Spam Email threatening to close my account

I received an email from Apple saying 'new device detected'. However there are tw concerning things:

1. One the warning email was sent 2 days after the supposed 'new device detected'.
2. It's threatening to lock my account in 12 hours if I don't click on the link.

How do I know if this is real or not? I think it's spam, but what happens if I don't click on it and my account is locked and I can't receive emails? I'm waiting to hear about a job; this is horrible timing.