Phishing emails, by which scammers and identity thieves attempt to lure you into either clicking on links contained within the email which download malware or trick you into providing personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft, are nothing new.   They are a staple of identity thieves and scammers and with good reason because they work.
Reproduced below is a copy of an Apple phishing email, sent to me by a Scamicide reader that uses the common ploy of indicating that there is a security problem that requires you to verify personal information for security purposes. We have removed the Scamicide reader’s email address from the salutation line and replaced it with xs.   There are a number of telltale flaws in this particular phishing email.   Although the email address from which it was sent appears to be legitimate, upon closer examination you can determine it is not an official email address of Apple. As phishing emails go, this one is pretty good. It does not have glaring spelling or grammatical errors and it does manage to create a sense of emergency.
“𝖯𝗈𝗅𝗂𝖼𝗒 𝖵𝗂𝗈𝗅𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇
𝖨𝗆𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗋𝖾𝗊𝗎𝗂𝗋𝖾𝖽: 𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖠𝗉𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖨𝖣 𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗎𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽
𝖣𝖾𝖺𝗋 xxxxxxxxxxxxx
𝖶𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝖽𝖾𝗍𝖾𝖼𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖠𝗉𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖨𝖣 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗎𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍. 𝖶𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖿𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾𝖽. 𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖠𝗉𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖨𝖣 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗎𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖡𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖠𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝗐𝗇𝖾𝗋. 𝖯𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝗂𝗇 𝗈𝗋𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗈𝗅𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗎𝖾.
𝖶𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖽𝖾𝗅𝖾𝗍𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖠𝗉𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖨𝖣 𝗎𝗇𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗐𝗇𝖾𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝗋𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗏𝗂𝗈𝗅𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖻𝗒 𝖿𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖠𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 𝖵𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖥𝗈𝗋𝗆 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝖻𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗐𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗒𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗎𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍. 𝖥𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖽𝗈𝖼𝗎𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗆𝖺𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗎𝗅𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾.
𝖢𝗅𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝖠𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 𝖵𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖥𝗈𝗋𝗆 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗈𝗅𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗎𝖾..
𝖲𝗂𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗒,
𝖠𝗉𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖠𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 𝖳𝖾𝖺𝗆”
TIPS
Obviously if you do not have an account with Apple you know that this is a phishing scam, but even if you do have an account with Apple, as I indicated above there are a number of indications that this is not a legitimate email from Apple, but instead is a phishing email. Legitimate companies would refer to your specific account number in the email.  They also would specifically direct the email to you by your name.  This email’s salutation is addressed to the person’s email address.
As with all phishing emails, two things can happen if you click on the links provided.  Either you will be sent to a legitimate looking, but phony webpage where you will be prompted to input personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft or, even worse, merely by clicking on the link, you may download keystroke logging malware that will steal all of your personal information from your computer or smartphone and use it to make you a victim of identity theft.  If you receive an email like this and think it may possibly be legitimate, merely contact Apple customer service where you can confirm that it is a scam.
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