'Man arrested for reportedly scamming marriage hopefuls'

AMMAN — A special team from the Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) cyber security unit have arrested a suspect wanted for "using social media for scams", a Public Security Department (PSD) statement said Sunday.

Several weeks ago, the team started investigating a pattern of similar cases where women reported an anonymous person who pretended to seek their hand in marriage, but ended up taking their money and disappearing.

The PSD said that initial investigation revealed the suspect created fake profiles on a social media website and sent friend requests to women and girls, then talked to them and told them he wants to marry but cannot because he is under heavy debt.

Therefore, he reportedly asked the targets for financial help to be able to proceed with the engagement. 

The suspect then allegedly took money and disappeared.

The CID cyber security unit's team was able to identify the suspect, who turned out to be wanted for nine crimes, and arrest him, the PSD statement said. 

The team scanned the suspect's mobile phones, through which they ascertained that he scammed several women and took their money, and then the referred him to court.

The PSD said last week that it has been receiving complaints by young women saying they have been contacted by men who pretend to be seeking their hands in marriage but end up blackmailing them instead.

PSD Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi at the time told The Jordan Times that these cases are common on social media.

“The department of cybercrimes has received complaints about a man who contacts women with the false excuse of seeking marriage,” he said.

After the woman talks to him, he starts threatening to use that against her and demands an amount of money to keep quiet, Sartawi said, noting that the scam usually involves two men.