- A government employee in Hingoli lost Rs 1,90,000 to a WhatsApp wedding invitation scam
- The invitation contained a disguised APK file that hacked the victim's phone upon clicking
- Cybercriminals accessed sensitive data and stole money after the APK file was installed
A seemingly innocent digital wedding invitation on WhatsApp cost a government employee from Maharashtra's Hingoli district to lose nearly Rs two lakhs.
The cyberfraud victim had received a message from an unknown number on WhatsApp inviting them to a wedding on August 30. "Welcome. Shadi mein zarur aye (Do come to the wedding). 30/08/2025. Love is the master key that opens the gate of happiness," the message read. Below was what looked like a PDF file of the wedding invitation.
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However, it was an Android Application Package (APK) file disguised as wedding cards to hack into users' phones and steal sensitive data.
As soon as the victim clicked on the file, the cybercriminals accessed the data and stole Rs 1,90,000.
A case has been filed against an unknown person at the Hingoli police station and at the cyber cell department.
The wedding invitation scam came to light last year when many people lost their money to it.
The scam begins with a person receiving a wedding invitation on WhatsApp. Once clicked, the APK files get downloaded on the phone, following which the cybercriminals can monitor the victim's activities. They can even use the data found in the phone to scam anyone further by pretending to be the phone's owner and seek money.
The Himachal Pradesh Cyber police had issued a warning last year, advising people to remain cautious and not download files received from unfamiliar sources.
