Account Appears Hijacked, Weeks Without Access, No Status Update, and Apple Subscription Still Linked to the Compromised Account

Hello everyone,

I am posting here because I have reached a point where I genuinely do not know what else to do.

Several weeks ago, I lost access to my ChatGPT account after what appears to have been an account compromise. The account email was changed to an address that I do not recognize and have never used.

I immediately contacted support and provided all requested ownership verification information, including purchase details and account history.

Support later confirmed that the account email had been changed and informed me that the case had been escalated for further investigation.

Since then:

  • I have remained locked out of the account.
  • I have followed up multiple times.
  • I have not received any meaningful status update for an extended period.
  • I still do not know whether the investigation is actively progressing or whether additional information is required from me.

The account contains a significant amount of work and conversations accumulated over a long period of time, which makes this situation particularly frustrating.

However, there is now a second issue that is affecting me even more.

My ChatGPT subscription was originally purchased through Apple using my primary Apple ID.

Because the compromised account appears to remain associated with that Apple subscription, every attempt to subscribe again creates additional problems.

I have already gone through the Apple refund process twice.

Both purchases were refunded by Apple because the subscription continued to be associated with the inaccessible account rather than the account that I can currently access.

Even after two successful refunds, my Apple ID still appears to be linked to the compromised account.

As a result:

  • I cannot access the original account.
  • I cannot use the subscription on the original account.
  • I cannot reliably purchase a new subscription for an account I actually control using my primary Apple ID.

This is my long-term personal Apple ID that I use for multiple devices and services. Creating a separate Apple ID simply to work around this issue is not a realistic long-term solution.

I completely understand that security investigations can take time.

What I am struggling to understand is the prolonged lack of communication and the fact that the Apple subscription association still appears to be tied to the compromised account even after multiple refunds.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation involving:

  • A compromised account with an email change.
  • Long account recovery investigations.
  • Apple subscriptions remaining linked to inaccessible accounts.
  • Multiple refunds without the subscription association being cleared.

If so, how was it eventually resolved?

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Thanks for sharing the details, @Krender. I can see why this has been frustrating, especially with the account recovery and Apple subscription issues overlapping.

Based on what you've described, it sounds like the account recovery investigation and the subscription association are being handled separately. A refund through Apple doesn't always clear the subscription linkage on the account side, which can create the situation you're seeing.

Could you share your support case ID here?

Once we have it, we can help monitor the case, troubleshoot where possible, and make sure it's routed to the appropriate support team for review.

-Mark G.

Hi Mark,

Thank you for your response.

My support case ID is #09036078.

I would like to clarify that there are currently two separate issues affecting me.

First, my original ChatGPT account appears to have been compromised after the account email was changed to an email address that I do not recognize and have never used. I lost access to the account and have already provided ownership verification information through the support process.

Second, my Apple subscription now appears to remain associated with the compromised account.

After losing access, I attempted to subscribe using an account that I can access. However, the subscription continued to be associated with the inaccessible account instead.

Apple has already refunded two separate subscription purchases because of this issue. Despite those refunds, my Apple ID still appears to remain linked to the compromised account.

As a result:

  • I cannot access the compromised account.
  • I cannot use the subscription on that account.
  • I cannot successfully subscribe to ChatGPT Pro using my primary Apple ID on an account that I can access.

I would greatly appreciate any update regarding the account recovery investigation, as well as any assistance with the Apple subscription association issue.

Thank you for your time and help.

Best regards,
Thien Khai Nguyen

@Krender, thanks for sharing the details.

I can see why this has been frustrating, especially with the account access issues and subscription concerns.

Since I can see your case is already with our specialized support team, they're actively investigating it and will provide updates as they become available. If you have any new information to add, be sure to include it in your existing case.

-Mark G.