My girlfriend recently received an email from Apple notifying her that someone used her Gmail address to set up an Apple account. The strange part is that she has never owned any Apple device or created an Apple ID herself. She only uses an Android phone. The email states that the account was made with her email, but the linked phone number doesn't belong to her. This situation has left her feeling uneasy and confused. She has already reached out to Apple Support to address this issue, but we're unsure of any further steps we should take. Should she be concerned about the security of her Gmail? Is this a phishing attempt, or could there be someone misusing her email? If anyone has gone through something similar or has advice on what to do next, I'd really appreciate your help!
3 Answers
I recommend changing your Gmail password and enabling two-factor authentication immediately. This will help secure her account just in case. After that, you should be good to go!
Good advice, but since this is already happening, she should stay alert for any other security issues.
If she didn't create the Apple ID, it's important to escalate this issue with Apple Support. Contact them again and make sure to talk to a senior advisor to resolve this as quickly as possible.
This can happen sometimes because Gmail treats addresses with dots and variations as the same email. It's possible that someone mistakenly entered a similar version of her email when creating the Apple ID. My wife gets similar emails for accounts that aren't hers all the time! Just be cautious and monitor your Gmail for any unusual activity.
True, but since there's an actual account with her email and a foreign phone number, it’s important to remain vigilant. Gmail does ignore dots, so make sure she keeps an eye on her account for anything suspicious.
Yeah, but considering there’s an account linked to her email, she should probably take more precautions. Just because there’s a mix-up doesn't mean it's nothing serious.
Thanks for the tip! She’s already done that, but the issue remains that there's an unknown account connected to her email.