The dangers of finding ‘perfect match’ online
Imagine the wealth of information a person has to give in order to find someone to spend forever with. Take extra caution in sharing any data, as the police found that in the middle of the pandemic, a number of blackmailers and cybercriminals are disguised as ‘matchmakers’.
In the middle of a pandemic, when home is the safest place to be in, could it be possible to find love and actually ‘meet’ someone to marry? Really, how do you find The One in the time of Covid-19? Matchmakers claim to have the answer.
Compared to pre-coronavirus era, there has been a spike in the online activity of matchmakers this year, according to the authorities. The problem is — not all of them are genuine.
The police have recorded several incidents of fraud and blackmail — targeting both men and women of marrying age, looking for a partner to spend the rest of their lives with.
The increase in cases and complaints about such scams have prompted the police in Dubai and Sharjah to issue warning advisories, urging the public to be extra careful in availing of online matchmaking services. Make sure an entity is licensed before starting any transaction, the police stressed.
Dr Raja Al Othmani of the Family Advisory said these electronic matchmaking activities are “very risky”, primarily because one often doesn’t have a way to verify the information about a certain “match” or a person seeking marriage.
She lamented how the concept of matchmaking has changed over the years, with the advent of smart technologies. In the old days, community members personally know who the best matchmakers are, Dr Al Othmani said. Now, as the business goes online, people could actually make transactions with a matchmaker they have never met.
This, the experts said, makes the trend dangerous.
Crackdown on scams
The police have been combing through social media in a crackdown on fake matchmakers, following complaints from scam victims. Many fraudsters claim that they can “bring a couple together for legal marriage”. They ask for large sums of money and gather a great deal of personal data:
From pictures to age, career information, residence, family background and more. In many cases, these information are collected without any guarantee that they won’t be used for blackmailing or any other crime.
A top official of the anti-cybercrime department of the Sharjah Police said they have found several Twitter and Instagram accounts offering such services.
“Unfortunately, these accounts enjoy a wide following.
The number of followers of each ‘matchmaker’ ranges from 40,000 to 80,000. What raises alarm is that there is a clear interaction in the comments section, where people send personal information. Protection of one’s privacy becomes a concern,” he said.
Khaleej Times has tried to get in touch with a number of owners of these social media accounts, but they refused to disclose any information about their activities.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com