Preventing Scams and Phishing in Google Calendar

A knowledge base article about Preventing Scams and Phishing in Google Calendar provided by the UC Berkeley IT Service Hub - Knowledge Portal

Table of Contents:

Responding to a Scam Invite
- Reporting Events in Google Calendar
Adjusting Event Settings (Optional)
- Understanding Event Settings to Add Invitations to Calendar

Your calendar should work for you - not for scammers. Learn how to spot, report, and block unwanted calendar invites while keeping your schedule safe and clutter-free. We recommend this two-step approach to reporting scams and adjusting your settings:

Report first: Always report suspicious invites as spam before deleting them.
Adjust settings: Consider switching to “Only if the sender is known” to reduce future unwanted invites.

Below are the steps for both responding to scams and adjusting your settings to fit your needs.

Responding to a Scam Invite

If you receive a suspicious calendar event (e.g. Bitcoin scams, fake invoices, strange Zoom links):

⚠️ Do not click any links in the event description.
Learn how to spot: Bogus bCal Meetings - Spam / Malware | Information Security Office
Report the event: To report an event as spam, it must be sent from Google Calendar. Calendar events created by another provider, app, or service can’t be reported as spam.

Reporting Events in Google Calendar

1. Open the event in the Google Calendar.

Image: How to get to Settings of the Event invite from Google Calendar

2. Click the three vertical dots (More actions) in the top-right corner of the event detail block.

3. Select Report as spam.

Image: Shows two steps to get to More actions in order to Report as spam

4. You will be prompted to confirm and (optionally) block future invitations from that sender.

Image: Shows the prompt after you select Report as spam with optional selection to block future invitations from that sender

This both removes the event and helps Google improve its detection of malicious invites. When you report an event, the event is removed from your calendar. If the event recurs, all events in the series are removed.

Adjusting Event Settings (Optional)

Before you adjust any of your settings, it is important to note:

You control your settings: Each individual can adjust their Google Calendar settings to match their work needs.
Check settings regularly: Changes in Google’s interface or your workflow may mean you need to revisit them.
If you collaborate outside UC Berkeley: Consider whether stricter settings (like “Only if sender is known”) will block legitimate invites. You may need to use “When I respond” for more flexibility. Again, you can continue to modify your settings to meet your work needs.

1. By default, Google Calendar automatically adds invitations From everyone to your calendar. This can lead to clutter or abuse from scammers.

Image: This is the default settings for Google Calendar - Event settings

2. If you would like to change your settings, open Google Calendar.

3. Click the Settings menu (gear icon) towards the top bar → select Settings.

4. In the left sidebar, under General, select Event settings.

5. Find the dropdown Add invitation to my calendar.

6. Choose one of the following (explained in detail below): “From everyone,” “Only if the sender is known,” or “When I respond to the invitation in email.”

Image: How to access Event settings and modify Add invitations to my calendar

Understanding Event Settings to Add Invitations to Calendar

Setting	What it Does	Risks	Recommended For
From everyone (default)	Automatically add all innovations sent to your email.	High risk: scammers can add fake events directly to your calendar.	If you frequently collaborate with external partners and don’t want to miss any invites; however, individuals should be good at detecting suspicious email/invites.
Only if the sender is known	Adds events only from people in your Google Contacts, part of your organization (UC Berkeley), or someone you’ve interacted with.	Safer, by you may need to manually accept invites from new external partners.	If you already have a good network of Google Contacts, mainly want invites from people from your organization (UC Berkeley) and people you already interact with.
When I respond to the invitation	Adds events only after you accept (Yes/No/Maybe) from the invite email.	You could miss events if you forget to respond.	If you work often with outside organizations and want tighter control; however, individuals should be good at detecting suspicious email/invites.

Preventing Scams and Phishing in Google Calendar

Responding to a Scam Invite

Reporting Events in Google Calendar

Adjusting Event Settings (Optional)

Understanding Event Settings to Add Invitations to Calendar

Additional Resources