How to spot fake matrimony profiles in India: a checklist

Most people you meet on a matrimony app are exactly who they say they are. A few are not, and the ones who are not are usually after one thing: money. In July 2026 the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued an advisory about fake profiles on matrimonial websites and apps. This checklist brings together that advice and the platforms' own safety pages (checked on 21 October 2026), so you can recognise a fake profile early and know where to report it.

The short answer

• Any request for money is the clearest red flag. Customs duty on a gift, an emergency, travel or visa costs: BharatMatrimony's rule of thumb is never to pay a match you are talking to online, under any circumstances.
• Fake profiles often look too good. The I4C advisory describes attractive photos, high-paying jobs and claims of living abroad, with scammers posing as NRIs, doctors, engineers, army officers or business owners.
• Video-call before you trust. Someone who keeps avoiding a video call or a meeting is a warning sign on every platform's list.
• Badges help but do not prove intent. Shaadi.com, BharatMatrimony and Jeevansathi all offer some verification, but Jeevansathi itself says the onus of verifying a profile lies with you.
• Lost money? Call 1930 at once, then file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. Report the profile on the app too.

How matrimony scams usually work

According to Aaj Tak's report of the I4C advisory (8 July 2026), the pattern is consistent. A scammer builds a polished profile, then builds an emotional bond through daily conversation and pushes for an early marriage. Once there is trust, a need for money appears: an expensive gift held at customs, travel tickets or visa fees, or a sudden medical emergency. After you pay, they either disappear or invent the next reason to pay again.

BharatMatrimony's Safe Matrimony page, a long-running awareness initiative from Matrimony.com, names four common versions:

Four common matrimony frauds (BharatMatrimony's Safe Matrimony page)

Fraud	How it works
Customs duty	The match, posing as an NRI, or a fake customs officer asks you to pay duty to release a gift sent in your name.
Emergency cash	The match asks for money for an accident, a hospital bill or a stolen wallet: needs that sound genuine.
Cash on delivery	You are asked to pay on delivery for a gift they sent, then to return it. The money is kept.
Sextortion	After trust is built, you are tricked into an explicit video call that is recorded and used to demand money.

Red-flag checklist

If a profile or a conversation ticks one of these boxes, slow down. If it ticks two, stop and check before anything else happens.

• ☐ They ask for money, for any reason, however plausible, or ask you to pay customs duty, a delivery charge or a fee.
• ☐ They won't show their face. They avoid video calls or keep postponing a meeting with excuses.
• ☐ They are in a hurry. They push for a quick marriage, quick trust or quick decisions.
• ☐ They use emotional pressure, such as "if you love me, help me" or a sudden crisis that only you can solve.
• ☐ They ask for financial details: bank or Demat account numbers, card details, an OTP or PIN, or your email password.
• ☐ They ask for favours, such as carrying goods, depositing funds for them or lending money. Jeevansathi tells members to stop all communication if this happens.
• ☐ The details don't add up. Education, profession, income or family details seem false or keep changing.
• ☐ Someone "from the app" calls for your password. Jeevansathi and BharatMatrimony both say their staff will never ask for it.
• ☐ A look-alike website asks for a membership fee. Jeevansathi warns about copycat sites; check the address before you pay anything.
• ☐ They want your ID documents. BharatMatrimony advises never sharing your Aadhaar, PAN or other government IDs with a match.

Verification badges on each platform

Each major platform verifies something, but they verify different things. Know what a badge means before you rely on it.

What each platform says it verifies

Platform	What it offers	What it tells you
Shaadi.com	Blue-tick verification; its App Store listing says profiles are government ID verified. New and edited profiles are screened, usually within 24 hours, and icons show whether a phone number is verified.	The person passed Shaadi.com's checks. Its listing does not detail what each check covers.
BharatMatrimony	Every profile's mobile number is verified. Optional Trust Badges: Identity (driving licence, passport or PAN), Social (Facebook), Professional (education certificate and salary slip, or a business bill) and Profile (a selfie copying a gesture). Prime profiles are described as verified.	Which documents were cross-checked against the profile. The documents themselves are not shown to you.
Jeevansathi	Says all profiles are manually screened, offers selfie verification, and has a special listing of profiles verified by its agents through personal visits.	The profile was screened, and for some, visited in person. Jeevansathi still says checking authenticity is your responsibility.

How to check a profile yourself

1. Video-call early. It is the quickest way to confirm the person matches their photos.
2. Reverse-search their photos. The I4C advice includes running profile photos through a reverse image search; scammers often use stolen or edited pictures.
3. Confirm the job and the company. Check their social media and whether the employer they name exists and matches what they told you.
4. Speak to their family, and involve yours. A genuine match expects this.
5. Meet in a public place and tell friends or family where you will be, as both BharatMatrimony and Jeevansathi advise.
6. Make no financial transaction before you have met, and ideally not then either.

BharatMatrimony's Safe Matrimony page also lists third-party verification agencies you can use to check a profile. Whichever route you choose, a genuine person will not mind you checking.

What to do if you suspect a fake profile

1. Stop, and do not pay

Stop sending money and stop sharing personal details. If a video call turns explicit, BharatMatrimony's advice is to disconnect immediately, report the profile and block it.

2. Report the profile on the platform

• Shaadi.com: go to the profile and report misuse. Its Safety Desk acts on the complaint and emails you a Ticket ID, which you can use to escalate to its grievance officer.
• BharatMatrimony: report the profile as abuse and block it, or contact the helpline (+91-8144998877, helpdesk@bharatmatrimony.com). It says your details are not shared with the other person.
• Jeevansathi: mark the profile "Report Abuse" and email help@jeevansathi.com.

3. If you have lost money, call 1930

Call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 straight away. Kerala Police describes it as available 24 hours a day, and the I4C advice stresses that the faster you report, the better the chance of stopping the money. Then file a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in, where you can report online financial fraud and track your complaint.

4. Keep the evidence

Before you block or delete anything, save chat screenshots, profile links (and the profile ID: see our profile ID guide), phone numbers, email addresses, UPI IDs, bank transaction receipts and any call recordings.

Where Lettheworld fits

Lettheworld is free, consent-first messaging for people who met on matrimony and dating apps such as Shaadi.com, Jeevansathi, BharatMatrimony, M4Marry and Bumble. It is not affiliated with any of them, and it does not verify anyone's identity, so everything above still applies. What it does is put you in control of the first contact:

• When someone knocks, you see their first name, their profile picture if they added one (blurred until you tap it), which of your profile IDs or bios they found, and when.
• You can ask up to 5 questions before you accept, which is a simple way to test whether the story holds up.
• You can ignore or block a knock, and the knocker is never told.
• Photos, full names and phone numbers are shared step by step, only when you both agree. Nobody gets your number just by finding you.

It is completely free right now, with no paid plans and no limits on messaging, so nobody has a reason to ask you for money on Lettheworld's behalf. If anyone does, it is a scam. For the free and paid ways to contact someone on the big apps, see how to contact someone without paying and our price guide.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Aaj Tak: I4C advisory on matrimonial fraud (8 July 2026, Hindi)
2. BharatMatrimony Safe Matrimony
3. BharatMatrimony FAQs (Trust Badge, mobile verification)
4. BharatMatrimony homepage
5. BharatMatrimony on the App Store (India)
6. Jeevansathi fraud alert
7. Jeevansathi homepage (screening and personal-visit verification)
8. Jeevansathi on the App Store (India)
9. Shaadi.com homepage (blue-tick verification)
10. Shaadi.com on the App Store (India)
11. Shaadi.com FAQ: block and report misuse
12. Shaadi.com FAQ: profile screening
13. Shaadi.com FAQ: search results and profile icons
14. Kerala Police: National Cyber Crime Reporting Helpline 1930
15. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal