suspend this account to prevent any further use. At this time, I have successfully suspended this account, and this will remain on indefinitely.”

I’m still frustrated about it two weeks later, that security information change was made by ME when I recovered the account, because the recovery page literally told me to change it. On top of that, the sign-in helper form won’t do anything for me since my account is already locked. I still have the new password I set during recovery, but every time I try signing in it just says the account is locked and sends me back to the reinstatement form
Hornblower409 8,425 Reputation points

2026-05-06T22:26:22.57+00:00

@Cristian U said

that security information change was made by ME when I recovered the account

After doing some research, it looks like you are not alone. There are multiple people who got caught in the same trap. I was not aware of this glitch in the Account recovery process. Unfortunately I don't see any clear way out of this mess.

Ask your favorite AI something like this and you'll get plenty of hits. But it's going to be a tough row to hoe.

Microsoft Account locked because your security information has been changed. The only option we have is to permanently suspend this account to prevent any further use. But it was me who made the changes

Answer 1

Cristian U 0

@Hornblower409 I don’t remember the exact form name, I just went through what I think was Xbox support contact website, but I was in a rush so I don’t remember what exactly I clicked on to do it. I still have the email I got back after submitting it though, and the subject line was ‘SIR####### - Account Escalation Request.’

Hornblower409 8,425 Reputation points

2026-05-06T21:10:41.7633333+00:00

@Cristian U said

the subject line was ‘SIR####### - Account Escalation Request.’

I am fairly sure that was an Account Reinstatement:
https://www.microsoft.com/digitalsafety/account-reinstatement

Submitting that form should not have had any impact on your account, except to remove a block because of content that violated the Code of Conduct and Terms and Conditions.

What does the Account Sign-In Helper say about the current status of your account?https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/i-can-t-sign-in-to-my-microsoft-account-475c9b5c-8c25-49f1-9c2d-c64b7072e735

Answer 2

For a hacked or compromised Microsoft account that is now locked after recovery, only the official automated recovery and security workflows can be used; support agents cannot manually override them for personal Microsoft accounts.

Based on the documented behavior:

Use the hacked/compromised account flow
- Start with the official guidance for compromised accounts: How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account.
- This flow may direct to the sign‑in helper tool ("Start" button) which asks for the email/phone and then either offers self‑help or a chance to talk to an agent.
If the account is locked or inaccessible, keep using the recovery form
- When access is lost, the supported path is the Microsoft account recovery form. Detailed guidance is here: Help with the Microsoft account recovery form.
- After submitting the form, Microsoft sends the result to the working contact email within 24 hours. If the account cannot be verified, it is allowed to try again up to two times per day with more accurate information.
- If the form continues to fail to verify ownership, the account cannot be recovered; support agents are not allowed to send password reset links or change account details outside this process.
If the account is locked due to suspicious activity
- When an account is locked for suspicious activity or Terms of Use violations, the sign‑in page may show an aka.ms/ link. That link leads to the account unlock/reinstatement form. After submission, an Online Safety agent reviews the request and responds by email. Submitting multiple requests can slow the response.
Understand support limitations
- For personal Microsoft accounts, forums and most support channels cannot access or modify the account, override a permanent lock, or bypass the automated recovery/unlock systems.
- If the recovery form and the lock/unlock process do not restore access, there is no documented alternative method to reverse a permanent lock.

Given the situation described (compromise, recovery, then subsequent permanent lock), the only supported actions are:

Use the hacked/compromised account guidance and sign‑in helper tool.
Follow any aka.ms/ unlock link shown at sign‑in and complete that form once carefully.
Continue using the recovery form as documented, up to the allowed attempts per day, ensuring all information is as accurate and complete as possible.
Monitor the contact email (including junk/spam) for responses within 24 hours of each submission.

If, after following these documented steps, the system still does not verify the account or the lock is not lifted, the account is effectively not recoverable under current Microsoft processes.

References:

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Permanently locked out of my account after recovering

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