A Calgary man says he's lost about $750 in music, movies, apps, and unspent Apple gift cards after an unknown hacker broke into his Apple account.

And despite the fact that he has bank statements to prove his purchases, he says Apple's told him there's no way for him to get his account back.

Luke Kesler says he woke up to two emails from Apple last Monday, notifying him that his iTunes password and Apple ID had been changed.

Kesler called Apple, hoping they could help him get his media back. But the representative said they couldn't find any evidence of an iTunes account in Kesler's name.

"It's like somebody came in, took every CD off my bookcase, and walked out," he told CTV Calgary. "And I'm being told nothing can be done about it."

Apple investigated further and confirmed that the Kesler's ID and iTunes had been hacked, and the language set to Chinese.

Then, Apple shut down the account altogether, locking both the hacker and Kesler out.

Kesler says his iPhone serial number was still attached to the Apple ID and that he has bank statements that prove he paid for all the media in the iTunes library.

But the serial number and statements weren't enough to convince Apple to let him back into the account.

"As if the ID in my phone (which is) in my hand, isn't enough to verify," he said.

In an email to CTV Calgary, Apple said the company has no comment on the story, and that it is "working with the customer to resolve their issue."

According to experts, hackers often target accounts such as Kesler's because they want to buy online products using the target's money, resell products online, or hold the account ransom.

"We all talk about identity theft but in most cases they want quick money," said Jon Hodal, a Calgary computer expert.

Hodal said hackers break into accounts through email about 10 per cent of the time. But mostly, they get a hold of passwords using key loggers.

Many hacking targets accidentally install key loggers when they click on links in spoof emails, accidentally exposing themselves and their passwords to hackers.

Kesler says he's made an effort to be safe with his passwords, but it wasn't enough to save him from becoming a target.

"I'm secure with my passwords, I'm secure with my accounts," he said. "I woke up and my account was gone. I've been made a ghost."

With files from CTV Calgary