Mary (name changed), an engineer in a private company, came in contact with Joy Richard, a resident of Bangalore, through a matrimonial website in June 2013.
A little over a year later, Mary told a city court that she had given him a total of around Rs. 11 lakh after he had expressed interest in marrying her.
In the complaint, she said Richard repeatedly asked her for money for some emergency or the other and promised to return the same before the marriage.
After she obliged him on several occasions, the victim came to know that he had cheated many girls and had multiple relationships. Finally, when she confronted him in June 2014, the accused not only refused to marry her, but also denied having had any financial transactions with the complainant.
Based on her complaint in the court of IV Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Bangalore, the Airport police station, earlier this week, detained the accused for questioning.
Cyber security experts believe that matrimonial sites have become a new hunting ground for fraudsters who prey on gullible women, particularly those who are earning, in major cities such as Bangalore and Mysore.
Complaints not lodgedMary may be among the few persons who have lodged a police complaint.
Many women do not lodge a police complaint, fearing that their reputation will be maligned and adversely affect their future alliances, said Mirza Faizan, member of Global Cyber Security Response Team (GCSRT), Bangalore.
Among the complaints that GCSRT has received is that of Mayuri (name changed), an IT professional in Bangalore. After she received a proposal request on a matrimonial website from a person claiming to be working with the US Army, attached to the UN peace mission in Ghana, Mayuri started talking to him on his international number after checking his Facebook profile, which she initially believed to be genuine.
After about a month, when he was supposed to come down to India and meet his family, he called up and told her that he was held up in Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport owing to the absence of some security documents.
He wanted Mayuri to deposit USD 1,000 in a private bank account in India. When Mayuri, who suspected something fishy, said her friend would meet him at the airport and hand over the money, the man said he could not meet anybody, confirming Mayuri’s suspicions.
Mayuri has complained to both the bank and the matrimonial website about the fake identity. “This is the fourth time where men have come in with fake identity/wrong details,” she said.
Experts’ viewWhile cyber security experts contend that matrimonial websites can be held liable under the Information Technology Act 2000, cyber crime police officials point to the disclaimer put up by the websites.
“There are several match-making websites, which are making brisk business and also facilitating online frauds. But, they get away since they put up a disclaimer on the corner of the website. Though the disclaimer is expected to given them immunity in case of any eventuality, an investigating officer can book such websites for abetment if lapses were found on their (websites) part during the course of investigation,” said Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) D.C. Rajappa.
A senior police officer investigating one such case, however, said the website had no direct role to play in the fraud.
Legal recourse availableBut, Mr. Faizan pointed out that there was legal recourse available as there were certain liabilities associated with “intermediaries” under Section 79(3) (a) of the Information Technology Act if the “intermediary has conspired or abetted or aided or induced, whether by threats or promise or otherwise in the commission of the unlawful act”.
He also said it was possible to detect fraudsters through their Internet Protocol (IP) address.
