Account Locked Notification (iCloud) and possible unauthorised use AppleID

I received an email today as follows, please advise if a scam:

A‌c‌c‌o‌u‌n‌t l‌o‌c‌k‌e‌d notification

Your iCloud I‌D has been l‌o‌c‌k‌e‌d on Sunday, January, 3 2021 for security reasons

If‌ you do not respond within 12 hours of this email, your Apple account will be suspended and you will no longer be able to access

Also when I logged into Apple (not through the email but web page) I was notified with the following:

Apple ID Sign In Requested


Your Apple ID is being used to sign in to a devise near Wembley WA.... I am currently 228 km away.


What do I do to ensure my ID is secure?


Janeene


[Personal Information Edited by Moderator]

Posted on Jan 3, 2021 5:02 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 3, 2021 5:11 PM

That seems to be a scam/phishing email. Apple won't send you an email/text telling you your account is disabled/restricted  or will be disabled/restricted. You will find out the next time you try to log in somewhere.


Apple will always address you by your name or the name they have on file for you, not Dear Customer, Dear Client or by using your e-mail address.  The e-mail will be from @apple.com or @iTunes.com. E-mail addresses can be spoofed. You can go to Mail/View/Message/Show all Headers to see more. Apple emails won't have poor grammar/misspellings. Apple e-mails will never contain an attachment. Apple will never request personal information by email such as Social Security numbers, your Mother’s maiden name or full credit card numbers . 


The only exception to the above I have noticed is if you order something from the Apple Store (apple.com), your receipt will be addressed to Dear Apple Customer. That is a receipt for a purchase you initiated.


Avoid phishing emails, fake ‘virus‘ alerts, phony support calls, and other scams.   


Identifying legitimate emails from the iTunes Store.     


Send the e-mail to Apple as an attachment to a new e-mail before deleting it. You can forward as an attachment by going to Mail/Message/Forward as attachment. Or control - click on the email and select Forward as attachment. Make sure you send it as an attachment to a new email. If you just forward it, it will probably be rejected. You won’t receive a response.


reportphishing@apple.com


If this is an e-mail you received, or a popup on the screen,  about the time you were actually logging in, there is probably nothing to worry about. The location in the e-mail is where your ISP reported it. If their servers are in a location distant from you, there will be a large error. Based on other posts I have read, the distant error can be very large.

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3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 3, 2021 5:11 PM in response to janeene274

That seems to be a scam/phishing email. Apple won't send you an email/text telling you your account is disabled/restricted  or will be disabled/restricted. You will find out the next time you try to log in somewhere.


Apple will always address you by your name or the name they have on file for you, not Dear Customer, Dear Client or by using your e-mail address.  The e-mail will be from @apple.com or @iTunes.com. E-mail addresses can be spoofed. You can go to Mail/View/Message/Show all Headers to see more. Apple emails won't have poor grammar/misspellings. Apple e-mails will never contain an attachment. Apple will never request personal information by email such as Social Security numbers, your Mother’s maiden name or full credit card numbers . 


The only exception to the above I have noticed is if you order something from the Apple Store (apple.com), your receipt will be addressed to Dear Apple Customer. That is a receipt for a purchase you initiated.


Avoid phishing emails, fake ‘virus‘ alerts, phony support calls, and other scams.   


Identifying legitimate emails from the iTunes Store.     


Send the e-mail to Apple as an attachment to a new e-mail before deleting it. You can forward as an attachment by going to Mail/Message/Forward as attachment. Or control - click on the email and select Forward as attachment. Make sure you send it as an attachment to a new email. If you just forward it, it will probably be rejected. You won’t receive a response.


reportphishing@apple.com


If this is an e-mail you received, or a popup on the screen,  about the time you were actually logging in, there is probably nothing to worry about. The location in the e-mail is where your ISP reported it. If their servers are in a location distant from you, there will be a large error. Based on other posts I have read, the distant error can be very large.

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Account Locked Notification (iCloud) and possible unauthorised use AppleID

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