Flirting online fraught with danger

Online matrimonial fraud, pulled off by those posing as potential spouses, is on the rise in Bengaluru.

A techie was recently cheated of Rs 60 lakh. He was lured by the picture of a model posted online: he believed she would marry him.

Those cheated complain verbally to the police but are reluctant to file written complaints. They are afraid of social stigma, and often terrified the gossip mill could destroy their future.

Complaints received about matrimonial fraud on social media numbered 20 in 2017. The number has already touched 20 this year, in the first six months. That means the numbers could double by the end of the year, but only a minuscule number of frauds are reported, police suspect.

The victims are usually between 19 and 35 years. The frauds, mostly from African countries, are tech-savvy smooth talkers. They never come face-to-face with the victims, a senior policeman explains.

The modus operandi is simple. The frauds always work in gangs, a gang usually comprising two men and a woman. “Africans tie up with unemployed youngsters from Delhi, Bihar, and the North-East,” he explains. “They pick up victims’ profiles from Facebook and matrimonial sites.”The fraud pings potential victims and begins to chat, bringing them to a point where they are emotionally vulnerable.

Slowly but steadily, the fraud extorts money by weaving stories of somebody being terminally ill.

Victims, gullible till that point, are in shock when the frauds suddenly cut off all contact. “They don’t immediately file a complaint. And by the time they come to us it is usually too late to trace the criminals,” a cyber crime officer told Metrolife.

More and more people are falling into such traps because they are finding what they think is acceptance and love in the virtual world. “They are blind to the truth that people on the other end are not who they project themselves as,” he says.

Typical fraud cases

A man poses as a woman and starts chatting with another man. He uses the profile picture of a real Facebook user to lure the victim. He sends out intimate chats, and sometimes morphed photos, getting the victim’s private pictures in exchange. The victim is trapped and parts with money.

A man contacts a woman on a matrimonial site and starts chatting. He says he lives abroad and holds a high-paying job. The woman agrees to marry him and a date is fixed. A few days before the wedding, he calls to say he is held up at customs and needs something like Rs 30 lakh urgently. The bride-to-be blindly transfers the amount.

Couple who meet on dating site get close. The fraud says he has sent a gift from overseas but it is held up at customs. He asks the victim to pay a person at the airport (usually a member of the gang) to get the gift released. The money then goes poof!

Affairs on social media common

Many hook up on social media now, says a sleuth at the Criminal Investigation Department. “People spend a lot of time on social media and start talking to strangers,” he says. A huge gap exists between cases of online matrimonial fraud and cases registered. “If the amount lost is small, victims don’t come out. If it is large, they register a case. Some of those who lose money are married,” he says. It is mostly the well-heeled and the educated who usually fall into the trap. Most social media affairs go on for months and years, he says.

How they operate

The frauds could be anywhere in the world.

They use Indian bank accounts: no money transfer complications.

They use multiple sim cards to contact victims.

They often impersonate real Facebook users.

A woman in the gang talks to victims to instill trust.

Watch out

On Facebook, don’t accept friend requests from strangers.

Don’t share private pictures.

Don’t transfer money to people you’ve only met online.