Few weeks ago I turned on Skype after a few weeks of time, and I found a “surprise”:
your skype account has been suspended for security reasons.
Argh, What could have happened? I usually use somewhat complex password in all my various accounts on the internet, and as far as possible (for my memory) I try to change them regularly, and do not use the same for all the different services that I register to. Maybe someone armed with a script had been doing brute force activity on my account inside some mass attack, in any case, I contacted Skype support.
At first by chat, a kind young lady has checked a couple of data on my account, and then told me in order to regain access to my account, I would have to answer some security questions. I thought “good thing, make me the questions …”. Well, believe it or not, but the list of questions was as follows:
To follow up on that request and in order for us to verify your identity, I need the following details from your account: • Order number or date of last delivered purchase • Billing Address • Payment Details: First 6 and last 4 numbers on your registered Credit Card or PP/Skrill reg. email • Country creation • Year and Month of creation • Registered email address • Please provide us 5 names of your contact list Please be aware that if information provided will be missing or incorrect, your request cannot be processed We will be looking forward to your response so we can assist you further.
I was left literally thrilled, and I began to respond really bad to the person at the other end of the chat. If some questions are reasonable, some are really dumb, for example, I possessed about 9 euro credit, purchased more than four years ago and never consumed, how could I remember the order number and purchase date of that credit, made certainly with a credit card in the meantime expired? But the funniest of all is the date of the account creation: I signed up on skype at the beginning of the service, in 2003, how could I remember the exact month and year of registration? According to the Skype support, going to check the email confirming the registration. As if I was saving all my emails of the last 10 years.
I tried to respond to various requests, but a very cold email alerted me that was not enough, and therefore they could not reactivate my account. The final phrase, repeated in the same chat and email (and therefore the result of some copy / paste), was as follows:
Our customer’s security is our main priority so I hope you understand we need to treat this with caution.
Ironic, isn’t it? Now, given my past I know something about Information Security and I know that the levels of security must be sufficient to keep out the bad guys, but not excessive to the point of excluding even the legitimate users. Try it, without going into your Skype account, to answer all the questions I mentioned, are you able? If your answer is no, well you’re better learn the answers and write them down somewhere, could be your only hope to recover your skype account.
After 3 weeks of more and more acid emails to Skype support and their dumb safety rules I gave up to recover my previous Skype account. I lost over 200 contacts and even 9 Euros, which at this point I should suppose ended up in Microsoft’s wallet … I was at least able to restore my contacts: I found in the local installation a file called main.db and I opened it with SQLite Database Browser. In the Contacts table I found all my old contacts, so I was able to send them a new invitation to connect.
If you had among your contacts “dellock”, my new account is instead “dellock6”, add me to your contacts again if I did not sent you the invite.
And do an offline backup of your contacts …
Go to the Skype Community page. Read how many, frustrated users have suddenly had their accounts suspended and are unable to restore them. This is particularly aggravating for long time users who don’t remember the credit card number they used to sign up with. If you enter the wrong number, you can’t even submit the form that Skype sends you. Catch 22. Chat with customer support is no better. It’s a disaster.
I have got the exact same problem. They are doing this to freeze all old accounts, and your credits. You will then be forced to open a new account. Their number of account will sky rocket 2 fold just by intentionally freezing your accounts — as they said – for reasons.
I’ve just faced the same problem. I cannot believe the lunacy of Skype. I can’t remember what year I initiated my skype account and I certainly can’t remember which credit card I used when I purchased credit; I’ve got so many.
I guess I’ll have to sacrifice the account and start again. Unbelievable stupidity.
I just go to this link :
First, https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA1170/how-can-i-contact-skype-customer-service
Second, click :
Go to the Support request page.
Third, they will direct you to this link : https://login.skype.com/login?return_url=https%3a%2f%2fsupport2.microsoft.com%2fskype%2fhostpage.aspx%3flanguage%3den%26locale%3dEN-US%26oaspworkflow%3dstart_1.0.0.0%26needslogin%3dtrue%26wfname%3dskype%26ccsid%3d635479167253127375&partner_id=3fdb6f9f635903ab490938ed648376bb&token=411565f4-b740-46a8-9a8c-e5ec328046d8
Click sign in, enter your skype name & password
Forth, they want you to change your password for security. So, change your password.
Last, They will direct you to skype home to log in with you new password. And problem solved.
Im not a technology savvy. I dont know IT language, software, or whatever. So I just follow my curiosity and finally figure this out. And good things were i didnt need to spend money, delete my account, or lose all my contacts.
Coz its pretty annoying and causing me not be able to chat at that moment.
Hope it can help you all.
Thanks lia33 – this worked and solved my skype crisis 🙂 Appreciate it!
thanks lia33 my problem is solved
The link doesn’t work more 🙁
As if thats so simple. Hey retard, people are here complaining for a reason. Because this DOESNT WORK if they lock you out. Read the damn article.
Thanks lia33!
That worked. Wish MS would stop messing with people’s accounts. And wonder if anyone can suggest a mainstream alternative to Skype since it has been getting more and more unstable since MS took over.
Viber may be the best…. Not used it yet so I don’t know; There is this imo video thign and a few open source things for Linux – but Windows users are too … fuck-knows-what to bother with Linux.
Hi! I just had this same problem. In my case, I lost more than $50. Really, their verification form is created to exhaust consumers and force them to abandon their fair request.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that please, do not end these issues here, or in a forum. Take 5 minutes and go to your local/provincial/national/state Official Anti-Fraud Organization and fill an online complain. It is really quick, and it is the only way we can really do something against these huge companies.
Do not give up, mates!
I am sick of skype. I even could remember everything they asked me but they are still not able to solve the problem!! My skype account is still suspended and it is not working at all. I bought a virtual business number from skype and an issue with it is critical. Well I changed my business number and I will never ever go back to the unbelieveable bad service of Skype. Skyped used to be a good company before Micro$oft took it over!
@lia33: ….. Omg… I…. Love you… So very much…. /crying tears of happiness over here….. I am forever in debt to you….
I wish I would have googled before I went through their asinine questionnaire. Changing my password worked perfectly.
Thanks a millions Lia33! You are an angel…
Anyone still luck with this? I followed your steps, after clicking the support request link I get the login but all I can do is login in it don’t ask me for changing my password.
The password change page you describe I only get when I click on the “Skype Account Manager” link .. then I have to login again and then it wants me to change the password. Done.. nothing happens, I can login again but still get the message:
“”You are currently restricted from purchasing services or redeeming vouchers. Please contact Customer Support to review your account status.:””
I had same problem.
Still going through all of this stupid process to restore my acc.
Funny thing I still able to login in Skype through Microsoft Account
Ugh, same here – it ended up changing my microsoft email account and didn’t touch my skype account – I can’t change my password or even do anything with it b/c it says “account suspended” – as if I’m a child that can’t be trusted with my account. Seriously, this is just plain stupidity.
Hello there.
Well, I’ve just had a similar problem. My account has been blocked out of the blue for no reason at all.
This Skype account I was using is just for fun. Not for real communication with people. I use another account for that. Even so, I’m really disappointed, furious, shocked to see how insane these Skype security rules are.
Also we all users are left powerless here.
But I can see some clever people are coming up with solutions here. I’m so so glad. Like in real life in the real world, sometimes we have to rely on our friends and ppl like us — not the Consumer Service of a company or technicians or pros.
It’s a lesson to be learnt. These forums are very important today. We can change the world by helping one another and I believe we can change even bigger things and solve huge problems in the world by keeping in contact like this.
THANK YOU ALL HERE FOR HAVING A SAY AND SAYING HELLO.
Yes, we can. 🙂 \o/
I’m having the exact same problem. I joined in 2003 or 2004 or…? I don’t exactly remember. I was living in Germany AND the US at the time so I don’t even remember if I used Germany or US as the country when I started. I also typed in every credit card number I could think of including one I’ve had since 1994. All were rejected. Maybe it was an old debit card from a bank account that’s long since closed?… (a lot of banks closed between 2003 and now). All the other info I entered was accepted except for the credit card info. How do we know this isn’t a hacker trying to get personal info out of all of us!?!? This is supposed to be more secure?!?!? F!@#$ you SKYPE. I even tried opening a brand new account and it sent me lots of “welcome to skype” e-mails but despite that it must have recognized my e-mail address because it still doesn’t let me log-in, giving me the same message. Even contacting their customer service requires that you be able to log in. I finally just opened a Google Hangout. It was easy as pie. Fortunately I don’t think I had any balance in Skype so I can leave their f@#$%ed up system relatively un-harmed. But Skype, if you’re listening, YOU HAVE JUST DUG YOUR OWN GRAVE! Start looking for that class action lawsuit in the mail because it’s a-comin’.
My account got suspended and was able to recover it filling up the lengthy form asking for odd details. I was allowed to reset my password and am able to login to my account now. However I’m still unable to use my balance credit to make calls to phones. It throws a message saying ‘Account blocked’ when I try to make a call to phone. Please suggest what I can do to fix this. Thanks in advance.
I am never using skype ever again. Account suspended, too many stupid forms and security questions that I could never answer. Account suspended twice. Been a users since it first started. Never again. Hours wasted trying to set up accounts. Same for my sister. I now use google hangouts. far better. Up yours skype!!!
I FOUND A WAY HOW YOU ALL CAN FIND THE MONTH AND DATE WHEN YOU CREATED YOUR SKYPE ACCOUNT.
Go to http://www.skype.com log in with your user name and password. then go to my usage https://secure.skype.com/account/usage and you will see current month and year. Go backwards until there will be no more months in the past and YOU WILL FIND YOUR FIRST MONTH AND YEAR WHEN YOU STARTED USING SKYPE WITH THAT EXACT USER!!!!!
GOOD LUCK GUYS. I VERIFIED JUST NOW MY VERIFICATION QUESTIONS AND WAITING FOR THE ANSWER AND THSI TIME I KNOW MY SKYPE DATE! 🙂 I WILL UPDATE YOU.
My situation is a little different. On the past Friday, I found 2 emails saying I have updated my password and email address to an unknown email address. At first, I thought it was a scam. I finally realized that my account has been hacked instead after I couldn’t log in with my own password. My friend found that my account info has then been changed as well ! I then tried to talk to Skype live chat representative.
I have registered my Skype Account LONG TIME AGO, in 2004, it is more than 11 years ago ! The exhausted verification form did not make the real owner easy at all. I tried to dig out purchase history and dig out info from main.db. But the cold email still saying that my answers do not match with their record !!!!! Geez !!!!
I feel so angry and frustrated. Stupid Skype makes hackers hijacked my account so easily and makes the real owners hard to get the account back. One of the representative even mockingly saying that “if you are the real owner, you should be able to answer ALL the questions!!” and “if you have tried more than 3 times but fail to answer the questions, we suggest you give up and re-register a new one !” WTF !! So now you want me to give up all my contacts and $50.- Euro in it??!! Is this the way for a company to make money? Is this the way for a company to treat your customers?
Help, anyone !
I am a long term customer of skype, too, and suddenly my account has been locked. I have that account for approx. 10 years and I can’t anwer their really rediculous questions, like when did you exactly register skype. I use Europe Package on Skype I pay every year. I failed that supid verifications several times and I am currently in Email Conatact with the support, who is also not able to help. Since Microsoft bought that application, skype is getting bader and bader. If that issue is not solved soon, I will change to alternative.
Please, who can defend us against Skype. My account was blocked, they took my money since 2 years. I want to take legal actions against Skype, sue Skype, denounce Skype, do anything, I am helplesness, impotent., They can do whatever they want. In 2 years I’ve contacted the european parliament IMCO but did not even answered me. Skype ‘ve answered me with automatic emails, saying the silly excuse ” suspicious activities” bollocks!. After filling many times their formulars, they answered me the same thing. Please, this is a terrible MAFIA, SKYPE, hijo de puta!!!!
This is Skype in Micro$hite’s hands … an utter clusterfuck.
This will be so as long as ever Micro$hite is allowed to do this shit. The sooner folk stop using their stuff, the soon the organisation can be forced to fold and the sooner Gates and his fucking bastard crew are a threat to people’s freedoms.