Suggestion regarding the Spam iCal adverts masquerading as invites

Apple Support has responded on Twitter and is opening a case.

I have a case number, now, and the phone team are to call me. I have told them via Twitter that I am just one user with the problem, that it is global, and affects an increasingly large number of users.

I suggest all affected users let Apple Support know via Twitter. That way they will see the scope of the problem is huge.

I now have a phone call scheduled in for tomorrow morning. We will not solve anything during the call. All I hope to do is to reinforce the existence of the issue and the importance of an early solution. For the moment "Delete and do not notify" looks like a useful route, but it is not yet available.

The workaround is:

Create a new calendar (Calendar/File/New Calendar) then open the bogus invite, you should see a drop down box; when you pull it down you'll see colour coded buttons for the original calendar/s and the new one - you can assign the invite to the new calendar by clicking on it (default name is 'new calendar'), then go to the sidebar (or click the top left button marked 'Calendars' if the sidebar isn't showing) and delete the new calendar. It takes a minute or two for the original calendar to update, but then it will be gone. And without replying to the invite!

But life is too short to do that every time.

Many folk don't tweet. That's fine, though it might be worth opening an account just for this type of thing.

I doubt its worth changing your email address. They will get to the new one eventually, since all they do is try and try and try by making up (cloning) addresses and trying them out. Sometimes they hit one that works. The trick with this is to get Apple behind solving it, not spending undue effort trying to prevent it one's self

Not so far. That requires work from Apple. There is a workaround in the other thread(s) to delete individual spam, though. We need to impress upon Apple Support the importance of solving this and do so with calm politeness

If you do it you will see why not. The calendar is simply not displayed, thus I assume it does not remind you of things. Reticking the box redisplays that calendar.

You would probably be better off using "Reminders" instead of iCal for the purposes you describe

I have now had my support call with Apple. What they need are some screenshots that I cannot provide because I no longer have the invitations. I used the workaround instead. They are very aware of the problem and are working in a fix. At present Engineering is gathering information prior to designing and implementing a software update. They can, however, implement global blocks on the 'from' address on a case by case basis.

I am to call 'my' support contact when my next (batch of) spam invitation(s) arrives. I will be doing that.

This makes it even more important to contact Apple Support over the issue, and to KEEP the invites in your calendar until you have made full contact and the relevant screenshots have been obtained.

Support did not give me details of which screenshots those are.

So please, each of you, after you receive a spam invite, get into the loop with Apple Support before deleting your invite.

My best way to get to them was via Twitter. Your route may vary.