WhatsApp wedding invitations are scamming people, hacking phones. Here's how to stay safe

With the beginning of the wedding season in India, a new scandal has emerged, targeting digitally savvy people by sending fake wedding invitations via messaging app WhatsApp.

Receiving a wedding invitation online has become a trend nowadays. However, downloading what may seem like a wedding invitation to your phone via WhatsApp can make you the target of cyber criminals.

The police in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh recently alerted the public about a surge in fraudulent wedding invitations as APK file attachments, according to Indian media outlet News18.

These APK wires contain malware that if once downloaded, can grant access to the recipient's phone and personal data.

Hackers then use these devices to send messages requesting money from the victim's contacts under false pretences.

The hackers can also use the phone's data to blackmail or scam anyone pretending to be the phone's owner.

“If you receive an unsolicited wedding invitation or any file from an unknown number, do not click on it. Verify the sender and the file before downloading anything onto your phone,” News18 quoted DIG Mohit Chawla of Himachal Pradesh State CID and Cyber Crime Department as saying.

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The authorities further asked people to be cautious with such messages from unknown numbers.

Moreover, they are also advised to never download APK files or any other attachments from unfamiliar sources.

People who fall victim to these traps are encouraged to report incidents immediately, on the national helpline number 1930.

The people are also advised to register their complaint on the official government portal https://cybercrime.gov.in and register their complaint.

(With inputs from agencies)