I finally got 2FA working on my dad's email after 3 hours and one very patient phone call | Cybersecurity Tips - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
I finally got 2FA working on my dad's email after 3 hours and one very patient phone call
My dad called me last Tuesday because someone tried to log into his email from a city in another country. I figured this would take 10 minutes, just turn on two factor and be done. Three hours later I was still on the phone with him. First his phone number on the account was from a landline he canceled in 2019, so the code went nowhere. Then I tried adding an authenticator app but he kept tapping the wrong button on his phone and locking himself out of the setup screen. After the third lockout we had to wait 30 minutes for the security cooldown to expire. We finally set it up with a backup code printed on paper taped inside his desk drawer, which honestly might outlast the app. He called me the next morning just to say he logged in fine from his kitchen table. What do you all use for older family members who have a hard time with app based codes?