New Year is coming, and people are busy preparing for the celebration. Taking advantage of this, cyber fraudsters have also become fully active. Messages being sent on WhatsApp in the name of New Year wishes and gifts have become a big threat these days. As attractive as these messages may seem, they can also prove to be equally dangerous. Just one click can drain your mobile phone and even your bank account. Cyber experts say that such scams increase rapidly around the New Year because people forget to be careful in excitement.
How does the New Year scam start?
This scam usually starts with a very normal WhatsApp message. The message reads “Happy New Year 2026” and asks you to click on a link to view a specific greeting card, photo or video, or download an attached file. In many cases, this message comes from an unknown number, but sometimes it appears to be from a friend, relative or acquaintance. For this reason people click on it without thinking.
Cyber fraudsters use APK files to trap victims
As soon as the user clicks on the New Year message, he is redirected to a colorful and festive webpage where New Year wishes are visible. They are then asked to download an app to view the full greeting. This app is not available on the Google Play Store, rather it is downloaded as an APK file. This is where the real danger begins. This APK file is actually a dangerous malware, which after being installed in the phone, gives control of the device to hackers. According to experts, within a few hours of installing the APK file, strange activity starts in the phone. Mobile apps open automatically, giving access to contacts and gallery without permission. The biggest danger occurs when transactions are started without permission through banking apps and UPI. In fact, experts say that this malware works silently in the background, and users have no idea that their phone has been completely hacked.
Police and cyber wing warning
The cyber wing of the police has issued a warning about such Happy New Year WhatsApp scams. According to the police, fraudsters are stealing people’s personal information and bank details by sending dangerous links and fake APK files through WhatsApp, SMS and email. Such cases are often seen during the festival season. Therefore, if a message pressures you to do something quickly, tempts you with rewards or special gifts, sends you unknown links, or asks you to download an APK file, it is important to be cautious. Do not click on any file or link received from any unknown number. No trustworthy company or person will ever ask for your bank details or OTP through message.