Our Commitment to Your Safety
Every family that comes to ShadiSunnah is trusting us with something deeply personal — the search for a marriage partner for their son or daughter. We take that responsibility seriously. We have built the Platform with safety as a foundational requirement, not an afterthought.
These Safety Guidelines exist alongside our Terms & Conditions and Acceptable Use Policy. Together, they set out what we do to protect you, what we expect from everyone on the Platform, and what you can do to keep yourself and your family safe.
1. How We Protect You
1.1 Manual Identity Verification
Every single account on ShadiSunnah is required to submit a government-issued identity document — either a Pakistani CNIC or an international passport — before their profile becomes visible to anyone else. A member of our admin team reviews every submission. No profile goes live automatically. This is our most important protection against fake profiles and fraudsters.
1.2 Protected Contact Details
Your phone number and email address are never displayed to other families on the Platform, ever. The only way for one family to initiate contact with another is through our structured connection request system, which requires mutual acceptance. This means you are always in control of who can contact you.
1.3 Watermarked Photographs
All profile photographs displayed on the Platform carry a ShadiSunnah watermark. This is designed to deter the theft and redistribution of photographs, which is a common tactic used by fraudsters who steal photographs from matrimonial platforms to create fake profiles elsewhere.
1.4 Secure Data Handling
Identity document images are stored in a private, non-publicly accessible location on our servers. They are viewed only by authorised members of our admin team and deleted promptly after verification is complete. They are never shared with other users.
1.5 Report and Block System
Every profile on the Platform has a report function. You can report any profile, at any time, for any concern. All reports are treated confidentially — the reported family is never informed who reported them. Our team investigates every report.
1.6 Anti-Fraud Registration Controls
We limit the number of accounts that can be created from a single IP address per day. We run automated checks to detect and block disposable email addresses. We use CAPTCHA on the registration form. These measures significantly reduce the ability of fraudsters to create multiple fake accounts.
2. Recognising Fake Profiles and Scams
Despite everything we do, determined fraudsters sometimes find ways through. Knowing what to look for can protect you.
2.1 Warning Signs in a Profile
- The photographs look too perfect. Professional-quality images that look like modelling shots or stock photographs are a red flag. Run a reverse image search at images.google.com — if the photograph appears on other websites or platforms, it has been stolen.
- The profile is inconsistent. The stated age doesn't match the date of birth, the city doesn't match the nationality, or details contradict each other in different sections.
- The profile is unusually sparse despite being active. Very little information filled in, even for optional fields, can indicate a hastily created fake account.
- Extraordinary claims. A profile claiming exceptional wealth, status, or achievement that seems disproportionate or unverifiable.
2.2 Warning Signs Once You Are Connected
Once you are connected with a family and begin communicating, be alert to these patterns:
- They immediately push to move off the Platform. A genuine family will have no problem communicating through ShadiSunnah initially. Someone who urgently wants your WhatsApp number or email address before any meaningful conversation has happened is a warning sign.
- They are evasive about basic details. Ask about their neighbourhood, their workplace, their family background, their local mosque. A genuine family will answer these questions naturally. A fraudster will dodge them.
- They cannot or will not arrange an in-person meeting. There is always an excuse. The father is abroad. The mother is unwell. The timing is never right.
- They express intense interest or affection very quickly. In genuine Islamic matrimonial practice, things move with care and caution. Someone who declares strong feelings very early in the process without having met you is behaving unusually.
- They ask you for money. This is the most important warning sign of all. No genuine family seeking a marriage match has any reason whatsoever to ask you for money. Not for travel. Not for a visa. Not for a medical emergency. Not for any reason. If any family asks you for money, stop all communication immediately and report the account to us.
2.3 Common Scam Patterns to Know
The Romance Scam: A fraudster invests weeks or months building trust with your family, then invents a crisis requiring money. Once the money is sent, they disappear. These scams are sophisticated and emotionally manipulative. They target good-natured, trusting people.
The Visa Scam: A fraudster presents themselves as based abroad and asks the UK or Gulf-based family to help sponsor a visa or transfer money for travel. Once the money is sent, they vanish.
The Data Harvesting Scam: A fraudster has no intention of matrimonial contact at all. Their goal is to collect photographs and personal information from as many families as possible, which they then use to create fake profiles on other platforms or sell to third parties.
3. Protecting Your Personal Information
- Never share your home address with a family you have just connected with
- Do not share photographs of younger siblings, parents, or other family members in early conversations
- Do not discuss financial details — your income, savings, property, or assets — before you have established significant trust over time
- Be thoughtful about sharing the exact workplace or school of the Profile Subject before you have met the family
- Use the Platform's connection system for initial contact before exchanging personal phone numbers
4. Meeting in Person
If your conversations have gone well and you decide to meet, please follow these guidelines.
4.1 Before You Meet
- Have a thorough conversation through the Platform first. Ask detailed questions about family background, profession, education, religious practice, and expectations from marriage.
- Do your own research. A simple internet search of the family's full name can sometimes reveal important information.
- If possible, seek a reference from someone within your community who knows the family or can vouch for them.
- Make sure you know in advance exactly where you are going, who will be present, and what the arrangements are.
4.2 The Meeting Itself
- For the first meeting, choose a public venue — a restaurant, hotel lobby, or community centre.
- Bring appropriate family members as chaperones. This is both an Islamic requirement and a commonsense safety measure.
- Do not meet alone.
- Tell someone you trust — a family member or close friend not attending the meeting — where you are going, who you are meeting, and when you expect to be back.
- Keep your phone with you and charged.
- If anything feels wrong when you arrive — if the situation is different from what was agreed, if there are unexpected people present, if something in your gut tells you something is off — it is completely acceptable and sensible to leave.
4.3 After the Meeting
If anything about the meeting troubled you — if what you found in person differed significantly from the profile, if you felt pressured, uncomfortable, or misled in any way — please report it to us. Your report protects other families.
5. Online Safety
- Use a password you do not use for any other service
- Do not access your account from public or shared computers
- Log out after every session
- ShadiSunnah will never ask for your password by email or phone. If you receive any communication asking for your password or login details, it is a phishing attempt — forward it to us and do not respond to it.
- If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from ShadiSunnah, do not click any links. Log into the Platform directly by typing www.shadisunnah.com in your browser.
6. Reporting and Getting Help
If you encounter any of the following, contact us immediately:
- You believe you have been in contact with a fraudster or scammer
- You have been asked for money by another family
- You have received threatening, abusive, or harassing messages
- You believe your account has been accessed without your permission
- You have concerns about the safety or welfare of any person
Contact our Safety Team:
If you are in immediate danger:
- Emergency services: 999 (UK) | 115 (Pakistan) | 999 (UAE) | 911 (Saudi Arabia)
- UK non-emergency police: 101
- UK Action Fraud (financial crime): 0300 123 2040 or www.actionfraud.police.uk
- Pakistan FIA Cybercrime Wing: www.fia.gov.pk
7. Zero Tolerance
ShadiSunnah operates a zero tolerance policy on the following:
- Any attempt to financially exploit or defraud another family
- Any harassment, threats, or abuse directed at other families or our staff
- Profiles created for anyone under the age of 18
- Submission of fraudulent, altered, or invalid identity documents
- Using the Platform for any purpose other than genuine matrimonial searching
Accounts found to have engaged in any of the above will be permanently closed without refund. We will report to relevant authorities and cooperate fully with any investigation.
