Alert : Fake appointments added to Google Calendar / Outlook – trap invitations appear directly in your calendar

Scammers use calendar invitations to make fake appointments appear in Google Calendar, Outlook or other online calendars.
Stay alert: an unknown event may hide a phishing link, a fake emergency or an attempt to steal data.

Fake appointments added to Google Calendar / Outlook

This scam consists of placing a fraudulent invitation directly in your calendar in order to make the trap appear more credible.
The message may refer to a blocked payment, a parcel, an urgent meeting, a gift, an invoice or an account problem.

How it works

Scammers send a calendar invitation that may sometimes be added automatically or appear as a legitimate reminder.
The event often contains a link, an attachment or alarming text designed to push the victim into acting quickly.
The aim is to make you open a fraudulent page, share your login details, enter your banking details or download a dangerous file.

Warning signs: unknown appointment, strange sender, artificial urgency, shortened or suspicious link, promise of a prize, payment request, unexpected attachment, event repeated several times in the calendar.

A few tips:

• 🗓️ Immediately delete any appointment that you did not create or knowingly accept.
• 🔗 Never click on a link in an unknown calendar invitation.
• 📧 Also check your inbox and spam folder: the invitation may be linked to a fraudulent message.
• ⚙️ Disable the automatic addition of invitations from unknown senders in your calendar settings.
• 🔐 Change your password if you think your email or calendar account has been compromised.
• 🛡️ Enable two-factor authentication on your Google, Microsoft or Apple account.
• 👀 Check the permissions granted to applications that can access your calendar.
• 🚫 Do not download any attachment linked to a suspicious appointment.

Conclusion

An unknown appointment in your calendar should never be treated as a harmless reminder: it may be a phishing attempt designed to bypass your vigilance.
If you receive this type of invitation, delete it, do not click on any link and check your account security settings.

Report this type of scam on an official platform such as the National Cyber Security Centre (UK), Report Fraud (UK), ReportFraud.ftc.gov (US), the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (US) or the official portal in your country, then warn your relatives to prevent further victims.

To better understand the reflexes to adopt when faced with this type of trap, these resources may help:

• 👉 The essential reflexes to avoid online scams
• 👉 Understand frauds and know how to react
• 👉 Find useful anti-fraud resources for consumers

Free tools are also available to check, react or train yourself when faced with attempted scams:

• 👉 Interactive guide to know what to do after a fraud
• 👉 Reporting assistant to find the right official channel
• 👉 Anti-fraud crash test to learn how to spot traps
• 👉 Suspicious link checker to assess a URL before clicking

Written by : René Ronse
Methodology : Our alert articles are based on regular monitoring of national reporting platforms, feedback from victims, and statements issued by relevant authorities.
About the author : René Ronse, manager of ArnaqueOuFiable.com. Expert in consumer cybersecurity, specialist in detecting online fraud, product transparency, and digital compliance. He has over 20 years of experience analyzing hidden subscription mechanisms, unreadable terms and conditions, aggressive sales tactics, and deceptive commercial practices on the web.
Sources : economie.fgov.be | google.com | microsoft.com | malwarebytes.com
Last updated : 30 May 2026.
This article is also available in : Français - Deutsch - Español - Italiano - Nederlands - Português