Women warned of blackmail attempts by fake suitors

AMMAN — The Public Security Department (PSD) said Wednesday 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 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, according to Sartawi, noting that the scam usually involves two men.

A victim of a similar crime who spoke to The Jordan Times on condition of anonymity said she received a phone call when she was at work sometime last week.

“An old man called me on my personal number and said he wanted my parents’ numbers to discuss a marriage proposal,” she said.

The 26-year-old added that the man “seemed friendly” over the phone and she gave him her parents’ contact details.

“After talking to my father, they requested to visit us… they seem really nice and polite over the phone that you want to meet them right away,” she said.

But after the woman accepts to talk to the young man, allegedly the son of the old man who initiates contact, he starts threatening to ruin her reputation and demands a sum of money, the woman said.

“I paid him JD500 because he threatened to create a scandal where I work,” she said.

“Some of these people even record phone calls to blackmail women.”

Out of hundreds of victims, the number of young women who report their cases is “low”, Sartawi said, adding that many women “prefer not to speak out about this out of fear”. 

He urged the public to be cautious when using social media networks and to avoid dealing with anonymous persons, noting that many suspects contact women of all ages, including underage girls.