Anyone with an iPhone in their pocket is highly likely to have an iCloud account. Apple’s online storage service offers a digital safety net and ensures photos and documents are safely stored and not at risk of deletion or loss. iCloud also makes switching between devices, such as an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, easy, with files all stored in one central place. It’s a useful platform; the only downside of iCloud is that there is limited storage, depending on what users are happy to pay for.

For example, 99p per month gets you 50GB, £2.99 offers 200GB and £8.99 includes 2TB. It’s these limits that are causing some concern with cyber crooks using the worry of accounts being blocked to try and trick people into handing over personal information, including payment data.

iCloud scams aren’t anything new, but the security team at Malwarebytes says that Apple users are seeing a rise in fake emails claiming the storage is full.

“The threat of losing your photos is a powerful lure, so scammers are now using it to steal personal and financial details,” Malwarebytes explained.

The current crop of messages suggests that iCloud limits have been exceeded, with users told that files are no longer being backed up. The message then says users should upgrade their accounts with a link taking them to a fake website where data is stolen.

“There are plenty of variations, but they all follow the same theme: make a small payment to stop the files in your iCloud storage from being deleted,” Malwarebytes added.

“The websites these emails link to also vary, but they all ask for personal and payment details to complete that payment.”

New advice and rules have been issued to help iCloud users stay safe, and one of the biggest things to remember is that Apple never emails about iCloud issues.

“Apple does notify users when their iCloud storage is nearing capacity, but those alerts appear within your device settings or as official system notifications,” Malwarebytes explained.

“They don’t come through unsolicited text messages or emails with external links. If you need to check your storage, go directly to Settings on your device and review your iCloud usage.”

If you have an iCloud account, here are 5 rules to follow.

• Always access your account through our official website.

• Never share your password with anyone.

• Never click on links in unsolicited emails without verifying with a trusted source.

• Use an up-to-date, real-time anti-malware solution with a web protection component.

• Do not engage with websites that attract visitors like this.