HIBAPRESS
In recent years, Algeria has witnessed a disturbing proliferation of online fraud targeting women, under false pretenses and promises of marriage to foreigners. Human rights activists view this phenomenon as a "trade in dreams and desires," exploiting the vulnerability of women in light of the economic and social failure of the Algerian regime and its policies, which have deprived society of genuine prospects for improving living conditions or achieving the dream of emigration.
Social media platforms are fertile grounds for fraud networks. Human rights reports indicate that closed groups on social media have become fertile platforms for fraud networks, hiding behind the guise of marriage to foreigners, especially from Turkey, where victims are asked to pay sums of money to intermediaries, before it later becomes clear that it is all just organized scams exploiting the legal vacuum and government neglect in monitoring these networks. Observers confirm that the phenomenon is expanding rapidly, targeting girls from various age groups, who receive promises of marriage, travel, and stability, only to later discover that those promises were just elaborate deceptions to steal money or exploit the victims in illegal relationships. Many women find themselves in complex predicaments after traveling abroad without official contracts or legal guarantees, leading to the loss of money, dignity, and even their legal status, while any effective intervention by the Algerian authorities to combat this phenomenon or protect the victims is absent. Experts believe that the phenomenon is linked to the increased desire of young Algerians, women and men, to emigrate due to "economic and social fragility," a direct result of the policies of the Algerian regime that have failed to provide genuine opportunities for a decent life, making society fertile ground for cross-border scam networks. According to human rights activists, these networks operate with precise methods that include creating fake accounts, using multiple languages, and providing forged documents that deceive victims into believing the seriousness of the situation. Among the victims, "Amal. A", 32, told the "Al Arabiya.net/Al Hadath.net" channels how a woman through a group on "Facebook" convinced her that she would marry her off to a Turkish man, with a promise of a limited residency until the marriage documents were completed. Amal added: "She asked me for a small sum to provide me with residency, so that I would leave Algeria as soon as my situation was resolved, which seemed acceptable to me, until I discovered that other women had been subjected to the same fraud, and that it was all just scenarios orchestrated by organized gangs exploiting the fragile social situation of Algerians".
