Visakhapatnam: Widows and divorced women are the worst-hit in the matrimonial frauds in Vizag city and parts of the Andhra Pradesh. Sources in police said that in most cases, the fraudsters create fake profiles on matrimonial websites posing as software professionals in the USA, looking for brides and finally dupe the women who looking for a second marriage.
Explaining the modus of operandi of the cyber criminals, Inspector of Cyber Crimes Investigation Cell (CCIC), Vizag, V. Gopinath said that some women (widows or divorcees) register their profiles in the popular matrimonial website for a second marriage.
The fraudsters, who also register their names on the matrimonial website with a fake profile, identify their targets and after establishing trust, the crooks propose marriage before making up a story of how expensive gifts and others to the women are caught at customs in India's airport or even how they are in trouble for carrying huge US currency in Indian airports. The fraudsters ask the women for money to overcome the hurdles from the customs and others and are quick to then disappear after duping women, he added.
Sources said in very few cases, men have been cheated by fraudsters posing as women. Recently, Gopinath and his team arrested two of three accused, including a Nigerian national, for duping a Vizag based divorced woman to the tune of '24.29 lakh through an online fraud. In another incident, a woman from Vizag who is looking for second marriage was duped by a fraudster to the tune of Rs 40 lakh.
Gopinath said that they receive at least two cases in every three months and some victims hesitate to lodge police complaints also, he added.
In the recent case, the woman received interest from one Ansh Khurana, who claimed himself that he was an interior designer living in New York. Later, Ansh Khurana made a phone call to the woman and claimed that he landed at the Delhi airport but was detained by the customs officials on the charge that he was having huge US currency and valuable gifts.
Believing in Ansh Khurana’s words that he needed some money for release from the customs to clear the customs duties, the woman deposited Rs 24,29,000 in different bank accounts provided by the fraudster, he added.
A senior police officer said that the matrimonial frauds are being reported in cities like Vizag, Vijayawada, Tirupati and a few other towns.
But, cracking these cases is not an easy task and recovery of money from the fraudsters is also a tough task. The fraudsters tell different stories to the victims like that he would send her expensive gifts, which would then got held up at customs.
Then, impersonating a customs official, he would tell the woman to send a certain sum of money online as customs charges, he added. We are appealing the netizens to meet in person and don't believe the words on the internet, he added
