Google Calendar Spam Events: How to Stop Fake Invites Landing in Your Calendar
Draft for review, do not publish or schedule.
A strange event appears in your calendar. You didn’t accept an invitation, you don’t recognise the sender, and the description contains a link urging you to act. What’s going on?
It may be a spam invitation. Calendar spam can be more than an annoying distraction: a fake event can carry scam links in its description or location field, dressed up to look like an ordinary meeting or booking.
The good news is that a few settings can make these unwanted events much less likely to appear. Here’s how to adjust them, what to do if a suspicious invite gets through, and what administrators can now control across a Google Workspace organisation.
Why a fake invitation can appear without a click
Google Calendar has historically allowed invitations from everyone to be added automatically. That means an event sent to your email address could appear on your calendar before you accepted it, or clicked anything.
Spammers can take advantage of this by sending invitations with misleading event names and links. A calendar entry can catch your attention because it sits among genuine appointments and may look like a routine meeting. Even if you don’t open the event, it can clutter your calendar and disrupt your schedule.
The setting is convenient when you want every invitation to appear straight away. But if unexpected events are turning up, changing how invitations are added is a sensible first step.
Stop invitations from everyone being added automatically
On a computer, open Google Calendar, then:
- Select Settings (the gear icon).
- Under General, open Event settings.
- Find Automatically add invitations or Add invitations to my calendar.
- Choose the option that adds events only after you respond.
Depending on the wording shown in your account, this may appear as “No, only show invitations to which I have responded” or “When I respond to the invitation in email.” Avoid “From everyone” if you don’t want all invitations automatically placed on your calendar.
Google’s invitation settings have changed over time, so the exact label can vary. The key is to choose the response-based option. Google explains the current choices in its guide to managing Calendar invitations.
If you’d rather keep invitations from people you know appearing automatically, look for “Only if the sender is known.” Google considers senders known if they’re in your contacts, part of your organisation, or someone you’ve previously interacted with. One trade-off: an invitation from an unknown sender may still arrive by email, even if it isn’t automatically added to your calendar.
Check events added from Gmail, too
Google Calendar can also add certain events detected in Gmail, such as bookings and travel plans. That’s useful when it saves you entering details yourself, but it’s worth reviewing if you’re trying to reduce unwanted calendar entries.
In Calendar settings, open Event settings and look for Events from Gmail. Turn off “Automatically add events from Gmail to my calendar” if you don’t want those events added automatically. You can still check your email and add genuine details yourself when needed.
Under View options, consider turning off “Show declined events” as well. That won’t prevent invitations arriving, but it can help keep declined events out of view.
What to do if a suspicious invite is already there
If a suspicious event lands in your calendar:
- Don’t open links or attachments in the event description or location field.
- Avoid clicking “Decline” in the email notification. Responding can confirm to a spammer that your email address is active.
- Remove the event directly from Calendar instead of replying to the email.
- Report it as spam using Calendar’s event or calendar reporting options. If the message itself looks like phishing, report it in Gmail too.
Removing the event doesn’t mean you’ve responded to the invitation. Reporting it also gives Google a way to identify spam. If the event remains visible, refresh Calendar and check that declined events aren’t set to show.
Review who can access your calendars
Calendar spam isn’t always caused by invitations sent to your email address. It’s also worth checking whether someone unfamiliar has access to one of your calendars.
In Calendar settings, look under Settings for my calendars, select each relevant calendar, and review Share with specific people. Remove any person or domain you don’t recognise or no longer need. If you’re unsure whether someone should have access, check with your organisation’s administrator before changing sharing permissions.
You can find more detail in Google’s guide to sharing your calendar.
If unwanted events keep appearing on an Android device after you change your invitation settings, review which apps have permission to access your calendar. Google has more steps in its guide to blocking Calendar spam on Android.
What Workspace administrators can control
In August 2026, Google began rolling out new administrator controls for Calendar invitation settings. The controls let administrators choose the least restrictive invitation option users are allowed to select. For example, an organisation can prevent users from choosing “From everyone” by setting the permitted level to known senders only or invitations users have responded to.
Administrators can manage the control in the Google Admin console under Apps > Google Workspace > Calendar, and apply it by organisational unit or group. Users can still choose a more restrictive option if it’s available, but can’t choose one that’s less secure than the organisation allows.
The rollout began on 14 August 2026 and was expected to reach all domains within 15 days. Google says the control is available to all Workspace editions. It applies to future invitations, so administrators should also review existing events and sharing settings where needed. See Google’s administrator guidance on automatically adding events to calendars.
For an organisation, this is a useful way to set a consistent baseline instead of relying on every person to change their own preferences. An administrator can explain the chosen setting to staff, help trusted senders remain easy to recognise, and give people a clear path to report invitations that look suspicious.
Calendar settings are one part of keeping a cloud working environment tidy and secure. If you’d like support reviewing how your team uses cloud collaboration tools, explore our cloud collaboration services or managed IT support.
Keep suspicious invites off your calendar
Start by changing the invitation setting from “From everyone” to a response-based option, or choose known senders only if that suits your work. Then review Gmail event imports, declined-event visibility and calendar sharing. If you manage a Workspace organisation, check whether your invitation policy should be set centrally.
Need a hand? Book a free 15-minute consult or call 1800 312 972.
About Mathew Hoffman
Mathew Hoffman started in IT in 1981 and held senior roles at State Bank of NSW, Minet Australia, Wilhelmsen Lines and Rothmans of Pall Mall. He also contributed to the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Since 2001, Mathew has provided IT consultancy to small and medium businesses. He became an original Google Partner in 2008, and re-branded the business as Cloud Computer Company in 2017. Based in Noosa, Mathew enjoys cricket, which he has played and coached in Sydney and the Sunshine Coast, as well as family time, the beach and golf.
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Google Calendar, Google Calendar spam events, calendar security, phishing invitations, Google Workspace, Workspace administration, cloud collaboration, IT security
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Stop Google Calendar spam events with safer invitation settings, Gmail event controls, sharing checks and new Workspace admin options.
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Google Calendar Spam Events: How to Stop Fake Invites
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Fake meetings appearing in your calendar? Spam invitations can land without you accepting them. Learn how to change Google Calendar settings, remove suspicious events safely and set invitation rules across your Workspace organisation. [Read the draft article.]
Google Business Profile (GMB)
Unwanted Google Calendar invites can clutter your schedule and carry suspicious links. This guide walks through the settings that help stop spam events and explains what Workspace administrators can now control. [Read the draft article.]
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Calendar spam? Don’t click the strange link, or reply to the invite.
✓ Change how invitations are added
✓ Check Gmail event settings
✓ Review calendar sharing
✓ Learn what Workspace admins can control
Read our guide to stopping Google Calendar spam events.
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A fake calendar invite can look like a routine meeting, and arrive without you accepting it. Our guide explains how to adjust Google Calendar invitation settings, report suspicious events and use new Google Workspace administrator controls to set a safer baseline for your organisation. [Read the draft article.]