Cyber Fraud Alert: Man loses Rs 5.85 lakh after opening fake wedding invitation sent on WhatsApp

A 48-year-old real estate and construction businessman lost Rs 5.85 lakh after opening a malicious APK file disguised as a digital wedding invitation sent via WhatsApp. The victim, Manish Dholariya, discovered the fraud on September 13 after receiving bank alerts about unauthorised transactions.

How The WhatsApp Wedding Invitation Scam Worked

According to the complaint, Dholariya had received a WhatsApp attachment labelled ‘wedding invitation‘ from his friend Vasant’s phone number about a month earlier. When he opened the file, he saw what appeared to be raw code and numbers. He immediately closed and deleted the attachment, unaware that his smartphone had been compromised.

Weeks later, Dholariya noticed unauthorised withdrawals from his bank account. When he contacted Vasant, his friend revealed that his own phone had been hacked and the malicious file was automatically being sent to people in his contact list.

Cybercriminals Transfer Rs 5.85 Lakh To Unknown Accounts

Investigators suspect that opening the attachment allowed cybercriminals to access sensitive information on Dholariya’s smartphone and carry out fraudulent transactions. The money was transferred to several unknown beneficiary accounts without his knowledge or consent.

Dholariya reported the incident through the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and filed a formal complaint.

Police Investigate Malware Circulation Through WhatsApp

Cybercrime police registered a case involving cheating under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and identity theft under the Information Technology Act.

[With TOI inputs]