Apple ID Address Used To Create A New Apple Account?
My mother has received three very convincing emails saying that a variation of her email has been used to create an Apple Account. Everything I've found when Googling says the same email cannot be used twice but I don't know if that includes when there's a period in the email address (ex. johnsmith@gmail vs john.smith@gmail) - my mother has one and the new account has the other. Is that possible?
The first email received from noreply@email.apple.com says:
Dear [person's name],
Your Apple ID [variation of her email] was used to sign in to iCloud on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Date and Time: 5 April 2025, 9:11 pm UTC
If the information above looks familiar, you can ignore this message.
If you have not recently signed in to an iPhone 15 Pro Max with your Apple ID and believe someone may have accessed your account, go to Apple ID (https://appleid.apple.com) and change your password as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Apple Support
She didn't get a pop up on any of her devices saying there was a sign-in attempt like she does when she signs in and has to enter a code, so I don't think it's her actual Apple ID being used. Even still, I have changed her password for her.
The second email is from iCloud@insideapple.apple.com,
Welcome to iCloud.
Your Apple Account is [variation of her email].
iCloud securely stores your photos, files, contacts and personal information across all of your devices. And you get 5GB of storage for free.
And the third from appstore@insideapple.apple.com,
Welcome to the App Store.
Whatever you want to do, there’s an app for it. And the App Store is the place
to discover just what you’re looking for — whether that’s your next
favourite game or getting the most out of the apps you already have.
They all have the verified tick and the emails look legit to me. There doesn't seem to be much more to be done but I just wanted to check if this was some type of elaborate phishing scam that we should be aware of.
Is this a matter of the period in the address being seen as a new address by Apple, or would they account for periods in Gmail addresses being the same address?
