Fraudulent Apple ID created using my email address

You can talk to a real live person here:

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

With email providers reusing email addresses after a previous account deletion, it certainly is possible that the owner of the email had an Apple Account using that email address and also has their personal information in that Apple Account linked to the email address. While not advised, you can certainly have an Apple Account that uses an email address that is no longer active and you are not required to maintain access to the email in order to continue use of the Apple Account. It really is nothing more than a username that would require verification of the email address only when the Apple Account was initially set up.

You now have the number to contact Apple directly and any decision about that account is up to them. There is nothing we can do that would allow you to use that account.

Apple has no way of knowing that email address is actually yours. It could be somebody else had that email address, created an Apple Account with it, then abandoned both items. The service provider unfortunately made the email address available to you too soon after it was abandoned by the original owner. The Apple Account created with that address belongs to the original user. Even if they delete the Apple Account, there is still a wait time.

From: How to delete your Apple Account - Apple Support

“Can I use the primary email address for my deleted Apple Account to create a new Apple Account or with another existing Apple Account?

No, once your Apple Account is deleted, you can’t use the email address that you used with it to create a new Apple Account for as long as Apple retains the one-way hash of the email address. For third-party (non-Apple) domain accounts, the one-way hash is deleted after six years. For other accounts, this is retained according to Apple's retention policy, which is reviewed regularly. In addition, you can’t use that email address with another existing Apple Account except as a rescue email. Also, if your primary Apple Account email address is with a Custom Email Domain, it can never be reused to create an Apple Account after your Apple Account is deleted, even if the domain ownership changes.”

Legal - iCloud - Apple

VII. B "In addition, Apple may terminate your Account upon 30 days’ prior notice via email to the address associated with your Account if (a) your Account has been inactive for one (1) year; or (b) there is a general discontinuance of the Service or any part thereof."

So even though the email address is now yours, even if the original owner abandoned the Apple Account used with that address, Apple will wait at least a year before doing anything, then 6 years before letting an account be created with that address.

I'm afraid, you will have to use the Account Recovery process, as described in this article:

How to use account recovery when you can’t reset your Apple Account password - Apple Support

Since you are not using two factor authentication as recommended by Apple, your options are limited. Without knowing the security questions or having access to the Recovery email, I suspect you have now lost this account and will not be able to access it again.

My recommendation is to create a new Apple Account. By default, the new account will be using two factor authentication (in supported regions), which is essential for account security. The use of Security Questions has been eliminated many years ago due to the ease of your account being compromised through Social Engineering. Account Recovery is intended to be used on accounts that are using two factor authentication.