Your digital life
Two-factor tied to a phone you no longer have, and recovery flows built on the assumption that you have been reachable this whole time.
What you are walking into
If nobody prepared for this before you went in, expect a bad month.
Two-factor authentication tied to a phone number you no longer have, recovery flows that text a device that no longer exists, accounts that were closed for inactivity, domains that expired, and support processes designed on the assumption that you have been reachable this whole time.
I wrote about what this actually looked like: I got out of federal prison and couldn't log into my GitHub.
Practical order of operations
- Get a phone number first, because everything else depends on it;
- recover your primary email before anything else, since it is the recovery path for the rest;
- work through accounts in order of consequence rather than in order of annoyance;
- expect identity verification to require the documents, which is another reason they come first;
- and be patient with support processes that have no category for your situation.
If you have not gone in yet, the version of this written for that side of the door is Waiting for designation. Almost all of this is preventable from there.
Seized property
Property seized in your case is a separate fight and generally requires counsel. It is worth knowing that the process exists and that it is slow.
Money and restitution
Restitution does not end with your sentence. Missed payments are a supervision problem before they are a financial one.
These pages cover the general rules. Your situation has details they don't. Email me a question. Answers are free, and "you don't need to pay anyone for this" is my most common answer.
I answer in the order received, usually within a couple of days. I have a day job. If your situation genuinely needs more than an email, I take a limited number of consults, so say so and we'll work it out.
Somebody else is counting down to the same door. Pass it on.