He said in the article that he guessed maybe he used a different account.

This is a lot more believable (esp since he said it) than a conspiracy that PB deleted all photos and built this whole system just to steal $5 a pop -- especially considering how few people must be trying to get back into their 2-decade-old PB accounts in 2026. Hardly seems worth the effort for a scam.

Yes. I don't think I'd uploaded anything on that specific account that I recovered.