Scam of the Week: Watch Out for Phishing in your Google Calendar

Beware! If you use Gmail for your business or personal email, you could be at risk. One of the latest cyber scams going around takes advantage of the popular Google Calendar service by adding fake events to unsuspecting victims’ calendars.

When they create the calendar event, they add a short event description complete with a dangerous phishing link. Typically, the event claims that “You’ve won prize money”, or that “There’s a money transfer in your name”. The description tells you to click the link and follow the directions to claim your money.
Once invited, you’re exposed to the dangerous event description in multiple ways: You’ll receive a notification in your inbox and the event will automatically show up on your calendar.

Don’t fall for it! If you click the link in the event description, you’re brought to a dangerous webpage and instructed to enter your personal information so the bad guys can steal it.

Remember the following to avoid falling for scams like this:

• Never click on links in emails or in calendar notifications that you weren’t expecting. Even if it appears to be from someone you know, it's best to pick up the phone and call them to be sure it's legitimate.
• Always hover over links to see where they’re taking you before clicking. The link may take you to a different address from the URL that is shown.
• By default, Google Calendar events are automatically added to your calendar, even if you haven’t responded. You can turn this setting off by opening your Google Calendar settings from a desktop browser.

Stop, Look, and Think. Don't be fooled.