While many in India are flocking to sites like Shaadi.com or Jeevansathi.com to find a life partner, they must also navigate the tricky waters of marriage frauds and scams that come with online matchmaking.
The most common marital scams involve extortion of money, presenting fake information, marital status hiding, and honey traps. These incidents cause severe emotional and financial trauma to genuine seekers.
What are the Common Scams Seen on Indian Matrimonial Sites?
Below are some of the most prevalent matrimonial frauds seen on Indian matchmaking platforms:
Honey Trapping
Scammers target individuals by impressing them and building an emotional connection to extract money or gifts.
Married People Posing as Singles
Married individuals create profiles on matrimonial sites posing as unmarried to indulge in affairs or emotional fraud.
Simultaneous Multiple Profiles
Scammers create multiple fake profiles on different sites to cast a wider net and scam more people.
Refusal of In-person Meeting
Dodgy users avoid meeting in person and devise vague excuses for long periods.
Blackmail
Fraudsters threaten to defame, expose private pictures/information, or harm targets if money demands are unmet. This kind of emotional blackmail and extortion is one of the most deplorable matrimonial scams, making even the bravest question – are matrimony sites safe anymore?
How Does Matrimony Sites Prevent Scams?
Shaadi.com, Bharat Matrimony, Jeevansathi & many other matrimonial sites understand their huge responsibility to ensure a secure platform for people searching for their life partners.
Sophisticated Screening Algorithms
Many matrimonial sites use high-end algorithms that screen user data, profiles, transactions, and activities to detect suspicious patterns indicative of fraudulent behaviour. Machine learning helps improve their scam detection capabilities.
Manual Profile Verification
In addition to automated algorithms, they have a dedicated team that manually verified profiles on a random and need basis. This acts as an extra coating of security against fake profiles.
Photo Authentication
Their photo verification feature uses human and AI capabilities to check whether uploaded photos are authentic and unaltered. This prevents the use of fake or edited photographs.
Background Checks
When using matrimonial sites, conducting some background screening before progressing with any match is wise. This helps validate the authenticity of the information provided in their profile.
Volunteering Your Documents
When using a matrimonial platform, consider voluntarily submitting copies of your identity documents like PAN Card, Aadhar Card, passport, etc., to establish authenticity.
Though not mandatory, providing document copies to verify your credentials is a safe option. It is proof of your details for any prospective matches to review.
Secure Payment Gateways
They have integrated trusted payment gateways and multiple identity checks for all monetary transactions. This minimizes fraud risks in the payment process.
24/7 Customer Support
A reliable customer support team is available round the clock to immediately address safety concerns and user grievances.
Conclusion
Matrimonial sites such as Jeevansathi or Shaadi.com have tackled this issue head-on by infusing innovation and thought leadership into making matchmaking safer. Their multifaceted approach spans technology, operations, collaboration, and customer education.
While matrimonial sites are strengthening security, the users, too, need to be vigilant. Exercising caution, following safety protocols, and reporting shady behaviour can help avoid becoming victims. With proactive measures and mindful usage by citizens, the dream of finding one’s ideal life partner online can be realized smoothly and securely.
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