Mail Order Bride Scams

What to Watch out for when looking for a Mail Order Bride

Archive for the ‘Dating’ category

Online Dateing Scam: They Love You

March 9th, 2010

“Scam artists are always looking to exploit vulnerable people, which is why dating services can be prime targets for financial ripoffs”. Those are the words of Mindy Bockstein; Chairperson and Executive Director of the New York State Consumer Protection Board.

Online dating has come a long way from being initially thought of as something only “losers” would participate in to a multi billion dollar business which has been widely accepted into the mainstream. That’s explosive growth for an industry that is still relatively new. And running in the shadows is a group of people who have made a considerable fortune from internet dating online. The scammers.

Some scams such as the ones originating from Nigeria or the Russian mail order bride swindle have become running jokes in some quarters. But it is no laughing matter to the victims of these hoaxes or any other internet scheme.

It’s a given that for any scam artist online or off to be successful, they must have the skill to manipulate the system. And like the offline world, when it comes to internet dating that expertise must also be coupled with their ability to manipulate their victim’s emotions.

It can start with a phony photo of a good looking person. The purpose of which is to catch your interest and set your heart to racing. Contact is made and you find out the two of you have so much in common. You like hiking; so do they. You like obscure songs from the nineteen eighties; they do too.

Once that connection is established then they turn up the volume. Seemingly out of nowhere they start talking about love. It gets pretty intense and relentless. At first you may be taken aback but the constant flattery, reaffirming of that “mutual bond” and the appearance of them opening themselves up to you can easily have your emotions spinning out of control.

This is where you need to think logically and put the brakes on your feelings. In fact it should probably be a clear indicator to end communication pronto. Wonderful chats and common connections aside, you do not know this person. Anyone who starts talking about love after a relatively short period of time should raise alarm bells. In some ways it’s the equivalent of going out on a blind date and after one hour the other person declares their undying love for you. Needless to say you would want to end that date as soon as possible and cut off all future contact.

You should carry that same attitude online. Unfortunately some people don’t. Their emotions are so far out in front that there is no way that common sense and reason can catch up to them. And what is the result? For the people running the Nigerian dating or the Russian bride scams; business is booming.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Share and Enjoy:

Comments Off »

Posted in Dating

Tags: Internet Scheme Laughing Matter Scam Artist

Russian Bride – Difficulties Involved In Getting Them

February 20th, 2010

Russian women are full of romance and love, but that does not mean they will plunge headlong into a long term relationship with anyone. It takes time to crystallize a relationship with them, and it is a bit of a challenge actually. You may take a while in reaching out at her heart, and it is not only an exercise in romance, but you will also have to learn her traditions and even language.

The world over, people have the impression of Russians that they are a casual and friendly lot, but they are also very family-oriented. Men all over the world like Russian brides especially for their attractive charm and charisma. Russian culture is also very popular, which teaches women to believe quite strongly in love. That is the reason why a Russian bride becomes a whole package of everything men look for in a wife.

It can be said that Russian women are full of emotions, something that they learn from their roots. They do search for true love, but at the same time, a Russian bride will keep up with her husband till death do them apart, irrespective of any shortcomings in her husband. But, they will like a bit of romance, and will also appreciate a bit of financial security in their married life.

One trait that foreign men must know and understand in their Russian brides is that they will have a strong sense of self-esteem, and a fierce sense of pride. That makes it necessary for both husband and wife to adjust and compromise a bit after marriage. Men married to Russian women must understand that their brides have come from a distant country, and there are many changes in the cultural and traditional values. She has come into a new family and to a new husband who is more than a normal stranger. That is the reason, men must make a little more place for them than they would for a wife from their own country.

It is very important that men must be honest and truthful with their Russian brides right from the start. Even before the marriage, there must be good communication, in which not only the good things must be discussed, but also the points that could become problematic to the couple later on.

It seems quite easy for most men to acquire a foreign wife, but it is retaining them that is difficult. Difficulties are bound to occur during and after marriage, so a great amount of thought is needed. Men looking for Russian wives must consider whether it is lust that is driving them to marriage, or true love. Barriers such as cultural and language differences must be thought of, as well as the differences in the way of living. Russian women have a different kind of psychology too, and men must try to understand that. And, if there is any occasion that that you have to visit Russia, then you must be ready to accept a bit of cultural shock. This will help you settle better with the Russian woman.

Men who are too busy, but still want a Russian bride for themselves, knowing all the problems that might come in, would do well to visit a matchmaker. These people have special expertise in making foreign marriages happen. They will find the right kind of wife for you, and will also train you on the proper manners for the first meet.

Finally, it is your heart that you must listen to. You might have a great hankering for a Russian bride, but you must appreciate the difficulties too. However, if you are really in love, you must not let these difficulties come in the way of a fruitful married life.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Share and Enjoy:

Comments Off »

Posted in Dating

Tags: Charisma Emotions Stranger

Pretty Russian Bride – How To Keep Her Forever

February 18th, 2010

Russians have spirit and passion. Just like any other relationship it will be hard at moments to understand your bride and agree with her moods.

Unlike western society where people are alienated, Russians always are supportive and are ready to lend a hand to everyone in need. They need to share all the moments of happiness or misfortune. Probably they will be surprised how so many young people are leaving their parents and see them only for Christmas or Easter.

Your first task after introducing your wife to your family is to make her feel comfortable with them. Cultural differences are not one and two and the bridegroom should be patient and explain the whole system and modern traditions which we westerners follow.

Do not be jealous if your wife is kissing your brother cheeks, or hugs him every time when she sees him. Russians are warm people and these gestures are not seduction, but a way to show that they like him as a brother.

It is not strange that in Russian, the word brat (brother) is very popular and can be heard between comrades. Every scene of jealous feelings will have a negative effect on your bride and will make her feel oppressed and misunderstood.

Russians have a good education system which allows them to be active members of the foreign society. They have various interests and hobbies. Most of them have been participating in groups for arts or literature circles in high school.

Engineering and heavy industry are well developed in Russia so do not be surprised if your wife is having degree in physics or chemistry and wants to put her knowledge into practice in her new home country. The best you can do for her is to support her and guide her in the complicated recruitment labyrinths. She will appreciate this and praise you forever.

Modern Russians enjoy freedom and entertainment. Do not force your pretty bride to stay home on Friday night and watch television with you. Take her out and show her your favorite places for dining. These ladies have fantastic rhythm; invite her to a club and this will be a feast for your senses. Join her and dance like nobody is watching.

Traveling broadens your horizon. Now when you have such a charming company is the time to get on the car and escape the noise of the city. Whenever you can, tour the country and show her places which she has seen only on the map. This will help you strengthen your relationship and will be extremely interesting to her. Experiences are those tiny bolts which make the feeling real and the memories stronger.

Surprise her with flowers. Those small gestures will fill your life with romance. In Russia, March 8th is very popular holiday. In case you have not noticed it yet, this is international women’s day. Under no circumstances, should you forget this occasion! It is as bad as forgetting Valentine’s Day!

Be creative and make your pretty Russian bride important in your life, do not forget holidays and respect her culture. In return she will stay with you forever.

Lithuanian girls

Popularity: 14% [?]

Share and Enjoy:

Comments Off »

Posted in Dating

Tags: Literature Circles Modern Traditions Moods

About Russian Dating Scams

February 11th, 2010

Brides from Russia (and Ukraine) are popular worldwide. This has caused a rise in Russian dating scams targeting men (and women) from the west, particularly the US. How do these scams work?

Side note: Not all Russian women are scammers. On the contrary, the vast majority of are of honest and sincere intentions. Most of them are seeking a happy relationship or marriage with compatible partner.

The typical Russian dating scam story starts with the victim receiving a response to his personal ad. Sometimes the victim does initiate contact by responding to that super-model-like photo profile. But most of the time the first contact is made by the scammer: this gives the scammer more control of the situation as well as the target.

In most scam stories, the girl usually will be much younger than the man. The man almost certainly gets excited by the thought of an attractive young woman taking interest in him, and out the window goes his thinking process.

After a few emails the woman claims to be madly in love with the man. She asks to join or visit him in his country. However there is a problem. She does not have money for visa and/or air ticket. He is asked to send her money by some irreversible method such as wire transfer.

What the guileless gentleman does not know is that he might not even be communicating with a woman. It could be a man, usually a member of a scam ring. Needless to say, he ends up losing his money, with a bruised ego to go with it.

Other ways of getting money out of victims include faking a family “tragedy”, for English lessons, for internet connection, the list goes on.

Russian dating scams are not always perpetrated by Russians, however. Back in 2004, an American man named Robert McCoy was in the news. He and his wife were both arrested and tried after defrauding his fellow citizens of thousands of dollars in a Russian bride scam. He would use his Russian wife when he needed a female voice and Russian accent (now, who wouldn’t be fooled by that?).

Russian scam rings work in various ways. One way is to hire language students for a very minimal fee for their profiles and/or their English language skills. Another way is to use pictures of Russian models and posting a fake profile on a dating site. Some Russian and mail order agencies dating sites are bogus.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Share and Enjoy:

Comments Off »

Posted in Dating

Tags: American Man Robert Mccoy Target

Dating Beautiful Russian Women

February 10th, 2010

There are a huge number of Russian women dating sites on the internet today. Since this has become much more common, there are a number of con-men and scammers that you have to watch out for.

The first step is to find a reputable Russian dating agency. There are a number of ways that you can determine this. Of course, if your security program flags one of these sites as dangerous, or potentially dangerous, it is probably best to move on.

Next, look at the site itself. If there is nudity, or even an over-abundance of bikini-style photos, it is probably not a place you should be. At least not if you are serious about finding a Russian wife.

Look a little deeper into the site. Do they have a sufficient number of ladies profiled? At least several hundred.

Look at their FAQs section. Are their services and prices clearly stated and spelled out? Do they have any membership options? What about payment? If they only offer payment via Western Union (or another wire service), move on! Real-time credit card processing is pretty expensive and hard to come by for a lot of Russian dating services. If they have this, it is probably above board.

It would be better if the agency was based in the US or another western country. At least this way you would be sure that any refund policies will be adhered to. If you are dealing with a foreign company, how can you be sure that you will be protected. There are several large and well-run American based agencies.

What else do you see on the site? Are there articles or information designed to help and give you advice on the process of meeting Russian women for marriage? Is this information actually helpful, or just a straight plug for using their particular services?

Be careful with places that promise you can meet and marry women 20, 30 or even more years younger than you. Of course, most agencies do try to play into this myth, so allow some leeway on this point. Just as long as you remember not to lose your head! Hopefully, the site does not promise that the first woman you make contact with will be the one for you. We all know that real relationships do not work like that.

You also need to find some way to verify that the women actually are who they claim to be. One of the more common scams in this business is for a person (or an agency in some cases) to put up photos of someone else. Once they have made contact with a foreign man, they will try to web you in, maybe even making promises that they are already in love with you and can come to meet you. Then they will ask for some money to help with the expenses of coming to see you. Do not fall for this!

Instead, see what helps the agency offers you in terms of verification. Do they offer some kind of live video chat or communication? This would be great and you could be sure that at least the woman in the picture on the site is actually a real person!

You also want to find out how the agency verifies the woman is who she claims to be. The best actually insist on meeting the woman in person, or (in the case of a larger agency network) they examine scanned copies of the Russian woman passport and other documents. These are good protections.

Finding your perfect match, wherever you are searching, requires effort. Especially when trying to find a Russian wife, it requires a lot of common sense. A good rule to follow is asking yourself the following question: if this woman was from my own country instead of Russia/Ukraine, etc… would I be doing things differently? Do not just automatically assume cultural differences as the reason for doing things differently. Remember, women are still women.