Mac Stuck on Activation Lock — Apple ID No Longer Accessible

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to erase and set up my Mac, but I’ve run into a problem with Activation Lock.

A few years ago, my sister signed in with her Apple ID on this Mac. Later on, I removed her user profile from "Users & Groups" and have been using the Mac under my own profile since then.

Recently, I decided to erase all contents and settings from the Mac. I turned off Find My from my own Apple ID before doing so. But during the setup process, the Mac is now asking for an Apple ID starting with e*@gmail.com, which I believe is my sister’s old Apple ID.

The issue is:

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• My sister no longer remembers the password.
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• She may not have access to that Apple ID anymore.
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• When I chose “Use device password” during the setup, it failed because it wasn’t linked to my Apple ID.
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• Now it says "The operation could not be completed. The password was entered incorrectly too many times."
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So I’m completely stuck on the Activation Lock screen, and we can’t bypass it since we don’t have access to that Apple ID anymore.

What should I do in this situation? Is there any way Apple can help remove the Activation Lock if I can provide proof of ownership?

Thanks in advance for any advice or help!