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Winter is setting in across India, heralding the beginning of the wedding season. With numerous weddings scheduled for the latter part of this year and early 2025, reports sugges that India will host a staggering 3.5 million weddings in November and mid-December alone. However, this wedding season is also bringing with it a worrying trend—an increase in scams. While weddings and scams may not seem to go hand in hand, scammers are now exploiting wedding invitations as a means to steal money by sending invites using WhatsApp.
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The Wedding Invitation Scam
Scammers are sending fake digital wedding invitations via WhatsApp. These invitations often come in the form of APK files, masquerading as wedding invites. When unsuspecting users download and open these files, thinking they are harmless, they inadvertently install dangerous on their devices.
This harmful APK file grants scammers access to sensitive information on the victim's phone, including OTPs, messages, contacts, and even banking apps.
Scammers may use similar tactics for other schemes, such as fake loan offers, lottery messages, or anything designed to grab your attention. The goal remains the same—to trick you into downloading and installing a malicious APK file.
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Warning from Authorities
The Himachal Pradesh Police have issued warnings about this scam. They have advised against downloading files from untrusted sources and emphasised the risks associated with APK files. To protect yourself, they recommend: Keeping your device updated with the latest software and security patches, and enabling two-factor authentication for additional security.
How to Stay Safe and Protect Yourself
- Be cautious with file types: A genuine wedding invitation is unlikely to be sent as an APK file. It's more likely to be a video or PDF file. Always check the file type before opening it.
- Stick to trusted sources: Wedding invitations are typically sent by known contacts. If you receive an invite from an unfamiliar number, proceed with caution.
- Disable app installations from unknown sources: Keep this feature turned off on your Android device. It's a built-in security measure designed to protect you.
- Keep your phone updated: Ensure your device has the latest security patches to minimise the risk of exploitation.
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