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Ask HN: How to unblock Yahoo email address of recently-widowed grandmother?

by 543g43g43 on 11/30/22, 8:58 PM with 1 comments

My grandmother has just phoned me in some distress. She has just been locked out of the Yahoo email address that she shared with her recently-deceased husband for a decade. Apparently, she had unthinkingly filled out some account-related request for information with her real name, which got it locked as it was her husband's account originally.

She is a lady of resource and mental fortitude, and has already managed to get hold of customer support on the phone twice. However, she's been told that there's nothing that can be done.

My question is - what can be done now? I've already recommended she starts again with another provider, and have promised to attempt account recovery (although I doubt it's possible through conventional means).

  • by mtmail on 11/30/22, 9:19 PM

    "Options available if a Yahoo Account owner passes away" https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN2021.html

    You could try to impersonate him, e.g. if your grandmother knows the answers to security questions, birth date or the original passwort. But if customer service knows or you tell them the account holder is deceased they'll lock it forever.