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Last night a message popped up saying my iPad and iPhone 7 might be hacked. Consequently my calendar has a message advertising a message on a my calendar saying I need add their VPN (it’s not free) to clear the hacking. This message is scheduled to appear every 30 minutes as a pull down message. It’s programmed to appear every day and night to infinity. I’ve not been able to delete this message. HELP

Posted on Feb 5, 2021 2:39 PM

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Posted on Feb 5, 2021 2:40 PM

If running iOS 13 or earlier versions, check: Settings - Passwords & Accounts - Accounts - Any rogue entries here? If so, delete the rogue account. 


If running iOS 14, check: Settings - Calendar - Accounts - Any rogue entries here? If so, delete the rogue account. 

4 replies

Feb 5, 2021 3:16 PM in response to Rsykes4417

The problem that you describe is very easy to resolve.


It is highly probable that an inadvertent click on a website link has “subscribed” an additional (unwanted) Calendar to your device - and this unexpected Calendar is exposing unwanted calendar events and sending you unexpected “virus” or other warnings. 


Given that infecting a non-jailbroken iPad/iPhone with actual malware is incredibly difficult, this technique is employed by malicious Actors to fool or encourage you into doing something untoward - more often than not, parting with personal or financial information leading to fraud or attempted extortion.


You need to check for what’s out of place...

iOS/iPadOS13 and earlier: Settings > Passwords and Accounts

iOS/iPadOS14: Settings > Calendar > Accounts


Look for an “account” that shouldn’t be in the list of accounts - as this will likely include the Calendar that contains all the unwanted events. When you find the suspect account, tap - then select Delete Account. This should resolve the problem in its entirety.


I hope you find this helpful in finding the source - and in resolving the issue if an unexpected Calendar is found.

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