Fraudsters are sending scam texts and e-mails to members of the public in a bid to get their bank details.

Cheshire Police are warning the public to be aware of a new con known as the Apple ID/iCloud Phishing Scam in which crooks send texts and emails claiming to be from Apple, which state that the recipient's iCloud or iTunes account is out of date and that they need to follow a link to avoid account suspension.

Once the link has been followed, victims are prompted for personal information including bank details.

To protect the public, police have issued safety guidelines which people should follow to avoid falling victim to the scam. These include:

  • Not opening web links contained in unsolicited texts or e-mails.
  • Never providing your personal information to a third party from an unsolicited communication.
  • If you have provided personal information and you are concerned that your identity may be compromised, consider Cifas Protection Registration which can be found here: https://www.cifas.org.uk/protective_registration_form .
  • If you receive what you believe to be a phishing message purporting to be from Apple, report it to reportphishing@apple.com

If you, or anyone you know, have been affected by this fraud or any other scam, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk