[Rob Phillips]

"Surely he would know the security question answers."
?!
Not necessarily ... and NOT if he's using security questions as experts are suggesting they be used: AS SECOND PASSWORDS !!!
It's easy for someone to guess the name of your dog, name of your high school, where you honeymooned, etc. ... lots of that is chatted up and common knowledge amongst friends, coworkers, etc.
So it has been suggested that if the security question is "What city were you born in?" instead of saying "Dallas" you answer with something such as "where JR lived".
NOW do you see how the answer to a security question could be forgotten??
So PLEASE do not talk down to those who have forgotten their security question answers with your "Surely he would know ..." response! That's rude and ignorant!!
NO ... surely he might NOT know!!!
NOT everyone who has forgotten their security question answers has stolen their Apple product!!!
APPLE NEEDS A BETTER RECOVERY SYSTEM!!!!

Welcome to iMore! I'd say the vast majority of users out there don't get that creative with their security question responses. Chances are OP's uncle simply answered the questions as they were asked. @Ledsteplin was just trying to help.

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[Ledsteplin]

"Surely he would know the security question answers."
?!
Not necessarily ... and NOT if he's using security questions as experts are suggesting they be used: AS SECOND PASSWORDS !!!
It's easy for someone to guess the name of your dog, name of your high school, where you honeymooned, etc. ... lots of that is chatted up and common knowledge amongst friends, coworkers, etc.
So it has been suggested that if the security question is "What city were you born in?" instead of saying "Dallas" you answer with something such as "where JR lived".
NOW do you see how the answer to a security question could be forgotten??
So PLEASE do not talk down to those who have forgotten their security question answers with your "Surely he would know ..." response! That's rude and ignorant!!
NO ... surely he might NOT know!!!
NOT everyone who has forgotten their security question answers has stolen their Apple product!!!
APPLE NEEDS A BETTER RECOVERY SYSTEM!!!!

I haven't seen questions as simple as "What's your dog's name?" or "what city were you born in?". They're questions only you would know. Like "What was your first car?" Or "What city did your parents meet in?". Those would be easy for you to remember, but for others, not so much. But when someone comes here and states either they or someone else can't recall the email address used, the password, and any of the security question answers, I tend to not believe the story. It's either a found device or stolen and they're trying to find a way to use it.

[jacqueline576]

I see simple questions like "What city where you born in" etc. all the time.
And even the question "What was your first car?" can be responded to in many ways:
Chevy
Chevy Malibu
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Malibu
Chevy 1958 Malibu
Chevrolet 1958 Malibu
green Malibu Chevy
dark green Malibu Chevy
green 1958 Malibu Chevrolet
Chevrolet 1958 green Malibu
etc. ... you get my point.
It's easy to screw these up.
I'm sorry you're so suspicious, but I would estimate 50% of those who cannot recall their secret question answers, and/or no longer use a certain email account (most people have several email accounts these days, or have moved on from one to another), and/or have forgotten their passwords as so many now have special parameters that must be utilized (i.e., !@#$), are NOT thieves.
Sure, the other 50% of them could very well be, but what about the other 50%?!
I happen to be someone who DID forget my password for my ipad icloud account.
I had not used it for a couple of years because, quite frankly, I prefer a notebook or desktop computer.
But one day I got it out and could not remember the password for my icloud account.
I also could not recall what email address I had used (I think I set up a special one just for my shiny new ipad, but then not using it, it was long gone from my memory.)
I called the security team for help, but I could only remember one of my secret questions, and there were two on account.
I can still use my ipad because I know my apple id and password ... just not the icloud part.
So I just use it for Internet access via my mobile hotspot.
But it would be nice to be able to clean up the old icloud account that keeps popping up while I work.
Anyway, just don't use it much and I've lost interest in other Apple products because of that.
I own an Android phone and a Windows computer, so will just stick with those instead.
Thanks!

[Ledsteplin]

I see simple questions like "What city where you born in" etc. all the time.
And even the question "What was your first car?" can be responded to in many ways:
Chevy
Chevy Malibu
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Malibu
Chevy 1958 Malibu
Chevrolet 1958 Malibu
green Malibu Chevy
dark green Malibu Chevy
green 1958 Malibu Chevrolet
Chevrolet 1958 green Malibu
etc. ... you get my point.
It's easy to screw these up.
I'm sorry you're so suspicious, but I would estimate 50% of those who cannot recall their secret question answers, and/or no longer use a certain email account (most people have several email accounts these days, or have moved on from one to another), and/or have forgotten their passwords as so many now have special parameters that must be utilized (i.e., !@#$), are NOT thieves.
Sure, the other 50% of them could very well be, but what about the other 50%?!
I happen to be someone who DID forget my password for my ipad icloud account.
I had not used it for a couple of years because, quite frankly, I prefer a notebook or desktop computer.
But one day I got it out and could not remember the password for my icloud account.
I also could not recall what email address I had used (I think I set up a special one just for my shiny new ipad, but then not using it, it was long gone from my memory.)
I called the security team for help, but I could only remember one of my secret questions, and there were two on account.
I can still use my ipad because I know my apple id and password ... just not the icloud part.
So I just use it for Internet access via my mobile hotspot.
But it would be nice to be able to clean up the old icloud account that keeps popping up while I work.
Anyway, just don't use it much and I've lost interest in other Apple products because of that.
I own an Android phone and a Windows computer, so will just stick with those instead.
Thanks!

I get not recalling certain things. But when one doesn't recall ANYTHING at all, I along with many others, do get suspicious that it's perhaps a stolen phone. It does happen a lot.
I have 7 email accounts. If I couldn't recall which I had used for my Apple ID, I would simply go down the list until I got it right.

[meadyboy]

I forget my icloud id pasword and some security answer and my big mistake i used my recovery email id same my icloud id.. in this case how i recover my icloud id

[Just_Me_D]

I forget my icloud id pasword and some security answer and my big mistake i used my recovery email id same my icloud id.. in this case how i recover my icloud id

You need to contact Apple Support.

[Browny brown]

Use this link (https://iforgot.apple.com/password/verify/appleid) to reset the login.

[Dannie0603]

I am trying to reset my iPhone and my first security question is my birthday... I put in my birthday but it keeps telling me it's wrong...

[Tartarus]

I am trying to reset my iPhone and my first security question is my birthday... I put in my birthday but it keeps telling me it's wrong...

Depending on your region, either try mm/dd/yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy.

[Just_Me_D]

I am trying to reset my iPhone and my first security question is my birthday... I put in my birthday but it keeps telling me it's wrong...

In what format did you enter your birthday? January 1, 2018, Jan. 1, 2018, 1/1/18, 01/01/18, etc.?