Calendar Invite Phishing Scam
This scam sends unsolicited calendar invites that auto-add events to your schedule, with notifications containing phishing links or fake alerts that lure you to malicious sites or scam pages.
By the Scam or Safe Editorial TeamResearched & reviewed for accuracyQuick verdict
How this scam works
This scam sends unsolicited calendar invites that auto-add events to your schedule, with notifications containing phishing links or fake alerts that lure you to malicious sites or scam pages.
Email scams, or phishing, remain one of the most common ways criminals steal logins, payment details, and money. A convincing message imitates a brand or contact and steers you toward a fake login page, a malicious attachment, or a fraudulent payment.
In short, the giveaway is usually simple: Unexpected calendar events appear with links to claim prizes, fix accounts, or view files. Do not tap the links. Delete the events and turn off auto-adding invites.
Scammers rotate tactics constantly, the same operation may also run the Fake Zoom Invite Scam and the Malware Attachment Scam. See the full Email Scams guides hub, or test a suspicious message with the scam checker.
How to spot this scam
- Calendar events you did not create
- Event titles about prizes, payments, or security alerts
- Links inside event details or notifications
- Invites from unknown senders
- Pressure to act from a calendar reminder
What the message looks like
This is a fictional, anonymised example used to illustrate the pattern. It is not a verified real message, and any names are used only to show how the scam typically reads.
What gives it away: Unexpected calendar events appear with links to claim prizes, fix accounts, or view files.
The scale of it
How to protect yourself
- Do not tap links inside unexpected events
- Delete the events and report the sender as spam
- Turn off automatically adding invites in your calendar settings
- Run a security scan if you interacted with a link
Already responded? Do this now
- If you entered details on a linked page, change that password immediately
- Enable two-factor authentication on affected accounts
- Remove the malicious events and block the sender
- Watch for further phishing
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not tap links in unsolicited calendar events
- Do not enter logins on pages reached from a calendar reminder
- Do not leave auto-add enabled if you get spam invites
Related scams to know
Fake Zoom Invite Scam
This scam sends a fake Zoom, Teams, or video meeting invite by email and urges you to join or review a missed meeting through a link that leads to a fake login page built to capture your work or email credentials.
Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Malware Attachment Scam
In a malware attachment scam, an email arrives with a file posing as an invoice, receipt, CV, statement or delivery note. Opening the attachment, or clicking a prompt to 'enable content' or 'enable macros', can quietly install malware that steals passwords, banking logins or files. The message is often crafted to feel urgent or routine so you act before thinking. Treating every unexpected attachment with caution, and verifying it through a separate channel, is one of the most effective defences.
Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Email Storage Full Scam
This scam warns that your mailbox or storage is full and that you will stop receiving messages unless you 'verify' or 'upgrade' through a link. The link leads to a fake webmail login page that captures your email password.
Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Common questions
How did an event get into my calendar?
Are the links dangerous?
How do I stop these invites?
I clicked a link. What now?
Last reviewed June 2026 · Written & reviewed by the Scam or Safe Editorial Team