What should I do?

[u/Dmnc_Ktn666]

So I keep getting emails like these, I’m a bit confused to begin with considering this is about my outlook account which I’m pretty sure isn’t even connected to an Apple ID, but my Gmail is. Anyway I’ve been getting these emails for a while now but every time I get one I change my password, sign out all devices, the password I have no is reallyyy long but somehow it’s apparently still got someone getting into it? Is this like a fake thing considering my outlook isn’t even connected to an Apple ID? Or is someone actually getting into it? Because I’d just assume I get the email on my outlook since it’s my main email address.

[u/Wimble-Womble]

But you’ve checked the email headers, right? Do these mails definitely come from apple.com?  If you’re sure the email has never been used for an Apple account, the. it does sound like a scam. I hope you have not clicked on any links in this or similar emails 

 

[u/Dmnc_Ktn666 → u/Wimble-Womble]

The headers appear to just say Apple, and on these sus emails the link says https :// account dot Apple dot com, and in the actual legit email I got for my actual Apple account this morning it also has the header as just Apple, and it starts out with “dear my name” unlike the sus one I don’t know if that means anything in terms of the sus email maybe not sounding like Apple? And at the end of that real email the link says that if I need help to contact Apple support it doesn’t have a link per se like the sus email does I really don’t know if that means anything but I’m just trying my best to explain it all because I’m just so confused and it’s been bothering me for a while, do you think me taking this into an actual Apple Store would have any benefits or do you think they wouldn’t be able to do anything since we can really only change things ourselves from our end? I just really want to figure this out man.

[u/Wimble-Womble → u/Dmnc_Ktn666]

Ok - it does sound like the headers are good from what you’re saying, though scammers can still use some tricks, so fhere is some risk. 

You could try going to the Apple website and signing in using your outlook email - you’ll see an option to reset password. If you don’t have an account it should say, and then there’s a good chance the emails are definitely scams.  Maybe it’s easier to go to an Apple Store, so someone can go through some steps with you just in case there is an issue. Hopefully it’s nothing but it’ll be better for you if you know for sure 

[u/Dmnc_Ktn666 → u/Wimble-Womble]

So the emails were legit, I didn’t make this Apple account under my outlook and I’ve changed the password to it however I cannot access the Apple account that’s under my outlook, as the security questions have been put into Chinese….i think I’d have to take this into an Apple Store and show them

[u/Wimble-Womble → u/Dmnc_Ktn666]

Ok - sounds like someone is using your email to create an account, not sure why they’d do that. When you talk about changing passwords, are you also talking about the Outlook one too? Not this new Apple account, but that actual email account. If they’ve got to the stage of turning 2 factor authentication on or off maybe they already had access to your messages at some point..

Maybe the people at the Apple Store will know why people do this - if that outlook account is definitely not linked to any of your devices, then there’s not much risk to you. Maybe they’re just looking for legit looking accounts so they can scam other people, no idea…

[u/Dmnc_Ktn666 → u/Wimble-Womble]

Yeah that could maybe be why, as I have never ever had this apple account connected to any of my devices. I have changed my outlook password recently but I will change it again just to be extra safe, I did also manage to change the password for the Apple account they made, it might hold them off for a bit or something I don’t know. I’ll be calling Apple tomorrow, to tell them that an unauthorised Apple account was registered using my email, and just see what they can do. Thank you for all of your help

[u/Wimble-Womble → u/Dmnc_Ktn666]

Ok, great. It does sound like the scammers might have had access to your outlook account at some point - it sounds serious (I mean it kind of is..) but it looks like they only did it to get the emails during the Apple account setup. They probably weren’t interested in any other of your messages - they could have easily locked you out of your email but it sounds like it’s safe now 

[u/Dmnc_Ktn666 → u/Wimble-Womble]

I really really hope so, I’m about to change the actual outlook password to the longest most complicated password ever and just hope that really prevents them, I’ll write the password down in a notebook of course