CARE CODE: 205.2 [LU003] message

Ok, so I was finally able to resolve EVERYTHING with my email. 

Firstly, let me clarify that I do not have an active AT&T product right now and the email I was having problems with is my legacy email (bellsouth.net) from when I was a customer for many years.  

My two problems were:
1) Logging into my email through outlook on my desktop no longer worked. The password failed.

2) Logging into my email through the att webmail worked with some effort - the password would fail, so I had to request a password reset, use the option to answer security questions, re-use the old password as the new password. My email would be active for two weeks, then it would log me out and I'd have to do the same dance all over again to get back in. 

As someone above suggested, I called 1-877-285-0144. Unfortunately, the automated service asks for an account number and since I don't have an account, I had a (Edited per community guidelines) of a time trying to get a live person.  I persisted and I eventually reached someone. 

The nice young lady seemed to recognize that she needed to reset my password on her end. I was confident this wasn't going to work but I went along. She guided me to where I had to enter this new password (att.com not att.net) and I was immediately prompted to change it. I changed it, went back to the webmail log in and it worked as it should, on the first try.

On to my first problem - not able to log into outlook. This still did not work and she did not know how to help with this. But then I remembered reading something about ATT having changed their email security and that you needed to create a secure mail key with certain email programs that don't use OAuth security (or something). At the time I read this, I could not log into to the link that they sent, and since I wasn't an AT&T customer, I thought maybe it didn't apply to me. Plus my email was working so ignored. Well, turns out this is the problem after all. 

I went back to that document about the secure mail key document (https://www.att.com/support/article/email-support/KM1240308/) and tried logging into the link with my newly reset account. It worked! Followed the instructions, created a secure mail key, entered it in outlook, and voila! My email now works in outlook (and pretty much anywhere).

Moral of the story:
1) Call at&t to have your account reset
2) If you use an email app that does not use OAuth, you will need to create a secure mail key following this document - https://www.att.com/support/article/email-support/KM1240308/. That will then be the password you need to use for that email program, Outlook being one of them. 

I hope this info helps somebody! 





   

I've been dealing with this problem for over 2 years where I get kicked out of all devices every once in a while and get the whole frustrating loop of going in the back way, re-setting, too many attempts, 205.2 care code, etc. Then I get in sporadically, stay signed in and all is well for awhile.

I called ATT 1-800-288-2020 and they got me back in. He said this problem sometimes happens with old email addresses, especially if a password is changed. 

Other times, I got in once all history was cleared, or using this old sign in. 

Regardless, I'm switching to using my Google as a main email. Good luck!

Here it is a year later and the same issue is occurring.  I am so very close to getting rid of my AT&T products and services.  Someone needs to please help with a definitive solution on how to reset a password so that it "takes" the first time. I am still getting the error 205.2 each time I try to log in with my "newly set" password.  If I wasn't like a dog with a bone, I would have just walked away by now.  Very close.

Answer! You Do Not have to have an Email Account with AT&T in order to have them Reset Your Password while on the Phone with Them, giving you a Temporary Password so you can Change your Password to Access your  "old Att/Yahoo Email" again. Then you get to change your Password and back into that Bellsouth.net etc again.... I did!! I just had to verify some information that I had when I did have one and I am so glad I write things down. I Pray this HELP

Answer! You Do Not have to have an Email Account with AT&T in order to have them Reset Your Password while on the Phone with Them, giving you a Temporary Password so you can Change your Password to Access your  "old Att/Yahoo Email" again. Then you get to change your Password and back into that Bellsouth.net etc again.... I did!! I just had to verify some information that I had when I did have one and I am so glad I write things down. I Pray this HELP

Well I guess I'm just going to have to dump my AT&T email because despite all the suggestions offered here - I still cannot get into my email.  The ugly 205.2 rears its head each and every time.  I've lost interest and confidence in AT&T

Here it is September 29, 2021 and I, too, am having this issue.  It's pretty pathetic this has gone on so long.  I guess that's a sign it's time to say "so long" to ATT.

Hi all,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your feedback. Some customers were experiencing, CARE CODE 205.2, when trying to access their email.

This is now resolved. Thanks for your patience

I am having the same issues with my ATT.NET mail account after the two week log in period.  Last Wednesday, I tried to log back in to my email on IE and got the message about too many password attempts even though I made only one attempt and entered the correct password.  I then used the forgotten password link and had to reset my password.  When I did, I was able to log in to my browser and my att.net email but then my same att.net email account on my IPhone stopped working and told me there was an error with password, so I entered the new correct password on my phone and got the error message 205.2 on my phone.  I can reset password on my IPhone and it will work but then my browser tells me to log back in and provide new password and it gives me the error code 205.2.   Basically, I can get my att.net email on either my Iphone or my Browser but not both at the same time.   Something definitely has been changed and is a big problem!  Help Please!