What does it mean when you receive an email like:
“Your Apple ID was used to sign in to iCloud via a web browser.
Dear ***,
Your Apple ID ***) was used to sign in to iCloud via a web browser.
Date and Time: ***, ***.
If the information above looks familiar, you can ignore this message.
If you have not signed in to iCloud recently and believe someone else may have accessed your account, go to Apple ID (https://appleid.apple.com) and change your password as soon as possible.”
You may have questions like:
- Is someone else using or trying to use my Apple ID account?
- Who is actually sending the email? Apple?
- What should I do about this?
In this article, we’ll tell you the possible reasons you are getting these emails, who may be sending them and what you need to do to protect your account.
Why you may get the "your Apple ID was used to sign in to iCloud" message
You can sign in to iCloud.com with your Apple ID using a web browser like Safari. Once you log in, you can view your information stored in iCloud using the browser. And after you login in to iCloud.com, Apple will send an email letting you know that someone accessed iCloud.com using your Apple ID. It is highly likely that this someone is you. If you get this email, here is what you should do:
- The email message includes the date and time of the access. If you logged in to iCloud.com at that date and time mentioned in the email, you can ignore this message. This means that the email is coming from Apple. This is only a precautionary email. Do nothing. This email came from [email protected]. You would have gotten this email right after you logged in.
- Apple emails include your real name like “Dear Moses Johnson”). It doesn’t Include generic greeting (like Hi Dear, Dear Customer, Dear Apple Customer, etc).
- If you have not logged in to iCloud.com recently and still got this message, this means one of these two things:
- Someone who isn’t you may have entered your Apple ID and password correctly and were able to access your account on iCloud.com. This is bad. See the next section about what you should do. In fact, this is the purpose of this email message — so you would know when someone accessed icloud.com using your credentials. Now you know.
- This is a phishing attempt for your Apple ID. Someone sent you this fake email in an attempt to get your Apple ID password. Phishing is a type of online fraud that occurs when someone poses as a trustworthy source, in this case, Apple, in order to trick you into giving them your personal information, such as a password like your Apple ID password. Note that this may look like it came from an Apple email address, but email addresses can be spoofed.
What you should do if you did not log into iCloud.com recently and got this message
- Do not click or tap anywhere in the email. The email may say things like “click here” to change your Apple ID. Do not do that. The text may look like a legitimate Apple URL address, but the link could actually take you to a different URL.
- Do not respond to the email.
- If you do not have an Apple ID, this is obviously a bad scam attempt. Do not do anything. Trash the message.
- Change your Apple ID password immediately. On your iPhone or iPad, tap Settings > Your Name > Sign in & Security and tap Change Password. Choose a strong password. Also, you should not reuse a password, especially for important things like your Apple ID.
- Turn on two-factor authentication. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Your Name > Sign in & Security > two-factor authentication.
- Keep your trusted number up to date. On your iPhone or iPad, you can check and update this by going to Settings > your name > Sign in & Security > here you can view and change your trusted phone number.
- Make sure that your answers to security questions are difficult to guess.
- If you see a device you do not recognize in your Apple ID device list, remove it. On your iPhone or iPad, you can review this by going to Settings > your name. Here you can view and remove any device you don’t recognize.
- Please forward this fake email to [email protected] and [email protected] (The Federal Trade Commission). You can also report spam to www.ftc.gov/complaint.
- Block the email address and then move the email to Junk. With your inbox open and the email preview visible, swipe left until options appear. Tap on More, then scroll down, then tap on Block Sender. Swipe left again, tap on More, then tap Move to Junk.
- Also, review this documentation explaining how you can recognize scams.
Why keep your Apple ID safe and secure
- To prevent unauthorized access to your Apple account and personal information: Your Apple ID is used to gain access to many Apple services, including the App Store, iCloud, iTunes, and more. If your Apple ID is compromised, someone could gain access to your account and your personal information and your data and files stored in iCloud.
- To prevent someone from making purchases in your name: Your Apple ID is also used to authenticate your device when you use certain features, such as Apple Pay. If your Apple ID is compromised, someone could use your device to make unauthorized purchases.
- To maintain the security of your account: Finally, your Apple ID is your online identity. If someone gains access to your Apple ID, they could impersonate you online and gain access to your personal information like your photos, videos or even your financial information.