The online matrimonial mayhem
I By Sarosh Bana APSM Correspondent
46 | Asia Pacific Security Magazine
ndia is among those countries most vulnerable to cyberattacks, the RSA Quarterly Fraud Report putting it alongside Canada, the United States and Brazil as the top four target countries for phishing and malware-based attacks worldwide. Among the myriad ways in which cyber fraudsters have been assailing India is by targeting young women, divorcees and even widows who are keen on marriage or remarriage. These scamsters have been exploiting women who are obliged to marry at an early enough age so as not to be frowned upon by the relatively conservative milieus of Indian society. Often, the families select suitors for these young women in what is commonly known as “arranged marriages� and these to-be husbands are usually from similar religious, caste, social and economic backgrounds. In traditionbound communities, these concerns usually override all considerations of compatibility in married life. Also targeted are the parents of girls who are in quest of well-placed businessmen or professionals from the software or finance industries. The tricksters exploit social networking sites such as Facebook through fake profiles on matrimonial websites by posing as prospective suitors having the coveted credentials, namely, senior positions in these industries, preferably in
the US, which come with impressive salaries. Many of these cheats may be operating from some country overseas or even from some part of India. Police investigations reveal that many Nigerian men who often overstay their visa periods in India have also muscled into this area of online hoax and honed it into a lucrative business. These web gangs are now resorting less to phishing emails about lotteries and charity as less people are falling for them, and diversifying into duping prospective brides as also deceiving people on questionable investment schemes or on claims of representing multinational companies. The fraudsters register themselves with fake profiles on popular matrimonial websites on which women wishing to marry or remarry are also registered. They identify their targets and enter into correspondence with them to build up their trust and eventually propose marriage. They then express an eagerness to travel to India to meet the woman and her family, informing that they will be putting up at a luxury hotel during their stay. However, they soon fabricate a story that they were detained by the Customs at the airport and ask for money to be wired to them to buy their way out of the problem. Often, the waiting women fall for such alibis and pay up unhesitatingly only to never hear from the conmen again. There are also any number of instances where men
