Viral Scam Warning: Bengaluru Man Loses Rs 5 Lakh After Opening Fake WhatsApp Wedding Invite

A 42-year-old Bengaluru furniture shop owner lost nearly Rs 5 lakh after downloading a malicious APK file disguised as a wedding invitation on WhatsApp. This file allowed cyber fraudsters to gain remote access to his phone, leading to multiple unauthorized transactions from his bank account before he realized the theft.

A 42-year-old furniture shop owner in Bengaluru lost nearly Rs 5 lakh after cyber fraudsters allegedly gained remote access to his mobile phone through a malicious wedding invitation file sent on WhatsApp. The victim got a file labelled "Wedding APK Invitation" from an acquaintance's phone number, according to the lawsuit. He downloaded and opened the APK file, thinking it was a real wedding invitation.

Investigators believe the download contains malware intended to allow scammers to access the victim's mobile device remotely. His bank account was used for several illegal transactions shortly after he installed it, without his knowledge. Approximately Rs 5 lakh had already been embezzled by the time the victim recognised anything was amiss. The victim, who lived in Bengaluru's Nayandahalli, eventually went to the police with suspicions that he had been the target of a cyberattack using the phoney invitation.

In addition to Sections 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by personation utilising computer resources) of the Information Technology Act, police have filed a case under Section 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). An investigation is underway to trace the accused and track the money trail.

Experts in cybercrime have frequently cautioned against downloading APK files obtained via messaging applications, particularly from unidentified or unexpected sources. These downloads may include malware that may steal passwords, bank account information, and personal data, and they can evade official app store security checks.

Similar Incident in Gurugram

A Gurugram man was hacked in a similar manner last year after receiving a wedding invitation over WhatsApp. He clicked on the link out of curiosity to see whose invitation it was, unintentionally giving his phone permission to be hacked. By the time he realised what happened, unauthorised transactions worth Rs 97,000 were made from his bank account. After that, he complained to Gurugram police, who then initiated an investigation.