Is this message real or scam

I received one this week also. These are scams trying to get you to click the link inside the eMail or text message so they can then have access to your username and password when you log in this way, having you think it is the actual legitimate website. They design everything, including webpages that look like the real website, but there are many indicators that they are fake. Never rush and click on any links from text or eMail message without first verifying carefully. I’ve been educating many people over the years about such things, and even I sometimes get careless.

One obvious sign they are fake are the numerous misspellings and grammar errors within the messages themselves. I understand that unfortunately there are people who don’t care about proper spelling and grammar, including some business ads, but most legitimate businesses do at least use grammar correction and spell-check. The message I received looked like this:

First, look at the sender: App Store <dont-reply@ikano.net>

They insert “App Store” to trick you and hope you don’t notice that “@ikano.net” is the sender, which of course has nothing to do with Apple.

Now look at the Subject line: "Reminder! Your Ap឵pl឵eP឵ay Has Been Te឴mporary Restric឴ted. #1805”. Bad grammar. In English you don’t say “temporary restricted”, it is “temporarily restricted”. There are also some hidden characters within the subject line which you can see in the subject line, but disappear when you copy and paste the text from it. I’m referring to the symbols after the “Ap” of “Apple”. They look like line arcs. Probably emojis or something.

Next, if you were to hover over the “Go to Apple ID” or on the bottom of the message: Apple ID | Support | Privacy Policy, right clicking and copying link will reveal that they take you to a bogus Google site, and the Netflix support page. Look here:

Even what seems to be blank or white space in eMail messages can have hidden links underneath, having you click by mistake/unknowingly. They do this by putting white text on a white background. It’s an old but very practical scam method.

Get in the habit to go directly to a website you are familiar with rather than clicking on an included link within the message. Taking a few extra seconds will save you a lot of headaches and keep your info and accounts safer. Don’t click, don’t block (most are temporary disposable sites anyway), just delete. I agree as Zachyy advised to forward the message to reportphishing@apple.com

There really is no practical or sure way to block, stop, or prevent scam messages. We can take precautions, and be well informed on scammer tactics to prevent falling into their traps.

Hope this helps you and others in the future.

It is a scam attempt. Do not interact with the message or the sender.

That is a scam message. Delete and block it, then move on.

If you receive a suspicious email that looks like it's supposed to be from Apple, please forward it to reportphishing@apple.com.

For more information ⇢ Recognize and avoid social engineering schemes including phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support