A growing number of cyber fraud cases in Coimbatore are being linked to matrimonial scams, with unmarried men above 40 increasingly being targeted. Police said the district has recorded more than 50 complaints related to such scams this year.
Coimbatore Rural has registered 25 matrimonial scam complaints, while the city’s cybercrime wing has received around 30 complaints.
District Cybercrime Inspector K Kavitha said scammers use women to approach unmarried men with marriage proposals. They build a virtual relationship over several months, create confidence about marriage and encourage victims to save money. The scammer then introduces an investment plan and persuades the victim to invest.
“Despite being a scam, this process takes considerable time, during which the victim develops hope of marrying the woman. After the scam, victims suffer not only financial loss but also significant mental distress caused by the breakup of the relationship. Unmarried men should remain cautious of such scams,” the officer said.
“On most matrimonial sites, those looking for a partner disclose everything like age, educational qualification, salary and property details, making it easy for scammers. On many sites, these details are available for free, the officer added.
Coimbatore District (Rural) Cybercrime Police registered 118 cybercrime cases in the last 9 months, including 100 cases in the last 3 months. Police have arrested 25 people and recovered around Rs 2.10 crore. This year, 4,360 cybercrime complaints have been received, involving losses of around Rs 9 crore.
“Normally, a case is registered only when the loss mentioned in the complaint is more than Rs 5 lakh. But for the last two months, FIRs are being registered even if the loss is around Rs 1 lakh”, said Inspector K Kavitha.
Fake online trading led with 216 complaints, followed by online job scams with 200. Police also recorded 36 schp scams, 36 digital arrest complaints, 34 KYC update scams, 39 APK file scams and 25 fake customer care complaints.
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