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Spam in Calendar app

I’ve got one of those Norton Security spam things as a calendar event, not an email, and I can’t decline or remove it. Any ideas what to do?

iPad Pro, iPadOS 14

Posted on Aug 5, 2021 7:48 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 6, 2021 1:00 AM

Heya all


Thanks for your replies, none of those suggestions worked/were applicable as this was an automatic occurrence, no subscription or even basic interaction occurred between myself and whatever the source was. It was recorded as an event in the calendar app, and declining the event was not effective


But I did find a solution:


I identified the source as an email in a spam folder in an email account linked to the calendar app, and that was the link to the calendar entry. Deleting the spam email via the mail app deleted the entry from calendar. Pretty basic, was just surprised by the intrusiveness and apparent evolution of scammers and their spam


Thanks everyone


Jarred

5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 6, 2021 1:00 AM in response to LotusPilot

Heya all


Thanks for your replies, none of those suggestions worked/were applicable as this was an automatic occurrence, no subscription or even basic interaction occurred between myself and whatever the source was. It was recorded as an event in the calendar app, and declining the event was not effective


But I did find a solution:


I identified the source as an email in a spam folder in an email account linked to the calendar app, and that was the link to the calendar entry. Deleting the spam email via the mail app deleted the entry from calendar. Pretty basic, was just surprised by the intrusiveness and apparent evolution of scammers and their spam


Thanks everyone


Jarred

Aug 5, 2021 8:42 AM in response to jarred38

The problem that you describe should be 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 “adverts” or other warnings. 


Let’s 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.


Additional info can be found here:

Delete spam calendars and events on iPhone – Apple Support


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

Aug 6, 2021 1:30 AM in response to jarred38

Most alerts that you see are pop-up messages from websites - these being designed to scare the unwary into giving away sensitive information - or to fool you into doing something that you shouldn’t.


Due to the system architecture of iOS/iPadOS, unless jailbroken, your iPad is not susceptible to traditional malware infection per-se. However, as with all computer systems, there are still vulnerabilities and exploits to which you remain at risk.


Browser-based attacks can largely be mitigated by installing a good, trusted, Content and Ad-blocking product. One of the very best and most respected within the Apple App Store - designed for iPad, iPhone and Mac - is 1Blocker for Safari.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/1blocker-for-safari/id1365531024


1Blocker is highly configurable - and crucially does not rely upon an external proxy-service of dubious provenance. All processing takes place on your device - and contrary to expectations, Safari will run faster and more efficiently. 


Unwanted content is not simply filtered after download (a technique used by basic/inferior products), but instead undesirable embedded content blocked form download. A further benefit on metered services, such as cellular connections where you data may be capped or chargeable, this not only improves speed but also saves you money.


When using a good quality Content blocker, a high proportion of otherwise inescapable risk when using your Safari browser, or linking to external sources from email, is effectively mitigated before it even reaches you.


There are additional protections that can enhance protection further, such as using one of the better Recursive DNS Services in preference to automatic settings. This can either be set on a per-device basis in Settings, or can be set-up on your home Router. I recommend using one of the following services, for which IPv4 ad IPv6 server address are included here:


Quad9 (recommended)

9.9.9.9

149.112.112.112

2620:fe::fe

2620:fe::9


OpenDNS

208.67.222.222

208.67.220.220

2620:0:ccc::2

2620:0:ccd::2


Cloudflare+APNIC

1.1.1.1

1.0.0.1

2606:4700:4700::1111

2606:4700:4700::1001


Use of the above DNS services will help to shield you from “known bad” websites and URLs - and when used alongside 1Blocker, provides defense in depth.

Spam in Calendar app

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