Do You Use Google Calendar? Be Aware!

Let's accept it. Most of us trust all services of Google, its Calendar, Photos and more. And every time we receive a Google Calendar notification or any other Google application, we just act without giving a second thought. Now, researchers at the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky warn users not to do so and open your eyes to a new kind of "sophisticated scam," according to a Forbes report.

As you may know that anyone can schedule a meeting with you on the Google calendar and notifications will also appear on your Gmail account as well, scammers have found a new way to exploit this.

In this scam, the scammer sends an invitation to the calendar meeting and in the message box, there is a malicious link along with the meeting request. If the user clicks on the link, he or she could be directed to a website that could steal login details.

So, why not Google itself detect this behaviour and mark notifications as spam? According to a publication of the Kaspersky blog, "The spammer's main task is to bypass the spam filter and deliver an e-mail to your inbox. As it happens, Google services often send e-mail notifications to Gmail inboxes — and Google's antispam module avoids flagging notifications from its own services as spam."

To entice users to click on the link, the spam message "details consist of a short bit of text stating that you are entitled to a cash payment for some reason, and a link that supposedly lets you receive it."

The next time you receive a Google Calendar invitation from an unknown person, skip it and do not click on any of the links. Also, even if you have to register for something, it is always advisable to open a new tab and visit the website where you must register to continue.