NORFOLK, Va. — It would be nice if everything in our email inbox was safe, legit, and intended for us — however, the more I report on consumer news, the more I’m learning that’s not the case.
Last week, I got an email that looked like it was from Apple — it even had a verified checkmark.
It said:
“Your iCloud Storage is full. Because you’ve exceeded your storage plan, your documents, contacts, and device data are no longer backing up to iCloud and your photos and videos are not uploading to iCloud Photos. iCloud Drive and iCloud-enabled apps are not updating across your devices.
To continue using these iCloud services, you need to upgrade to iCloud+ or reduce the amount storage you are using.”
When I saw that, I thought, "Oh great — I’ve taken too many pictures and videos of my dogs again!"
The email prompted me to upgrade my iCloud account, it even provided a link that I could click on.
That's when it hit me, I remembered my own advice about not clicking on links in emails, so I went to my settings instead. I clicked on my iCloud account and learned that I have more than enough storage still available.
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The data reports that only half of my storage is being used, and it was successfully backed up to the Cloud the night before — unlike what the email was alleging.
I looked online for advice from Apple, and they say that if you're being asked to upgrade your account or change your password, you should only do it through your settings.
According to the company, if you receive a suspicious email that looks like it's supposed to be from Apple, please forward it to reportphishing@apple.com.
