Account lost in Steam – how to regain it and identify the mistake.
Account lost in Steam – how to regain it and identify the mistake.
Hi everyone, sorry if this isn’t in the right place. If you’d like, feel free to move it. As the name suggests, someone accessed my Steam account, and while I’m working through the recovery, I’m not sure what went wrong. Could you help me by showing a timeline? That way I’ll know where things likely went awry—or if everything’s fine.
Last night I played Rust on my brother’s computer using my Steam account while it was being set up. Everything seemed normal. After the setup, I logged out and back in, then started playing around 8pm UK time. I used the Steam QR code scanner on my phone to log in for the first time—this is the first time I’ve tried that method, even though I have it installed. No problems at all.
The next morning at about 11am I resumed playing, but a notification popped up on my PC from Steam. I didn’t recognize what it said. Rust closed, and Steam blocked me. I tried to log back in right away, but it kept saying my password was incorrect. I checked my Gmail account and found an email claiming a new login from a Russian Oblast ([email protected]). It looked perfectly legitimate—no typos, and the domain matched what I’d seen before.
I was a bit concerned, so I double-checked everything. When I attempted to reset my password via the email option, Steam told me my email wasn’t recognized. This made me think the hackers had changed my registered email address. They sent me an email confirming this change.
They also asked me to follow a link in that email to reset my account using the Steam Guard app on my phone. I clicked it, but the code didn’t work. Then my phone app itself blocked me, and I received another email saying my phone number had been updated. It felt like I was completely locked out—no way to fix this myself.
I’m trying to understand how someone in Russia could log in from within the UK, access my account, and alter my password, email, and phone number all so quickly. How did they bypass my 2FA? And where exactly did I go wrong? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Have you interacted with any connections shared by other users on Rust? Have you accessed any online services using Steam login? Skipping two-factor authentication seems unusual unless someone obtained it through your account. Did you examine the hyperlinks in those messages to confirm they led to steampowered.com? Fake email addresses can be created easily, so if you doubt a message, it's safer to visit the site directly rather than clicking links inside it. Creating fake landing and login pages is also straightforward with enough time and skill.
They shouldn’t be able to skip Steam Guard without your phone. Even without physical possession, they require your phone number and access to your messages to remove it. A Russian login could be misleading—it might come from a VPN. If you haven’t shared your phone with anyone recently, it’s confusing how they managed to bypass two-factor authentication.
Hello, sorry for the delay. I never click any links that are sent to me. My older brother warns me against opening any links in emails and advises visiting the site directly—even if it appears very real. The same applies to phone numbers; he tells me to hang up and check online. I don’t browse the internet on my PC for safety reasons. Here’s the email (attached)—the bottom left shows the Steam URL, which seems genuine to me. I clicked the link at https://help.steampowered.com//en/wizard/HelpWithLogin and it looked safe. Then things went wrong. As @Stahlmann mentioned, I’m confused about how they managed to get access to the 2FA.
The two slashes seem to be placeholders or formatting elements, not actual content.
Well, just to give you an update and a heads-up. Steam support is requesting proof of a physical CD key that I used to activate a game on Steam. I don’t even remember getting games in boxed sets or CDs, and I’ve never activated anything on Steam before. They’re insisting on something I can’t possibly supply, which means my account—and the thousands I’ve invested—could be lost forever. Everyone should be aware. *edit* Recent reports suggest Valve suffered a data breach in March, exposing many user details. Support is now banning affected accounts from community spaces and restricting marketplace sales. They’re also reportedly asking for CD keys and bank card information from people as far back as 20 years. Most individuals can’t provide this, so they can’t regain access. There’s a massive backlog in support cases, and the team seems increasingly dismissive. Honestly, I don’t expect any change for me.
Tbh this support Email seems like a scam again. Asking for 3rd party game keys isn't something I'd think official Valve support would do. There is also an account specific Steam recovery key that is supposed to be the last bastion of saving an account if someone else breached it. They show it to you when you set up the 2FA.
Aye, but Steam Guard also vanished from my phone when they took over the account, and I think that’s the right place now. Still, I can’t access it. Whispers are spreading that Steam Guard itself was breached, with nearly a million tickets submitted to support. It makes sense—among my six close friends and family, I’m the only one using Steam Guard and the only one who lost my account. Even my siblings in the same home aren’t affected. Steam Support has really let me down here. I can show proof I was logging in from the same static IP I always use at this house, and my siblings are still doing the same. I even have evidence they’ve sent me gifts on Steam. The evidence I’m the legitimate owner is incredible, yet we’re being asked for a CD key I never possessed. https://store.steampowered.com/stats/support/ – almost a million tickets now. The support email seems genuine, managed from the real Steam site, so if it’s hacked, all of Steam is at risk. That wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Apologies for my delayed reply this time—I'm not very active on forums these days, lol. Still, I've experienced a similar situation with Steam Support before; it's a valid request and they often check account ownership. @ThundyUK have you ever bought a Humble Bundle or any other digital CD key? I also figured meeting their needs would be tough until I discovered I had many CD keys from around 2014 saved in my account. Even without officially creating an account, you might locate the keys by reviewing your emails.