Recently, there has been an increase in malicious actors using Google Calendar to bypass traditional spam filters. By “inviting” you to a fake event, they can force a notification onto your device containing phishing links or “prizes.”
To protect your account and clear your schedule of these unwanted entries, please follow these three steps:
1. Disable Automatic Event Additions
By default, Google Calendar adds every invitation to your grid, even if you haven’t accepted it. This is the “open door” spammers use.
- On Desktop: Open Google Calendar and click the Settings Gear > Settings.
- Navigate to: Event settings > Add invitations to my calendar.
- Change to: “Only if the sender is known” or “When I respond to the invitation in email.”
2. Turn Off “Events from Gmail”
Scammers often send fake “Receipts” or “Confirmations” that Google’s AI automatically scrapes and puts on your calendar.
- In Settings, go to Events from Gmail.
- Uncheck: “Automatically add events from Gmail to my calendar.”
- When prompted, select “Remove existing events” to clean up any current spam.
3. Hide Declined Events
If you decline a spam event, it may still appear as a “crossed-out” entry. To remove the clutter entirely:
- In Settings, go to View options.
- Uncheck: “Show declined events.”
⚠️ A Critical Warning
Never click “Unsubscribe” or “Report Spam” within the event description itself. These links are often malicious. Instead, use the official Google interface:
- Click the three dots ⋮ on the event.
- Select “Report as spam.”
Why this matters
Cybercriminals use these entries because they look like official system alerts. Once you click a link in a calendar event, you may be prompted to enter your credentials or download “security software” that is actually malware.
Reviews
Tailoring Solutions
