http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=74519&d=11&m=12&y=2005
Sunday, 11, December, 2005 (10, Dhul Qa`dah, 1426)
Call 700 - and Get a Wife!
Arab News
JEDDAH, 11 December 2005 - A strange venture has started
recently over the phone that offers customers an opportunity to call a 700
number and talk to an operator who might find them a match, provided they stay
on hold long enough.
The purveyors of this new 700 service are spreading their
advertisements over the Internet, via SMS messages and in brochures distributed
in coffee shops and cybercafes. Their main target: Young Saudi men. The service
is trying to legitimize this operation by claiming it is sanctioned by Shariah.
But the motives for the service appear to be less than pure.
Callers must first wait through verses from the Holy Qur'an
and a recorded message about the matchmaking program that lasts more than five
minutes before speaking to a "sheikh" - if they're fortunate enough not to be
put on hold again listening to another recording informing them that the
"sheikh" is busy with another wife-seeking customer.
By now the main motive of this venture should be apparent:
While on hold, customers are shelling out SR10 a minute.
For callers foolish enough to wait, they are met with an
application form they must fill out over the phone that asks for name, age,
gender, nationality, race, tribal affiliation, salary range, height, weight and
other questions aimed at milking the forlorn customer out of more money.
The service also asks the customer to describe what kind of
wife he is seeking, her ideal location, and whether he wants a "misyar" or
normal marriage. The costly phone call ends by giving the caller a secret
number to track his application, and the service asks for contact information
to verify the customer's sincerity in his attempt to find a spouse.
Predictably, the service has faced criticism. Complaints by
citizens have been filed to the Saudi Telecom Co. (STC) calling for a stop to
this scam. STC officials have said that they only provide the technology and
that it is up to telecommunications regulators to authorize or deny such
ventures.
So, what's the alternative?
There are not-for-profit matchmaking charity organizations
sanctioned by the Ministry of Justice that are designed specifically for this
type of service - free of charge.
"I know that marriage arrangement is something that people do
for free. There are many websites available online that arrange for marriage
for free," said Musleh Al-Shamari, a Saudi citizen. "This service is a scam
because any number that starts with 700 is a scam. It is very strange that I
hear of a 700 number that offers marriage for people. It should be stopped and
people should not fall victim to it."
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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