You open your calendar to check tomorrow.

There is a renewal charge sitting on it. $499. A transaction number. A phone number to call if you want to cancel.

You did not put it there.

How it got there

Calendar apps add invitations automatically. That is the default setting. It exists so you do not miss a meeting somebody booked while you were out.

It also means anyone who knows your email address can put a line on your schedule.

You do not have to open an email. You do not have to click. You do not have to accept.

It is just there.

Most people have no idea. I did not either, for longer than I would like to admit.

Why it beats email

Your spam filter reads your email. It does not read your calendar.

And an entry on your calendar does not feel like a message from a stranger. It feels like something you already agreed to, or somebody in your house did. So you go looking for the mistake instead of looking for the scam.

What they look like

Subscription renewals with believable amounts and invented transaction IDs. Overdue invoices. A delivery that needs rescheduling. A prize. A security warning about an account.

Sometimes the word "deadline" is right in the title. Urgency is the product.

Most of them want a phone call

Half of these invites do not want a click at all. They want you to dial the number in the entry.

Somebody answers. They are calm and patient and genuinely helpful sounding. They stay on the line with you. And then they need remote access to your computer to process the refund, or they need you to go buy gift cards.

Same machinery as the fake invoice callback scam, delivered through a different door. If you want to know how that call goes, that post walks you through it.

The fix

Google Calendar, on a computer:

1. Click the gear icon at the top right, then Settings.
2. Under General, open Event settings.
3. Find "Add invitations to my calendar."
4. Change it to "Only if the sender is known."

That is it. Invitations from strangers stop landing on your schedule. Real invites from people you actually correspond with still come through.

Outlook and Apple Calendar have their own version of the same setting, in their own places. If you use one of those and want a hand finding it, ask.

If one is already on the calendar

Do not call the number. Do not click anything in it.

Report it as spam if your calendar offers that, then delete it. Report first. Deleting on its own can send a signal back that your address is live and somebody is reading.

Nothing was hacked

Nobody got into your account. Nobody broke anything. Your password is fine.

Somebody knew your email address and used a feature exactly the way it was built.

That is most of what scams are now, and it is why your email address is the master key to more of your life than you think.

If one is sitting on your calendar right now, do not call the number. Send us a screenshot.