A new, yet old, scheme has been quite successful and users should beware. If you get an account change message from Apple, be on high alert that it is fake and malicious.
According to Bleeping Computer, the scheme involves a threat actor using an Apple support email (e.g., appleid@id.apple.com) to send phishing emails to unsuspecting victims alerting them to an account change and that a new phone has been purchased. The threat actor creates an Apple ID and “inserts the phishing message into the account’s personal information fields, splitting the text across the first and last name fields.” The message looks legitimate and gives the user a telephone number to call to cancel the transaction.
When the user calls the number, the threat actor tries to “convince victims that their accounts have been compromised and may instruct them to install remote access software or provide financial information.” That leads to the threat actor being able to obtain bank account information, steal data, or deploy malware onto the user’s phone.
Bleeping Computer concludes that “as a general rule, users should treat unexpected account alerts claiming purchases or urging them to call support numbers with caution, especially if they did not initiate any recent changes or if they contain unusual email addresses.”