Most families verify far less than they think. A friendly call and a good-looking biodata are not verification. Here's a practical checklist that respects the other family and protects yours.
Employment and income
- LinkedIn: the profile should match the biodata - employer, role, dates. A missing or brand-new profile isn't proof of anything, but a mismatch is a question to ask.
- Ask to see: an offer letter or a recent salary slip is a reasonable request at the serious stage. Many families exchange these.
- Own business: ask what the business does, where, since when, GST registration (you can check a GSTIN on the GST portal's public search), and visit if possible.
Education
- Degrees from Indian universities can often be checked on the university's verification service or through DigiLocker. Ask which college and year; inconsistent answers are a flag.
Marital status
- For a previously married person, ask for the divorce decree. "Divorce in process" means not yet divorced - a marriage cannot legally take place until the decree is final.
- For NRIs, ask whether there was any previous marriage abroad.
NRI proposals
- Visa/status: H-1B, green card, PR, citizenship - ask which, and when it expires. Spouse work rights depend on the visa type and country; check them on the official immigration website.
- Employment: the employer's name, and a LinkedIn and email domain that matches. Be careful with "consultancy" roles you can't verify.
- Address abroad: a real address, and ideally a family contact who has visited.
- Support exists: the Ministry of External Affairs and the National Commission for Women help women deserted by NRI spouses - but prevention is far easier than cure. Registering the marriage in India helps.
Warning signs of matrimony fraud
- Asks for money, gifts or "help" before marriage - for customs fees, a medical emergency, a business deal. Stop.
- Pushes for a very quick wedding, or avoids meeting in person or on video.
- Only one family member ever appears; relatives "abroad" can't be contacted.
- The profile photos look like a model's or are found elsewhere online (try a reverse image search).
- Mentions of dowry or "expectations" of gifts. Giving, taking or demanding dowry is an offence under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
If you suspect fraud, report it on the national cyber crime portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or call 1930.
Keep notes
Write down what was said and what was verified for each profile. The rishta tracker keeps a note history per profile, so nothing important gets lost between calls.