Don’t click on this Whatsapp wedding invitation. It’s a scam!

It’s 2023 and we’re no where near the flying cars and robot takeovers we were promised back in the 90s. Instead, all we have to show for today’s technology are scams galore.

And the worst part is, some of these scams are so incredibly subtle and well-crafted that even this millennial writer who grew up on the internet can’t help but wonder if she’ll one day wake up to an empty bank account and a receipt for a private jet, when all she wanted to do was donate some spare cash to a couple of kids in Africa.

Seriously, all you have to do these days is accidently click on a link and POOF! All your hard-earned savings goes down the drain in an instant! Don’t believe us? That’s exactly what this latest wedding invitation scam is all about.

 

To view the wedding invitation, you need to click on the attached file

Safe to say, netizens have been absolutely buzzing over this one, warning all their friends (and dads and moms and uncles and aunts) to keep their guard up. Cos at first glance, the Whatsapp message seems pretty ordinary— just a short intro with instructions to click on the digital wedding card for more details.

What’s notable though, is that the sender is an unknown contact. In the case of the person who originally posted this, he (OP) was curious to know who he was talking to and asked the sender to reveal their identity. And instead of simply providing their name like a normal person would, the sender coyly told OP to click on the file to find out.

Um… red flags, anybody?

Well, needless to say, the wedding was fake, and the invitation was even more fake. But what makes this scam so dangerous is that you don’t actually have to believe the sender. All you have to do is be curious enough to click on the link cos…

 

Opening the file gives scammers full control over your phone, including bank details

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s something really fishy about the file attached to the wedding invitation. You’d likely expect a PDF, a JPEG, or heck even a Word doc– but this one comes with an APK extension.

If you’re an Android user, or more specifically an Android user who games, chances are you’ve come across an APK file before. And that’s cos APK files install software into Android devices, kinda like how a ZIP or RAR file helps you download games into your computer. If you don’t know what an Android is, that’s basically every phone on the market that’s not an iPhone– so a Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, and so on lah.

Now typically, if you’ve gotten the file from a legit source, it’s fine. But when it’s shared by strangers over a platform like Whatsapp……. yeah, that’s a big red No-No. The reason being, scammers usually spice up their APK files with a side serving of malware. Meaning that the moment you download the file, it will immediately install a virus into your device.

And just like that, scammers will gain access to E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G in your phone, from your sketchy internet downloads to your bank account details!

“Scammers use APK files containing malware to gain access to your phone. After you install these malware APK files, scammers can do anything – read your messages, steal your photos and videos, gain access to your TAC/ OTP alerts,” — Dr. Adrian Wong via Techarp

Honestly, once that happens, there’s almost no turning back. The best you can do is file your complaints with the authorities and hope that you get your money back. You can also reset your phone and passwords, but let’s be honest, that can be super leceh to do. So at the end of the day, the most surefire way to keep your money safe is to not fall for this wedding invitation scam in the first place. And to do that…

 

Never ever ever open links or download files from unknown people

The way you would never open the door to a stranger, you should also never engage with them online. And especially when they’re sending you stuff with additional instructions. Like first of all–

But perhaps more importantly, APK files also get passed around among friends, especially if they’re the generous type to share hot girl links. And if you click on them, gone lah– the links will start downloading a bunch of super shady apps into your phone (hint: if the app sounds weird, it is weird). In fact, you should check your phone now and delete all the ones you didn’t download yourself.

So to recap;

• got random stranger messaging you like they know you –> CONLANFIRM SCAM
• if people send you APK files to download –> CONLAN7FIRM SCAM
• you ask question and they dodge or try to act smart –> CONLAN7FIRM SCAM
• if they use too many emojis –> CON9LAN7FIRM SCAM

But remember that these scams are always evolving and just as we get better at evading them, these guys will also try harder to kena us. In which case, if you do get scammed *fingers crossed you won’t*, then these are the people you should reach out to:

• Bank Negara via 1-300-88-5465 or +603-2174-1717
• MCMC via +60383209033
• CCID Scam Response Centre via +60326101599/1559