Packed with malware, mobile wedding invites wipe out victims’ savings

Bijnor: A new form of cyber fraud involving fake wedding invitations has emerged in Bijnor and Amroha districts, where victims lost money after receiving malicious files disguised as festive WhatsApp links. In the past two months, Bijnor cyber police recorded at least 15 complaints of people who clicked on APK files — application packages designed for Android phones — that appeared to be digital wedding cards. These files silently installed malware into users' devices, granting fraudsters complete access to banking apps and sensitive personal data.Dr Omprakash Chauhan, a resident of Dhampur in Bijnor, received what looked like a wedding invitation link on WhatsApp. Trusting the source, he clicked it. "I didn't think twice. It looked like a regular invite, but within minutes of opening the file, Rs 31,000 was deducted from my bank account," he said. What made the scam worse, police said, was that in some cases, the infected phones automatically forwarded the link to the victim's contacts — spreading the trap further without the user's knowledge.Bijnor additional superintendent of police (city), Dr Krishna Gopal, said the police had been alerting residents about such digital threats. "These files come disguised as APKs that people download, thinking they're receiving a personalised invite. The moment it's installed, it activates a virus that takes control of the phone. We are urging people to stay cautious — don't download anything from unknown sources, don't click on suspicious links, and never share OTPs with anyone," he said, adding that these are basic but critical precautions.The rise of such scams is not limited to Bijnor. Across the country, cybercrime has been growing in both volume and complexity. In 2023 alone, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the ministry of home affairs, recorded over 12 lakh cybercrime complaints. Officers said that one of the fastest-growing trends is the ‘digital invitation' scam, where malware is spread under the guise of festive greetings, event invites or promotional messages — often targeting people on messaging platforms like WhatsApp.Police officials in Bijnor said that over 3,500 cyber fraud complaints had been registered in the district so far this year, and newer tactics like APK-based malware were making detection and prevention more difficult. They have issued guidelines advising the use of strong passwords, regular antivirus updates, and avoiding the installation of APK files from unfamiliar sources, as these files do not come from official app stores and may bypass device-level security.In neighbouring Amroha district, a similar fraud was reported in Hasanpur, where an unknown individual transferred Rs 3.5 lakh from the bank account of Sarita Singh after gaining unauthorised access. The cyber cell team in Hasanpur investigated the case and was able to recover and return the full amount to Singh's account on Friday. While the recovery brought relief, police urged residents to treat such cases as a serious warning.In an official appeal, Amroha police said, "Do not share personal or financial details, passwords, or OTPs with anyone. Avoid making payments through any links or mobile apps unless you've verified their source. These scams rely on people trusting too easily, so awareness is the first step to prevention. Please spread this message to your family and friends." Police urged victims to report cybercrime immediately by dialling the national helpline 1930 so that recovery actions can be taken in time.