Pitt Information Technology has become aware of a new type of scam that attempts to trick readers into clicking on a harmful link contained in an unsolicited Google Calendar invitation.

The scammer typically uses Google Calendar to schedule a meeting with you. Notification of the meeting then arrives in your Gmail inbox. In addition, a pop-up notification about the meeting appears on any device that uses your Google Calendar or Gmail. The scammer crafts their meeting invitation to include a link to a harmful website, which may attempt to steal your credentials, bank account details, or credit card information.

To reduce your risk of falling victim to this scam, you can disable the automatic adding of calendar invitations in Google Calendar.

In addition, Pitt IT strongly recommends that you do not reply to unsolicited emails or emails from unverifiable sources. Avoid clicking on links contained in such emails, as these may lead to sites that contain malicious software. If a link looks suspicious, you can hover over the link with your mouse to preview the URL without clicking on it.

Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions regarding this announcement.