KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — Police have issued a warning regarding the use of wedding invitation messages embedded with malware by criminals to steal data and financial information from their victims.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK) director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the tactic, which was detected in mid-2023, is often used by criminals to hack into smartphones.
He said police investigations found that such wedding invitation messages would usually be sent by criminals posing as acquaintances of the victims.
"If the victim downloads and installs the application, the criminal will gain full access to the victim's phone without their knowledge.
"This access allows the criminal to steal the victim's data and this can result in financial loss for the victim," he said in a statement yesterday.
Ramli advised the public to always be cautious and to avoid downloading any application files (.apk) received through messages, emails, or other similar channels.
— Bernama