If you’ve opened your calendar app recently and noticed an event you don’t remember scheduling, you’ve likely received iPhone calendar spam – and you’re far from alone. Cybersecurity experts are urging the 2 billion people who use iPhones to stay vigilant, as these scams have become increasingly refined.
Scammers target iPhone calendars in ways like phishing, trying to trick you into clicking an included link, attachment, or notification to steal your personal information. These attacks are nothing new – Google Calendar users were hit with a wave of spam notifications back in 2019 and Calendly users were targeted by phishers abusing the service in 2022 – but they’ve grown more dangerous. Studies show that AI-generated phishing content increases scam success rates by 4.5 times, with 54% of users clicking AI-designed links even when they’re already aware of scams. In one documented case, a victim received a convincing fake PayPal receipt for $599 embedded with a scam support number, all delivered through a calendar invite.
The financial stakes are high. The FBI reported $9.3 billion in total crypto scam losses for 2024 alone, and in just the first half of 2025, investors lost $2.5 billion – with phishing accounting for $411 million of the losses. The best way to protect yourself is to remove suspicious calendar invites from your device immediately and never click on any links or notifications within them. Read on to find out how.
How Did the Spam Get on My Calendar?
Anyone can send you calendar invites if they know your email address, which gets tough when Apple’s default programming sends you automatic notifications prompting you to accept or decline invites. Whatever you do, don’t click either of these options – pressing Decline or Accept lets the sender know you have an active account, which makes you a prime target for more spam invites.
You might also get tricked into subscribing to malicious calendars. Shady websites usually have code that redirects users to malicious webpages. For example, trying to download music could result in a dialog box asking you to subscribe to a calendar. While this prompt may appear harmless, it gives you a hacked iPhone calendar. Cybersecurity experts are currently urging the 2 billion people who use iPhones to be especially vigilant about this tactic.
Calendar spam isn’t new, either. Google Calendar users were hit with a wave of spam notifications back in 2019, and Calendly users had some phishing attacks abusing the service in 2022 – proving that no platform is immune. Today, these attacks are even more dangerous with AI-generated phishing content, which research shows increases scam success rates by 4.5 times. 54% of users click AI-designed links even when they’re already aware of scams.
The financial stakes are high. The FBI reported $9.3 billion in total crypto scam losses for 2024, and in just the first half of 2025, investors lost $2.5 billion – with phishing alone accounting for $411 million of the losses. Calendar spam is one common entry point for these phishing programs. BleepingComputer documented one of these cases where a victim received a fake PayPal receipt for $599 embedded in a calendar invite, with a fraudulent support number designed to steal personal and financial information.
Generally, it’s easy to tell a fake invite from a real one. Calendar spam invites usually have urgent or alarming messages designed to provoke a quick reaction. Here are a few common examples:
- “You won a new iPhone!”
- “Your iCloud has been HACKED.”
- “Click NOW To Receive Your Free Gift!”
- “Apple Support: You Must Download Protection”
- “DATA OVERLOADING!!!!!”
- “Your PayPal payment of $599 has been processed – call us immediately to dispute”
Thankfully, it’s possible to remove this spam from your device. There are also steps you can take to stay away from spam.
How to Remove Calendar Spam
If you’re only receiving a few invites here and there, you can get rid of them as they come in. Or, if your calendar is overrun, you can get rid of all future events from that sender by unsubscribing from the spam calendar.
Again, don’t decline or accept these invites. Get rid of these events by following these steps instead.
Removing Calendar Spam in iOS 16 or Later
Open the spam event in the Calendar app and tap Delete Event. The delete option may be unavailable in some cases, so if this happens to you, it’s best to leave the event alone. Ignoring the event will tell the scammers that your account is inactive.
If you’re accidentally subscribed to a spam calendar, open the Calendar app and tap one of the unwanted events. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Unsubscribe from this Calendar. Confirm your choice by tapping Unsubscribe. All the events from that sender should disappear from your calendar.
Removing Calendar Spam in Earlier iOS Versions
Launch your Calendar app and tap Calendars at the bottom of the screen. Scroll through the list and tap the More Info icon (the circle with an “i”) next to any calendar you don’t recognize. Then scroll down and tap Delete Calendar.
If you’re still experiencing the problem, you can delete the subscription through Settings:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Calendar, then tap Accounts.
- Select Subscribed Calendars and look for any calendars you don’t recognize.
- Tap the suspicious calendar and then tap Delete Account.
Whichever strategy you use, never tap any links inside a spam calendar event. Cybersecurity experts warn that with AI-generated phishing content now increasing scam success rates by as high as 4.5 times, these invites have become more convincing and harder to spot. A common example documented by BleepingComputer involves fake payment receipts – like a fraudulent PayPal charge for $599 – paired with a scam support number embedded directly in the calendar event description. If you’re noticing other unusual behavior on your device, check out common iOS 16 problems and how to fix them for additional troubleshooting guidance.
How to Prevent Spam
There are steps you can take to keep spam off your device for good. With cybersecurity experts urging the 2 billion iPhone users worldwide to stay away from clicking on spam calendar links – and AI-generated phishing content now increasing scam success rates by 4.5 times – it matters more than ever to take proactive steps.
1. Block the Spam
You can block future spam calendar invites by disabling the auto-scan feature in iCloud – this feature is what scans your emails and sends you automatic notifications. Let’s talk about how:
- Log on to iCloud.com on a computer.
- Open your calendar.
- Click on the Settings icon in the bottom left.
- Click Preferences and choose Advanced.
- Under the heading Receive Event Invitations As, select Email.
Scammers will be unable to automatically send you calendar invites – if they want to get you, they’ll have to go out of their way to do so.
2. Report Spam in iCloud
You can report spam events to Apple through your iCloud account – it’s a bit of a process. But it will remove that event from calendars on all your synced devices:
- Log on to iCloud.com and open your calendar.
- Click the unwanted event.
- You should see an option to report Junk. Select it and then click OK. The event will disappear from your calendar on all your Apple ID-connected devices.
3. Create a Spam Calendar
With this, you can address two problems at once – separate the spam from your standard events and put an end to it. You can do this through your iPhone or the calendar app on your Mac.
Let’s look at how to do it on a Mac:
- Open the calendar app.
- Go to File in your taskbar.
- Select New Calendar from the drop-down menu.
- Your new calendar will appear in the calendar app sidebar. Click on it to rename it.
- Move all spam events to this calendar by right-clicking on each one, mousing over Calendar and selecting the new one from the drop-down list.
- Once you’ve moved everything you needed to, right-click on the spam calendar in the left sidebar and select Delete.
Let’s look at how to do the same thing on your iPhone:
- Open your calendar app.
- Tap Calendars.
- Tap Add Calendar in the bottom left corner, enter a name and tap Done.
- Move all your spam events to this calendar by tapping on each one, selecting Calendar and choosing your spam calendar.
- To delete this new calendar, tap Calendars at the bottom of the screen and tap the More Info button on the side of your spam calendar. Tap Delete Calendar at the bottom of the page.
4. Never Engage With Suspicious Event Details
Many calendar spam campaigns rely on victims interacting with the event itself – tapping a link, calling a phone number, or replying to what looks like a legitimate notification. A common tactic documented by security researchers involves fake payment receipts, like a fraudulent PayPal charge for $599 embedded in a calendar event, with a scam support number designed to trick you into calling.
If an event appears in your calendar that you didn’t create or accept, don’t tap any links, call any numbers, or use any information inside it. Report it as junk and delete it immediately.
5. Try a New Calendar App
Removing Apple’s calendar app and downloading one from a third party is also a possible solution – there’s a lot of calendar apps to choose from, so you can play around a bit to find the best one.
Here are some of the best-rated calendar apps in the App Store:
- Google Calendar
- Fantastical Calendar
- Informant 5 Calendar
- Calendar Z
- Reclaim AI Calendar
All of the apps on this list are free to download. But some offer premium features or paid subscriptions on your iPhone.
Keep Your iPhone and Your Information Safe
While iPhone calendar spam is annoying, interacting with it can be legitimately dangerous. Cybersecurity experts are urging the 2 billion people who use iPhones to stay away from clicking on spam calendar links – and for good reason. Phishing and social engineering scams are more refined than ever, with AI-generated phishing content now increasing scam success rates by 4.5 times. Studies show that 54% of users click AI-designed links even when they’re already aware of scams, which makes it harder than ever to spot a fake.
The financial stakes are high. The FBI reported $9.3 billion in total crypto scam losses for 2024 alone, and in just the first half of 2025, investors lost another $2.5 billion – with phishing accounting for $411 million of the losses. Calendar-based phishing is one of the tactics being used to funnel victims toward these scams, usually disguised as legitimate payment confirmations or support alerts. BleepingComputer documented one case where a victim received a fake PayPal receipt for $599 through this method, with a fraudulent support number designed to steal personal and financial information.
To stay safe, always block, ignore, or delete unwanted calendar events without interacting with any links or phone numbers inside them. If scammers believe your email address is inactive, they’re less likely to target you. It’s also worth knowing how to clear or block cookies on your iPhone to reduce your exposure to tracking and malicious activity.
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