Apple users must remain cautious when checking their emails. That’s the latest alert from the team at Action Fraud who have been flooded by concerns from iPhone and iPad fans who say they are being targeted by a new scam. The latest threat uses the popular iCloud service to try and trick people into handing over personal and financial data.

For those unaware iCloud is an online storage service that lets Apple customers safely keep files and photos. Things are free until a certain limit then people can pay for extra amounts of room on Apple’s servers.

The messages that are arriving in inboxes suggest that the data limit has been hit or payments have not been made with users warned their private photos may soon be deleted unless accounts are updated.

Once the link is clicked a fake website pops up with the scammers then asking for names and addresses along with credit card details.

"We’ve received over 1,800 reports about FAKE emails claiming that your iCloud storage is about to run out," explained Action Fraud in a post on X (formerly Twitter ).

"The emails are designed to lure people to genuine-looking websites that steal your Apple ID login details, as well as other personal and financial information."

Remember, Apple will never ever message you out of the blue asking for credit card numbers.

If you are concerned then the easiest thing to do is log into your iCloud account and check your storage levels manually. You can also do this via your iPhone - simply go to Settings, then click on their Apple account at the top of the screen and go to iCoud.

In a post on its security pages the US technology giant explained, "Social engineering is a type of targeted attack that relies on impersonation, deception and manipulation to gain access to your personal data. In this attack, scammers will pretend to be representatives of a trusted company or entity over the phone or through other communication methods. They will often use sophisticated tactics to persuade you to hand over personal details, such as sign-in credentials, security codes and financial information."

If you receive a message that claims to be from Apple suggesting your iCloud is running low or a payment is missing the advice is clear. Do not click on any links or type in any personal data. Ignoring this could leave you seriously out of pocket and your private data in the hands of cyber crooks.