Forum Discussion

d96f4d497efe9489's avatar
d96f4d497efe9489
Seasoned Newcomer
24 days ago

EA Account deactivated due to Inactivity

Hello everyone,

I am posting from a different EA account because I am trying to recover an older EA account that I can no longer access.

Today I spent about four hours speaking with four different EA support agents, but the issue is still unresolved and the last chat ended without a solution. They all repeat the same things back to me and do not help me at all.

These are the facts:

  • The account was not intentionally deleted/deactivated by me.

  • Some support chats indicated that it was likely deactivated due to long-term inactivity.

  • The Battlelog profile and the EA account still appear to exist: the profile is still publicly accessible and the account still shows up on a friend’s friends list, which suggests it is still present in EA’s system.

  • I still have the original CD keys for the games and proof of purchase which I found on a email adress, but that is not the email address used in the EA account. Support confirmed these keys are used in the EA account that I am trying to recover.

  • I know the EA ID of the account on which the games were activated.

The account must be more or less 15 years old. I was barely a teenager when it was created, so providing perfectly accurate details about the original email address, payment methods, IP addresses, or other account information from that time is realistically impossible. An agent asked me these and told me they can not help even though I tried my best to give him everything, he neither denied or confirmed anything, just disconnected themlseves from the chat! How rude...

The main problem is that the password reset page only says that my credentials have expired and asks me to enter the email address associated with the account. Unfortunately, I no longer remember the exact email address. The suggested recovery steps then lead into a loop, because several of them require me to already be logged into the account in order to see the registered email address, which I obviously cannot do.

On top of that, I no longer have access to the credit cards used for the original purchases, my IP addresses have changed multiple times over the years because I changed internet providers, and although I still have two old laptops that I used to play these games on, Origin / the EA app is no longer installed on them.

So at this point I have no practical way to complete the standard verification process, even though I can provide the EA ID, the original CD keys, and proof of purchase, and literally my Passport that has the name on the receipts.

What I find especially frustrating is that even with the original purchase information, there seems to be no way to update the email address, receive even a partial hint for it like email***@gmail.com, or verify ownership through any other reasonable method.

I am hoping there is still a way to verify ownership and reactivate the account, or to escalate this to a team that can review inactive accounts, especially since the Battlelog profile and account presence still seem to indicate that the account exists.

If any EA staff or community managers are able to look into this, I would really appreciate it. I am happy to provide additional information privately if needed.

Thank you for your time.

3 Replies

  • EA_Lanna's avatar
    EA_Lanna
    Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
    23 days ago

    Hey d96f4d497efe9489​,

    d96f4d497efe9489 wrote:

    If any EA staff or community managers are able to look into this, I would really appreciate it. I am happy to provide additional information privately if needed.

    I'm sorry, there isn't anything we can do to look into this for you. We can't recover EA accounts through the EA Forums. It requires verifying your EA account before any changes can be made, and that’s not something we can do via the forum, sorry. 

    d96f4d497efe9489 wrote:

    The main problem is that the password reset page only says that my credentials have expired and asks me to enter the email address associated with the account. Unfortunately, I no longer remember the exact email address.

    Yes, that's the crux of the issue. If you did remember the email addresses and could access them, you could get a password reset link sent through and update the password to restore a disabled EA account (see our guide '[GUIDE] EA Account Help: Disabled Account' for more on that). 

    Failing that, you would need our support team's help. 

    d96f4d497efe9489 wrote:

    I tried my best to give him everything, he neither denied or confirmed anything, just disconnected themlseves from the chat! 

    Totally get how that might seem like odd behaviour from the support agent. Protecting our players' accounts is paramount, so our advisors must be vigilant and adhere to strict verification requirements. This includes not revealing which details were correct and which ones were wrong, as that type of feedback can help bad actors (scam artists) learn what information is a match and what information they need to change. 

    d96f4d497efe9489 wrote:

    The account must be more or less 15 years old. I was barely a teenager when it was created, so providing perfectly accurate details about the original email address, payment methods, IP addresses, or other account information from that time is realistically impossible.

    We know it's frustrating to hit this wall when you're a legitimate player who can't remember your account information. And I feel you, it can be tough to recall information from so long ago. If you need the support team's help, the best thing you can do is try to recall the information you've been asked for as accurately as you can and reach out again.

    - EA_Lanna

  • d96f4d497efe9489's avatar
    d96f4d497efe9489
    Seasoned Newcomer
    23 days ago

    Hello Lanna,

    Thank you for responding. I am here because I am asking for an alternative way that support it ignoring. I would like to clarify my situation because the automated recovery links do not resolve the issue.

    The EA account in question is associated with the EA ID i know plus the battlelog id. I can confirm ownership through several forms of proof:

    • I own physical copy of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Digital copies for Battlefield 3, and Battlefield 4 Premium with their original CD keys.
    • These keys were activated on the Origin/EA account linked to this EA ID.
    • I also purchased additional EA titles (e.g., Mass Effect) through Humble Bundle, which were redeemed on this same account.
    • Some purchases were made through a PayPal account under my legal name, and others through credit cards belonging to my parents at the time.
    • The account itself was created when I was a teenager in school many years ago.

    The problem is that the login email does not even appear partially masked as ea***@mail.com**, so I have no way of guessing that and I no longer remember the full address. However, I likely still know the password to that mailbox and could access it if I knew the correct address. 

    I am not requesting that you disclose the full email address. I am only asking for assistance in identifying the correct email via a hint so I can complete the password reset process. Even an additional hint or confirmation would allow me to locate the correct inbox among the old addresses I used.

    At the moment, the recovery system asks for details such as exact IP addresses or historical account information from more than a decade ago. This is information that most users realistically cannot recall.

    As a customer located in the European Union (Germany), I would simply like to regain access to the games that were legitimately purchased and activated on this account.

    If necessary, I am happy to provide:

    • photos of the physical game boxes and CD keys
    • purchase receipts
    • PayPal transaction records

     

    You can connect me to a supervisor or something maybe. Please let me know what verification method would allow support to confirm ownership and help restore access. *snip*

    Thank you for your assistance. 

    (CM: Edited to remove portion. Please keep our forum rules in mind when engaging on the forums.)

  • EA_Lanna's avatar
    EA_Lanna
    Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
    9 days ago

    Hi d96f4d497efe9489​,

    d96f4d497efe9489 wrote:

    I am not requesting that you disclose the full email address. I am only asking for assistance in identifying the correct email via a hint so I can complete the password reset process. Even an additional hint or confirmation would allow me to locate the correct inbox among the old addresses I used.

    I cannot assist you in recalling your email address. As I shared earlier, account security is paramount. EA has strict account verification procedures to protect our players' EA accounts from scam artists and thieves who attempt to use support cases to steal other people's accounts. Bad actors try this by guessing account information, and using social engineering tactics, to gain access to accounts. We won't let that happen, and so we cannot reveal account information or drop hints.

    You must recall the correct EA account information yourself and supply it only when asked by the official EA support team through EA Help. 

    d96f4d497efe9489 wrote:

    You can connect me to a supervisor or something maybe.

    I cannot. I am not a support agent. You are on the EA community forums. For help with support cases, you need to contact the support team, which you can reach exclusively through EA Help. You can pick up where you left off by heading to your 'My Cases' page and selecting a case to respond to under 'Open Cases' or 'Resume case' under 'Closed Cases'.

    d96f4d497efe9489 wrote:

    Please let me know what verification method would allow support to confirm ownership and help restore access.

    Our EA Help guide recommends having the following information ready:

    • The email address you used to make your EA Account.
    • Any usernames or console IDs (e.g. Xbox Live Gamertags or PlayStation™Network Online IDs) connected to your EA Account.
    • Any invoice numbers from games you’ve bought from EA's store, or product codes for your games.

     

    - EA_Lanna