Happy New Year 2026 WhatsApp Scam ne desh bhar mein panic create kar diya hai. Year 2025 ke aakhri din, jab desh New Year celebration ki taiyari kar raha hai, Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police ne is Happy New Year 2026 WhatsApp Scam par High Priority Alert issue kiya hai.

Year 2025 ke aakhri din, jab desh New Year celebration ki taiyari kar raha hai, Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police aur Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) ne ek ‘High Priority Alert’ issue kiya hai.

Social Media aur WhatsApp par ek naya cyber attack tezi se fail raha hai, jise experts ne “New Year 2026 Greeting Scam” ka naam diya hai. Ye koi sadharan phishing link nahi hai, balki ek sophisticated Malware Campaign hai jo seedha users ke banking applications ko target kar raha hai.

Is detailed report mein hum samjhenge ki ye scam technically kaise kaam karta hai, Indian IT Act ke tahat iske kya legal implications hain, aur agar aapka device infect ho chuka hai toh immediate recovery steps kya hain.

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1. The Threat Analysis: Ye Scam Kaise Kaam Karta Hai?

Cyber security experts ke mutabik, ye attack “Social Engineering” aur “Drive-by Download” technique ka combination hai. Iska technical breakdown niche diya gaya hai:

A. The Bait (Jaal) Users ko WhatsApp par ek message aata hai jo aksar unke known contacts (Friends/Family) se hi aata hai.

• Message Content: “Jio/Airtel Free 3-Month New Year Offer” ya “Create your Magic 3D Greeting for 2026.”
• Psychology: Message ke saath ek blue link hota hai jo user ko urgent action lene par majboor karta hai.

Also Read: 2025: India Aur Duniya Ka Safar – Year Ender Review Aur 2026 Ki Umeed

B. The Payload (APK Injection)

Jaise hi user link par click karta hai, background mein ek malicious file—.apk (Android Package Kit)—download honi shuru ho jati hai. Is file ka naam aksar NewYearGift.apk ya Greeting.apk hota hai. Browser user se permission maangta hai: “This file might be harmful.” Lekin “New Year Gift” ke lalach mein users ise ignore karke ‘Install’ kar dete hain.

C. The Permission Abuse (RAT) Install hone ke baad, ye malware ek RAT (Remote Access Trojan) ki tarah behave karta hai. Ye aapse teen critical permissions maangta hai:

1. Read SMS: Bank OTPs aur transaction alerts padhne ke liye.
2. Read Contacts: Malware ko aapke pure contact list mein forward karne ke liye.
3. Accessibility Services: Ye sabse khatarnak hai. Isse malware ko screen par hone wali har activity (jaise password typing) dekhne ka access mil jata hai.

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2. Legal Perspective: The IT Act, 2000

Bharat ka kanoon (Indian Law) cyber fraud ke mamlon mein bahut sakht hai. Agar koi user anjaane mein bhi is malware ko failata hai, ya iska shikar banta hai, toh Information Technology Act, 2000 ke kai sections apply hote hain.

Section 66C (Identity Theft) Jab hacker aapke bank account ka access leta hai ya aapke naam se messages bhejta hai, toh ye Identity Theft kehlata hai.

• Penalty: 3 saal tak ki jail aur ₹1 Lakh tak ka jurmana.

Section 66D (Cheating by Personation) “Free Recharge” ya “Gift” ka jhootha wada karke link click karwana ‘Cheating by Personation’ hai. Ye ek non-bailable offense bhi ho sakta hai agar amount bada ho.

Section 43 (Damage to Computer System) Agar is malware ki wajah se aapke office ka network infect hota hai ya data loss hota hai, toh companies aapse damages claim kar sakti hain. Law ke hisab se, “Lack of Knowledge” (mujhe pata nahi tha) hamesha valid defense nahi hota.

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3. Case Study: The ‘Diwali Bonus’ Precedent

Is New Year Scam ko samajhne ke liye, November 2024 mein report huye “Diwali Bonus Scam” ko dekhna zaroori hai.

Incident Report (Anonymous): Ek retired government employee (Age: 58) ko WhatsApp par “Diwali Bonus Scheme” ka link mila. Link click karte hi phone par ek animation chala aur band ho gaya. User ko laga link kharab hai. Lekin background mein malware ne unke SMS access kar liye the.

• Outcome: Agle 45 minutes mein unke account se ₹3.8 Lakh alag-alag wallets mein transfer ho gaye.
• Method: Hacker ne OTPs khud read kiye aur phone se SMS delete kar diye taaki user ko alert na mile.
• Police Investigation: Investigation mein paya gaya ki malware ka server China aur Hong Kong based IP addresses se operate ho raha tha.

Experts ka maanna hai ki New Year 2026 scam usi gang ka naya version hai.

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4. Remediation Protocol: Agar Click Kar Diya Toh Kya Karein?

Agar kisi user ne galti se malicious link par click kar diya hai ya .apk file install kar li hai, toh Immediate Incident Response zaroori hai. Niche diye gaye 4 steps follow karein:

Step 1: Isolate the Device (Airplane Mode) Sabse pehle phone ka internet connection (Wi-Fi aur Mobile Data) band karein ya Airplane Mode on karein.

• Logic: Malware ko hacker ke C2 (Command & Control) server se disconnect karna zaroori hai taaki data chori ruk sake.

Step 2: Factory Reset (Mandatory) Sirf app delete karne se kaam nahi chalega kyunki ye malware system files mein chup jata hai. Phone ko Factory Reset karna hi ekmatra surakshit upay hai.

• Settings > System > Reset Options > Erase All Data.

Step 3: Report to 1930 (Golden Hour) Agar paise debit ho gaye hain, toh turant 1930 dial karein. Ye National Cyber Crime Helpline hai.

• Agar aap transaction ke 1-2 ghante ke andar report karte hain, toh police us transaction ko banking gateway par hi “Freeze” karwa sakti hai.

Step 4: Change Credentials Dusre kisi secure device (Laptop/Phone) se apne Email, Banking Apps, aur Social Media ke passwords turant badal dein.

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5. Preventive Advisory

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) aur Cyber Police ne citizens ke liye guidelines jari ki hain:

1. Verification: Koi bhi link agar http se shuru ho raha hai (not https) ya usme xyz, club, top jaise domain hain, toh wo fake hai. Official offers hamesha jio.com ya airtel.in par aate hain.
2. Disable ‘Install from Unknown Sources’: Apne phone ki settings mein jakar “Install unknown apps” ko OFF rakhein. Ye aapko accidental installation se bacha lega.
3. Antivirus: Apne Android phone mein ek reputed Antivirus (Paid version) install rakhein jo real-time scanning karta ho.

Digital India mein festivals aur occasions scammers ke liye sabse bada mauka hote hain. “Happy New Year” wish karna achi baat hai, lekin anjaan links ke zariye “Gifts” accept karna aapki financial safety ke liye khatarnak hai.

Satark rahein. Kisi bhi suspicious link ko forward na karein, bhale hi wo aapke close friend ne bheja ho.

Summary (Quick Recap)

Alert: Hyderabad Police warning against New Year links.Risk: Link downloads a hidden app (APK) that steals OTPs.Solution: Do not click. If infected, perform a Factory Reset immediately.Helpline: Dial 1930 for financial fraud reporting.

Stay Cyber Safe. Happy New Year 2026.