JEDDAH — Saudi tourists who intend to spend their vacation in Turkey have been cautioned against impostors in border cities who arrange fake marriages to extort money from potential victims. The Saudi Embassy in Turkey has warned its citizens against suspicious marriage agents who work along the Syrian-Turkish border to cheat travelers, especially Gulf citizens. Saudi authorities have issued instructions about two months ago regarding marriage of Saudis with Turkish women, Al-Hayat Arabic daily said in a report. The authorities have insisted that in case the couple is separated, a divorce should be formalized in line with the Shariah to avoid complications in the future. The marriage documents should be endorsed by the Saudi Embassy in Ankara after obtaining official permission for the marriage as per the law, the paper said. The couple should present official marriage documents and make sure the marriage is devoid of suspicious deals, the embassy said, adding that divorce procedures should also be done in accordance with the Shariah to avoid claims that would force the embassy to approach official agencies. Referring to the reports on suspicious marriages taking place along the Turkish-Syrian border, the embassy said: "There have been attempts to lure Gulf citizens into such marriage relationships and we have observed increasing number of such gangs operating in the area." The embassy added: "This is quite normal in neutral zones of countries hit by civil wars and conflicts that provide a fertile ground for people to engage in such negative practices. We have been making regular announcements to avoid such problematic marriages." The embassy said it has been warning Saudi students, tourists and investors against impostors to prevent citizens from falling prey to these cheaters. Many foreign tourists in Turkey have already complained about being cheated by impostors. "There is nothing to be surprised at because such things happen in many countries, not only in Turkey, because of various reasons, including the presence of large numbers of refugees," the embassy said. Ahmed Ali, a Saudi tourist, acknowledged that he was one of the victims of such impostors who asked him to pay a specific amount to arrange a marriage. However, he said he was able to escape from them and take refuge at the embassy. A number of Gulf tourists in Turkey have been forced to leave the country in the last two days, cutting short their vacation due to terrorist attacks and because of threats from impostors, the Arabic daily said. In a related development, the Saudi Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said it would issue residency cards for Saudi students in Malaysian universities for a period of their stay in the Southeast Asian country to complete their studies so that they are not required to carry around their passports. The embassy also informed all Saudi tourists that the Malaysian law does not allow them to get admission in a university or institute while in the country on tourist visas. Tourists caught studying in Malaysian universities and institutes would be either imprisoned or deported, it added.
