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As soon as the wedding season has started, cyber thugs have come out with a new weapon – “wedding e-card”. In the last 15 days, more than 4,000 complaints have been received from across the country that lavish wedding invitations are received from unknown numbers on WhatsApp. As soon as the card is opened, the phone gets hacked and the money disappears from the bank account in the blink of an eye. The biggest case is from Mumbai, where a person lost Rs 2.40 lakh as soon as he opened the card. Cyber ​​cell has issued a warning – “If the card is in .apk file or asking for a link, then do not click even by mistake.”
How does the scam work?

You get a message from an unknown number – “You are cordially invited to our son/daughter’s wedding. Please see the card.”
Along with this, an attractive PDF or image looking file is attached, whose name is – Wedding_Card.exe or Invitation.apk.
As soon as the file is opened, malware is installed on the phone, which enables screen recording, OTP theft and access to the UPI app.
Money is transferred from bank account, Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm within 30 seconds.

DCP Hemant Tiwari of Cyber ​​​​Cell of Delhi Police said, “This new version is a mixture of ‘AnyDesk + Screen Share’ and ‘QR Code’ scam. The fraudsters first hack the phone, then steal more money by sending fake UPI QR.” Last week, a woman in Hyderabad lost Rs 1.80 lakh, an engineer in Bengaluru lost Rs 3.90 lakh and a retired man in Pune lost Rs 4.20 lakh.
most dangerous things

Realistic photos, venue and date are included in the card.
The numbers come from foreign codes other than +91 like +234, +62, +880
The message reads – “Click here to download the card”
As soon as the file is opened, the phone’s notification stops, so that the OTP is not visible.

Cyber ​​expert advice – do these 7 things immediately

Do not open any .apk, .exe file coming from unknown number.
WhatsApp Settings → Privacy → No one can add to group (keep default)
Keep the daily limit in UPI app at Rs 5,000-10,000
Keep Google Play Protect ON
Do not give any “Accessibility Service” to any stranger app in the phone.
Never share OTP, even if someone asks you to.
For complaint dial 1930 immediately or report on cybercrime.gov.in

Maharashtra Cyber ​​has blocked 187 such fake numbers in the last 10 days. Still, 20-25 new numbers are coming out every day. Fraudsters are now using AI to create realistic cards – inserting photos of the wedding procession, names of the bride and groom, and even QR codes.
It is wedding season, there is happiness, but caution is necessary. Remember – a real wedding invitation never comes in an .apk file. It is better to delete and block the message rather than losing lakhs in one click. The cyber police has a clear message – “Think 10 times before opening the wedding card on the phone, otherwise you will cry 100 times later.”

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