diff --git a/test/malformed-payload.tests.js b/test/malformed-payload.tests.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..575d128
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/malformed-payload.tests.js
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+const jwt = require('../index');
+const crypto = require('crypto');
+const expect = require('chai').expect;
+const assert = require('chai').assert;
+const JsonWebTokenError = require('../lib/JsonWebTokenError');
+
+/**
+ * Helper to create a properly signed HS256 token with a given raw payload
+ * (bypasses JSON serialization so we can inject non-JSON payloads).
+ */
+function createTokenWithRawPayload(rawPayload, secret) {
+  const header = Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ alg: 'HS256', typ: 'JWT' })).toString('base64url');
+  const payload = Buffer.from(rawPayload).toString('base64url');
+  const sigInput = header + '.' + payload;
+  const sig = crypto.createHmac('sha256', secret).update(sigInput).digest('base64url');
+  return sigInput + '.' + sig;
+}
+
+describe('malformed JSON payload', function () {
+  const secret = 'shhhh';
+
+  describe('synchronous (no callback)', function () {
+    it('should throw JsonWebTokenError with "jwt malformed" for non-JSON payload', function () {
+      const token = createTokenWithRawPayload('not-json', secret);
+
+      expect(function () {
+        jwt.verify(token, secret);
+      }).to.throw(JsonWebTokenError, 'jwt malformed');
+    });
+
+    it('should NOT throw SyntaxError for non-JSON payload', function () {
+      const token = createTokenWithRawPayload('not-json', secret);
+
+      expect(function () {
+        jwt.verify(token, secret);
+      }).to.not.throw(SyntaxError);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('callback mode', function () {
+    it('should return JsonWebTokenError with "jwt malformed" for non-JSON payload', function (done) {
+      const token = createTokenWithRawPayload('not-json', secret);
+
+      jwt.verify(token, secret, function (err) {
+        assert.isNotNull(err);
+        assert.equal(err.name, 'JsonWebTokenError');
+        assert.equal(err.message, 'jwt malformed');
+        done();
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should return JsonWebTokenError for payload with invalid UTF-8 JSON', function (done) {
+      const token = createTokenWithRawPayload('{invalid json', secret);
+
+      jwt.verify(token, secret, function (err) {
+        assert.isNotNull(err);
+        assert.equal(err.name, 'JsonWebTokenError');
+        assert.equal(err.message, 'jwt malformed');
+        done();
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('valid tokens still work', function () {
+    it('should verify a token with a valid JSON object payload', function (done) {
+      const token = jwt.sign({ foo: 'bar' }, secret);
+
+      jwt.verify(token, secret, function (err, decoded) {
+        assert.isNull(err);
+        assert.equal(decoded.foo, 'bar');
+        done();
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should verify a token with a string payload', function () {
+      const token = jwt.sign('hello', secret);
+      const result = jwt.verify(token, secret);
+      assert.equal(result, 'hello');
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/verify.js b/verify.js
index cdbfdc4..cc8e06b 100644
--- a/verify.js
+++ b/verify.js
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ module.exports = function (jwtString, secretOrPublicKey, options, callback) {
   try {
     decodedToken = decode(jwtString, { complete: true });
   } catch(err) {
-    return done(err);
+    return done(err instanceof SyntaxError ? new JsonWebTokenError('jwt malformed') : err);
   }
 
   if (!decodedToken) {