3 calendar and text scams circulating right now, and how to avoid them
We’ve all gotten the text message claiming a package couldn’t be delivered because of an incomplete address. But scammers are getting a lot more creative, and they’re weaponizing the built-in notification systems on your phone to get your attention. Instead of just sending emails that end up in your spam folder, they’re injecting fake events directly into your calendar and spoofing group text…
In today's digital landscape, scammers are employing increasingly sophisticated tactics to deceive individuals through various channels. Text messages claiming undelivered packages due to incomplete addresses are no longer the only threat. Scammers are now manipulating built-in notification systems on smartphones to disturb users with deceptive calendar alerts and fraudulent group text messages. This article outlines how to identify these new forms of mobile scams and prevent them from compromising your device.
To address rogue calendar subscriptions, if your calendar suddenly inundates you with alerts about a supposed virus or a won prize, it's likely a result of accidentally clicking a malicious pop-up on a website that subscribed you to a spam calendar. For iPhone users, navigate to Settings, tap Calendar, then Accounts, and identify any suspicious subscribed calendars.
Tap Delete Account to eliminate the spam. On Google Calendar, access calendar.google.com on a computer, where managing subscriptions is more straightforward. In the left sidebar under Other calendars, locate the suspicious calendar, hover over it, and click the X icon to remove it.
Regarding the package delivery scam that's currently circulating, you'll receive a text claiming delivery has been suspended, accompanied by a link to a counterfeit postal service website requesting a small redelivery fee. Recognize that the postal service does not send texts from random 10-digit numbers. Never click the link but instead, copy the tracking number (if provided) and manually paste it into the official shipping website to verify its authenticity.
Finally, to combat the chaotic group text spam, scammers are now flooding threads with 20 or so random phone numbers along with a malicious link. In such instances, refrain from replying. Instead, open the message thread, tap the group icon at the top, scroll down, and select Leave this Conversation or Leave Group. Subsequently, reporting the group as spam will yield similar outcomes.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
