To get rid of a spam calendar invite, report it instead of declining or deleting it, then change the setting that let it in. In Google Calendar, use Report as spam and set Add invitations to my calendar to Only if the sender is known. On iPhone and Mac, use Report Junk for iCloud invitations. Outlook.com has no setting that stops these yet, so report the email and delete the event without sending a response.
If the invite shows a charge and a phone number, it's a callback scam. Our guide to scam calendar invites explains how they work and why your Junk folder didn't catch it. If you already called the number, go to what to do next instead.
| Platform | Remove it | Does the sender hear about it? | Stop the next one |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Calendar | Report as spam; on a computer, also Block [name] | Deleting from the website sends a decline. Google doesn't say whether reporting does | Only if the sender is known |
| Outlook.com, Hotmail, new Outlook | Report the email as phishing, then delete the event | A response is sent by default; turn it off if offered | No setting yet |
| Classic Outlook for Windows | Delete > Do not send a response | No, if you choose that option | No setting yet |
| iPhone, iPad, Mac (iCloud invitations) | Report Junk > Delete and Report Junk | On a Mac, Apple says no; the iPhone page doesn't say | Receive via Email on iCloud.com |
| iPhone Calendar showing a Gmail or Outlook account | Remove it in Google Calendar or Outlook | Depends on that account | Change that account's setting |
Should you decline it?
No. Accept, Maybe and Decline all send a reply to the organizer. Google says so directly: "When you respond to an invitation, the organizer gets a notification" (Google). For a scam, the organizer is the scammer, and any reply tells them your address is active. Declining also doesn't stop them from sending more.
A reply doesn't give them access to anything, though. If you already declined or accepted, just remove the event and carry on.
Remove and report, platform by platform
Google Calendar
On a computer: open the event, select More actions (the three dots), then Report as spam. Google removes the event, including every instance if it repeats, and keeps it in Calendar's trash for 30 days. Reporting works for events "sent from Google Calendar", which is how most of these scams arrive (Google).
On Android or iPhone, in the Google Calendar app: open the event, tap More, then Report as spam.
To block the sender: on a computer, open the event, select More options, then Block [name]. Google says "the current event is automatically removed and you no longer receive new calendar invitations from that person" (Google). Blocking rolled out to all Google accounts in August and September 2026, works only on a computer, and only for senders with Google accounts (Google). Scammers switch accounts often, so blocking helps less than the setting below.
Avoid plain Delete on the website. Google's help says that after you remove an invited event, "Calendar tells the event organizer you decline the event" (Google). Report as spam is the better choice.
Outlook.com, Hotmail and the new Outlook
Outlook puts the invitation email and the calendar event in different places, so deal with both:
- Report the email. Find the invitation (it's often in Junk), select it, and use Report to report it as phishing. In the Outlook mobile app, open the message, tap the three dots, choose Report Junk, then Phishing (Microsoft).
- Delete the event from your calendar. Reporting or deleting the email doesn't remove it (Microsoft).
- Don't send a response if you can avoid it. In Outlook on the web and the new Outlook, responses go to the organizer by default; Microsoft's instructions tell you to "leave Email organizer selected" to send one (Microsoft). If you see that option, turn it off. Some versions may not offer it, in which case a decline may reach the scammer. That's a nuisance, not a breach.
In classic Outlook for Windows, right-click the event, choose Delete, and pick Do not send a response (Microsoft).
iPhone, iPad and Mac
Invitations sent to an iCloud address: on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 26 or later, tap the event, tap Report Junk, then Delete and Report Junk (Apple). On a Mac, open the event in Calendar and choose Report Junk; Apple says this deletes the event "without notifying the sender" (Apple).
Events on a Gmail or Outlook account shown in the iPhone Calendar app: your iPhone is only displaying what Google or Microsoft put on that calendar. Remove and report the event in the Google Calendar app or Outlook, using the steps above, where the reporting options exist.
Spam from a subscribed calendar is a different problem. If junk events come from a calendar you subscribed to (often by tapping a link on a website), there's no invitation to report. Open Calendars, tap the info button next to that calendar, and choose Delete Calendar or Unsubscribe (Apple).
Stop the next one: settings by platform
Google Calendar
On a computer, open Google Calendar and go to Settings > General > Event settings > Add invitations to my calendar (Google). You'll see three options:
- From everyone: every invitation is added automatically. Google's announcements have given this as the default (Google).
- Only if the sender is known: invitations are added only if the sender is "in your contacts, part of your organization, or someone you previously interacted with". From anyone else, you get an invitation email instead. This is the one to choose.
- When I respond to the invitation in email: nothing is added until you respond. The strictest option.
On Android, the same choice is in the Google Calendar app under Menu > Settings > General > Adding invitations (Google).
Google notes two things about the known-senders option: it applies to new invitations only, and it "might reveal to senders that they aren't in your contacts". Existing spam events stay until you report them. Accepting a scammer's invitation can make them count as "known", which is one more reason not to respond.
Google also offers Settings > General > Notification settings > Notify me only if I have responded Yes or Maybe (Google). It can quiet reminders for invitations you never answered. Google doesn't say whether it also covers phone notifications, so treat it as a backup to the setting above.
Google Workspace accounts: your administrator may have limited these options. Since August 2026, Workspace admins can require known senders for everyone (Google).
Outlook.com and Hotmail
As of October 2026, there's no setting that stops these. Outlook.com adds invitations to your calendar during delivery, even when the email goes to Junk, and Microsoft's documentation says personal mailboxes can't change that (Microsoft Learn).
You'll see two common suggestions online. Neither works:
- Turning off "Events from email." That setting only covers flight, hotel, rental car and package summaries Outlook finds in your email (Microsoft). Real meeting invitations, including scam ones, aren't affected.
- Blocking [email protected]. In Outlook.com, blocking a sender only moves their messages to Junk (Microsoft), which is where many of these already land. It would also junk real invitations from people who use Google Calendar.
Until Microsoft changes this, the protection is a habit: a bill on your calendar is never a real bill. If you also use Google Calendar, change the setting there.
Microsoft 365 work or school accounts
Individual users have the same limits as Outlook.com. Administrators can stop many of these before they reach mailboxes. Point your IT team to our admin guide.
iPhone, iPad and Mac (iCloud)
Sign in at iCloud.com, open Calendar, go to Settings > Account, and choose Receive via Email. Invitations then arrive as email instead of appearing as calendar notifications, and the choice applies to all your Apple devices (Apple). Keep using Report Junk for anything that gets through.
Setting this up for someone else?
If you're doing this for a parent or relative, make the setting change together and agree on what they'll do the next time a "bill" appears. Our guide to protecting older relatives from fake invoice scams has a short setup session you can follow.
Frequently asked questions
Does deleting a calendar invite notify the sender? Sometimes. On Google Calendar's website, removing an invitation tells the organizer you declined. In Outlook on the web and the new Outlook, a response goes to the organizer unless you turn it off. In classic Outlook, choose "Do not send a response". On a Mac, Report Junk deletes without notifying the sender.
Will "Only if the sender is known" block real invitations? No. Invitations from people Google doesn't consider known arrive as email instead of going straight onto your calendar. You can still respond and add them.
Why can't I block these in Outlook? Outlook.com adds invitations to the calendar as part of delivering the email, whether or not the email goes to Junk, and Microsoft doesn't let personal accounts turn that off. Microsoft has acknowledged the problem but hasn't shipped a fix for personal accounts as of October 2026.
I reported one, and another arrived. Why? Scammers send from many accounts and change phone numbers constantly. Reporting removes the event and helps the platform, but only the Google setting above, or an administrator's filtering on a work account, stops new ones from being added automatically.