Govt Employee Clicks On Wedding Card Link Loses ₹1,90,000 In Seconds

What looked like a sweet wedding invitation on WhatsApp turned into a nightmare for a government employee in Maharashtra's Hingoli district. The simple act of opening a digital wedding card cost him a whopping ₹1,90,000.

The employee received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number with the usual cheerful tone:
"Welcome. Shadi mein zarur aaye. 30/08/2025. Love is the master key that opens the gate of happiness."

Attached to the message was what appeared to be a PDF wedding card. But instead of love, it carried a scam. The file was actually an APK (Android Application Package), cleverly disguised to hack phones.

The moment the victim clicked on it, cybercriminals gained access to his device and siphoned off nearly two lakh rupees.

A case has now been registered at the Hingoli police station and the cyber cell.

This isn't the first time such a fraud has made headlines. The so-called "wedding invite scam" has been active since last year, duping several unsuspecting victims across India. Here's how it works:

• A WhatsApp message arrives with a warm wedding invite.
• The invitation file looks like a PDF but is actually malware.
• Once downloaded, the APK allows hackers to monitor the phone.
• Cybercrooks steal money directly or impersonate the victim to scam friends and family.

Authorities have been warning about this trick for months. In fact, Himachal Pradesh Cyber Police had already issued a caution last year urging people not to download unknown files from WhatsApp or any messaging platform.

Lesson? That cute wedding card from an unknown number might just be a cyber trap waiting to drain your bank account.