The Tourist Visa Scam

[Bud With AFA]

Hi Everyone...

 

This is Bud with AFA...

I have written an article which willbe posted on our web-site tomorrow, (A Foreign Affair,) which addresses the increasing number of guys being suckered by the so-called "Tourist Visa Scam." This the one where you have been writing to alady for several weeks, and things are going great then out of the blue she tells you one day she can get a tourist visa into the US, the two of you can meet, but she doesn't have the money. She asks you to send it to her, along with money for plane tickets and livinbg expenses, saying these are all required bu the Customs Officials or the Embassy.

 

THIS IS A SCAM 99% OF THE TIME. BE CAREFUL! I know of ladies who will copy a visa into Adobe Photoshop, change the dates and scan and send it to an unsuspecting gullible guy in order to convince him he noew needs to send money for the plane tricket and living expenses.

If anyone would like a copy of the article, please email me below, and I'll forward it to them. It's kind of lengthy, so I shouldn't put it here. I am also happy to answer any question on the matter here as well!

bud@wwdl.net

 

Thanks!

 

[Jack]

Hello Bud, welcome to the RWD. Thanks for taking the time to write this article and I would be grateful if you sent me a copy of this article as you have so gracefully offered.

So Bud do you often make the oversea trips yourself?  Will you be in Ukr or Russia this spring? 

[Bud With AFA]

Hi Jack:

 

Sorry to make you wait so long for this...here you go. I have been on many tours but have curtailed the touring recently because my wife and I are expecting a baby girl any day now..perhaps by the fall or next winter.

 

If I can offer you anything, please let me know and good luck!

 

[align=center]How to Waste Time and Lose Money While Searching for a Foreign Bride[/b][/align]
[align=center]Frank Advice on Getting Scammed[/b][/align]
[align=center] [/i][/align]
[align=center]If you're considering searching for a lovely foreign lady, this will be the most important article you ever read![/b][/align]
[align=center] [/b][/align]
[align=center]FROM A RUSSIAN NEWS SITE:[/b][/align]
[align=center]"[/b]The scam[/b] was wonderfully simple. On the Internet were placed photos of beautiful girls that were claiming to look for foreign husbands. Gullible grooms were sending future wives from Yoshkar-Ola money for travel expenses[/b]. And this was the end of the correspondence.[/b][/b][/align]
[align=center]"A citizen of USA applied to the Ministry of Home Affairs complaining that a Russian woman received from him more than 2000 US Dollars[/b] in a fraudulent way", - says the press-secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs,  Anatoly Platonov.[/align]
[align=center]After receiving numerous complaints detectives of the department "K" arrested 4 people in Yoshkar-Ola. The most interesting thing is that it was not the women that were corresponding with foreign men but 2 guys. [/b]The "beauties" were only to receive the money transfers. They were paid $50 for receiving each transfer.[/b]"[/b][/align]
[align=center]How Does This Happen?[/b][/align]
Imagine an internet site that lures unsuspecting men, interested in meeting a gorgeous Russian pen-pal or fiancée, into posting their profile for a minimal fee, promising they'll be seen by the thousands of women who also subscribe to the service. Someone, perhaps you, will figure for $10, you can get great results and avoid those costly Romance Tour services which tell you time and again you must travel to meet the women in order for the process to work. You've got a tight schedule, and you hate to waste thousands of dollars when you can get the same results for only posting a $10 profile! So you bite…[/b]

Almost immediately the responses pour in. "Hello Dear !" They will say, "I saw your profile and handsome pictures on "Scam_You_Out_Of_Your_Money.com" and couldn't wait to write." "This is great!" you think, "So much response for a $10 ad!" So many letters! After several weeks, Tatiana talks about her mother's poor health and not being able to pay for medicines - but she doesn't mean to trouble you with that! No - she would rather talk about her dream of intense love last night with a mysterious stranger who fits your basic description and speaks with a foreign accent. From all your pen-pals Tatyana emerges as the front-runner, as her letters and photos become more and more revealing.[/b]

Ultimately you decide you are cursed for having found the woman of your dreams (just your luck - she lives in Russia) and you may never get the chance to meet! But the Love-Gods have smiled on you, as Tatiana writes one day that her sister's neighbor owns a travel agency that works directly with…could it be…the US EMBASSY in Moscow! And she can get Tatyana a tourist visa into the US! Never mind that you've never met, never kissed, never cuddled…you'll quickly take care of that when she arrives, she says! But wait! One problem - the visa costs $500…and then there is the airfare, $1000…she will have to buy a round-trip ticket of course because they won't let her leave the country without a way of getting back, right? Then there is her Grandma, who needs Tatyana's income to pay for medicines. And it's more money than she makes in a year…so maybe you could send the money to her, and here's the Western Union address, and her personal info. Of course, she will understand if you can't send the money or think it's too soon.  It seems a pity, to have found the one girl you have always dreamed of, and to let the chance to be together slip by…[/b]

So off you go to the Western Union, to unload $1500 for the visa and airfare, and another $500 for her Grandmother's medicines so Grandma will be ok while Tatyana is gone. And you send Tatyana the Western Union transaction number. A few days later she has the visa, and sends you a copy of it in your email! But the Embassy, she says, tells her she will not be allowed to leave the country without money to live on while she is here. Please send her another $500, same Western Union address, etc, etc. You're so close now, what's another $500, right? After all, she did get the visa, right? So off you go to the Western Union for another quick transaction…[/b]

And you never hear from Tatyana again. [/b]

What's even worse? Tatyana was probably not Tatyana - but Boris, a Russian man, writing you letters while sitting at his kitchen table in his underwear drinking beer and laughing…at YOU! (see above news-story!)[/b]

[align=center]YOU HAVE BEEN SCAMMED![/b][/align]
            A large number of the men who receive this newsletter, will have lived this exact scenario in recent months, or may be getting set up to live it shortly! A Foreign Affair's scam counselors receive calls almost daily from men who have unwittingly fallen prey to the so called "visa-scam."   As the international leader of Internet based Introduction and Marriage Services, we want this alarming trend to stop! But if it's going to stop - we're going to have to deal with the issue frankly.[/b][/size]

[align=center]Who's Really To Blame?[/b][/align]
            While it's tempting to place the blame for getting scammed on the whole internet match-making business as a whole, or on those unscrupulous people who post fake profiles and then troll the web-sites looking for gullible guys - the real blame lies with us men!! Why? The answer isn't very digestible, but it is true: We fail to operate from the ageless, timeless understanding of: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR![/b]

            As Americans, we are the worst in believing we can buy whatever we want. Even love over the internet! We're real suckers for the fantasy marketing that so many International Dating Sites are guilty of! How many times have you read the words "Mail-Order Brides!" We're sure Russian women are so desperate, they will leave their families, come half way around the world, love and marry a man they have never met, and just be thankful every day to have a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs - and it's all possible through placing a $10 add on Yahoo or Kiss.com! Do you see where this is going? WE can be our own worst enemy in this process.[/b]

            The fact is, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF SINCERE, LOVELY, KIND LADIES IN RUSSIA, UKRAINE AND LATIN-AMERICA WHO WOULD TRULY LOVE TO MEET A ROMANTIC, GENTLE, FAITHFUL FOREIGN MAN.  AND THERE ARE GOOD HONEST INTRODUCTION SERVICES WAITING TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THEM. AND IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MEET A FOREIGN LADY, FALL IN LOVE, GET ENGAGED AND MARRIED AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER, YOU CAN DEFINITELY DO IT - BUT THERE IS ONE REALITY YOU CANNOT ESCAPE:[/b]

[align=center]YOU HAVE TO GO TO MEET HER![/b][/align]
            Now I want to be clear about something here. Most of us who have looked into this Foreign-Bride process, have been scammed at one time or another. I was scammed out of about $100 a long time ago by a lady from Belarus. I sent her a gift and A little money for correspondence, then called her. I remember thinking she would be elated by my voice, my gift, and the show of concern for her expenses. NOT! How did I meet her? She responded to my personal ad. She's on several scam lists now. Her name (supposedly) was Inna Adamova, from Minsk. I have since read others who have been scammed by her as well. Other photos I have seen of her posted on scam sites are quite frightening, not like the one she sent in response to my ad.  [/b]

This was my one and only experience in cheap personal ads and with foreign women…until I went on my first A Foreign Affair Romance Tour and met my lovely wife, Viktoria, face to face, and knew instantly I had met a very sincere and terrific person - who was incredibly ATTRACTIVE! We corresponded, got engaged, married - and I did NOT get scammed again! This would not have happened if I had never traveled with AFA![/b]

With the onslaught of Russian-Bride and dating services that sell and resell addresses without any knowledge of whether those profiles are current, or if the women are even still available - how do you know which web-site is legit? How do you avoid getting scammed? Here's our advice:[/b][/b]

[align=center]AVOID GETTING SCAMMED![/b][/align]
1.      [/b]Don't try to find love on the cheap! You may save money up front with a $10 personal ad, but you will waste a lot more after months of correspondence with less than sincere women…or men!  YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.[/b]

2.      [/b]Be realistic about love. Accept that while friendship can begin through correspondence, love takes time and interaction to build! BEWARE of women who claim to be developing feelings for you before you have even met.  Russian and Ukrainian women are very practical, and DO NOT profess love before you've met! [/b]

3.      [/b]Be prepared to travel. Start with the assumption that if you are going to succeed, you are going to have to travel to another country. And when you travel, go to meet more than one lady! This is the topic of a future newsletter![/b]

4.      [/b]USE AN AMERICAN  INTRODUCTION SERVICE THAT CONDUCTS ROMANCE TOURS! Why American? Because they are at least somewhat accountable to you as an American consumer. Check their history with the Better Business Bureau, ask them for referrals of men who have succeeded through their services! Using such a service will not protect you from getting good advice and not listening to it, but you can at least call them and talk about that information. Why Romance Tours? Many dating services post profiles and sell addresses with NO guarantees for accuracy, and no protection from scams! If the company actually conducts travel to the cities from where their profiles are posted, chances are they have met a lot of the ladies personally, and can be trusted with information about profiles and cultures.[/b]

[align=center]IMPORTANT NOTE: TOURIST VISAS ARE NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO ACQUIRE FOR YOUNG SINGLE WOMEN FROM THE FORMER SOVIET UNION. THIS INCLUDES RUSSIA AND UKRAINE! THE US EMBASSIES IN MOSCOW, ST. PETERSBURG AND KIEV ARE THE ONLY BODIES THAT CAN ISSUE THE VISA, AND THEY ARE DOING SO WITH ABOUT 1% OF ALL APPLICANTS. THERE ARE NO TRAVEL SERVICES THAT CAN ACQUIRE THE VISA FOR A GIRL - THIS IS A SCAM! A US VISA CAN BE SCANNED INTO PHOTOSHOP, AND THE DATES CHANGED TO LOOK REAL - THE EMBASSIES OR CUSTOMS OFFICIALS DO NOT CARE IF A LADY LEAVING RUSSIA OR UKRAINE  HAS A ROUND-TRIP TICKET, OR MONEY FOR TRAVEL EXPENSES. THIS IS ALWAYS A SCAM![/b][/align]
[align=center] [/b][/align]
[align=center]It's also important to remember that a scam doesn't have to be a $1000 scam. Some women earn handsomely from their efforts to get 5 - 6 men wiring them $50 per month to cover "correspondence expenses." Few of these women are so destitute they cannot afford to send a few letters each month and many are not so bold as to ask for the bigger money from their suitors, but a $50 scam is still a scam! Bottom Line: If she asks for money, this is a huge red flag![/b][/align]
[align=center]CALL A FOREIGN AFFAIR (800) 576-3367 EXT 220 BUD PATTERSON, OR 203 JOHN ADAMS WITH YOUR QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.[/b][/align]
 

[Bruno]

Great post Bud,

Some little detail :

"How many times have you read the words "Mail-Order Brides!""

When i have visit your site at http://www.aforeignaffair.com/index1.shtml , the title of the page was "Russian women - mail orders brides". Several site use so words because they are needed to be ranked in seach engine .

"YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!"

Not always true... what make the quality of the agency is not the price but the owner and his staff... You can have cheap agency who make a good work and other big one who are not honest and make a bad work...

Because you give the freedom to the client what is the best for him, i think that i consider you in the good one big agency... people can buy only address if they wish but bigger package are possible... and what i have find very good on your online form for russian woman, you request a copy of passport... not a lot of site ask it...

Now, about scam, people and agency cannot detect all... money scam and visa scam are easy to detect but the gold digger ( visa whores and Traders ) more difficult.  Can you protect yourself from a gold digger? The answer really lies within you. Can you be logical? Can you show discretion? Do you have common sense? gold diggers rely on you becoming infatuated and not thinking clearly. They will use there feminine wiles. They don't call it being pussy whipped without reason. The key is to do your thinking with the head between your shoulders, not the one between your legs. Detect a gold digger can be a long time work and agency is not able to make this work for you.

Bud, i have read about your associate program... do you have some conditions of you accept everybody... it is some time ago that i wish change of "sponsor" !!!! And with AFA, i have find a agency who meet almost all my wish about quality... It's more that 8 year, i use my previous "sponsor" and they have change in the bad way...

[Bruce]

Bruno, I am suprised you would want to associate yourself in any way with one of the big three tour companies.  What advantages would you have?

[Bruno]

Bruce,

AFA is not only a tour agency, they make translation, 3 way phone call with translator, reservation of hotel /appartment, delivry of gift, ...

My site is free and need to stay free... i offert only contact with woman without side service... but because nothing is really free in these world, i need to pay myself the expense... now, it is only 60 euro month but slowly, it is growing... a sponsor / associate can help me...

How work the system... if i send a visitor to AFA and he buy something, i earn some %... and i can use these money for the expense of site of publicity... by principe, i keep nothing for me...

Now, where is the benefice of my visitor... usualy, big agency give full package without a lot of liberty of choice... AFA allow man to use service same if the woman is not from her own catalogue...

By example for the 3 way phone with translation : "To use this service, you do not have to choose a woman profiled on our website. If you have a phone number, you may use the service for any personal or business purpose."...

They are a perfect complement of my site, people can use specific service without be forced to use other... and i can earn a little money for stay my site free for visitor... everybody is winner...

Now, i don't associate with everybody.... i have control the full site, read the little letter but all was perfect... i have control several list... usually, they are in Gold list, of white list... nowhere, i have find them listed in Grey list or Black list... i trust them ...

Now, i wish Bud contact me and agree about my participation in the "associate program"... of course, i can directly register on his site for so program but i prefert a personal contact ( by PM of e-mail ) before make it. I need ask about some technical detail who have no place in these forum, like change code of banner, make direct links to some part of his service, etc ...

"Associate" is the name of the system but i see it more like a "collaboration"...

I hope that i have reply to your question !!!

[Bruce]

Yes, I see that in your case it would not hurt your reputation. Thanks for the explanation.

[Marc Dayton]

Buds, Post is 100% true.

Story for you.

One of my men who post on RWL Dave13 sends one of his freinds to me. He is getting letters from a lady who never askes him for money or anything elce. He calls me one day just to ask to questions about travel, and tip on do'e and Don't in Russia. We talk a bit about his girl, just something was not wright, but I only told him to look for some simple things, one of them was the girl asking for visa money to come to the states to see him or travil to a driffrent place to meet him.

Soon I get a call from him. She tells him that she can come to see him, and one of her best freinds works for a travil agent in Moscow and can get her a visa. All she needs is the money for visa, and plain ticket.

I sent him to scam sites, and low and behold he found her listed for this scam. So the next time he talked to her. He told her what he found on the scam site. Her responce tells you the whole story. First she tells him she is sorry and how much she likes him and tells him not to give up on her that she is a good girl. She tells him I have only done this one time before. She blames the whold thing on a girl freind who told her how to do this.

Then her words to him of why not

If a man thinks the girl of his dreams can just show up on his door steps for a $1000 he can save a lot of time and effort going to Russia. She also tells him that men are dumm, and if they pay this well thats what they deserve.

This scam is as simple as click copy,and paste sent to 100's of men. This type of scam is found in addrest sites, and free sites, and all agency that don,t care about the girls in their programs. These are all sites you might find on black list sites. You can also go to www.google.com type the full name of the girl if she has used this name she will show up in the search.

P.S. 99% more like 99.9%

 

 

 

 

Bruno, I would avoid any connection between yourself and AFA.

They may be the best of the "big 3" but after the hassles that we went through getting my fiancee's profile removed from their database (which she never submitted to them) I would not want to be associated with them.

Maybe they have changed their modus operendi in the last three years but...

[jb]

Haven't you guys figured it out yet?  These salesmen come onto the board and post a leader, leave, and then rely on e-mail notificaton to see if there's any activity to their post.  I'd suggest that unless you want to be inundated with a lot of sales pitches here, you shouldn't respond to this type of post.

These guys don't really want to help you, they just want to sell a tour.  Just a big waste of bandwidth, IMHO.  

I noticed Bud tried the same thing over on the RWG and got beat up pretty good for his efforts.  Kinda funny, I thought.

[Bruno]

Rags, they have not already contact me... and if they contact me, i have already some question for him... a sponsor is good but i have my own condition...

But sponsor are not obligate... if other people here can give some service to my visitor, i am ready to make a link like i have make for Igor ( he have see the business opportunity and contact me the first ).... in so case, when it is a plus for my site, i don't need a %...

People who send gift to russia, who make three way translation, who organise trip, who hire appartment are welcome.... i am not financialy strong enough to organise these service myself ( and i have not the time )...

The main condition is simple : man can use your service same if he have find a woman on a other site ( not specialy only my site.... )

 

[Jack]

Marc, although google is one method in which a person can look, I would never recommend men to rely solely on a google report simply because anyone can make-up any story about a girl and have it posted there.
 
Rags, always good to see you post. Hope all is well with you, wife and family.
 
jb, one thing about RWD and agency owners or representatives, no one is buying any one off here. No owner or moderators protection, covering-up, deleting of post's or closing of threads here for scam or un-ethical agencies.
 
Bruno, I think Bruce is on your side and hoping you will do well. Bruce is knowledgeable as to many aspects towards the pursuit for a Russian bride and in my opinion any advice or help he might offer you should at least examine and consider.

[Turboguy]

There are a couple of different posts over at RWG that Bud got a little beat up on.  Truthfully I thought Bud could be a little proud of the way he handled himself on a few of them.   On the one post Scorpion was just twisting everything he could find to twist.   The last thing he jumped all over was me but that was the point it got locked.  The other thread where Camera guy jumped all over him for using the name of his company seemed to bother bud a bit more.

Truthfully, I like things a little calmer myself.  If I liked to hear fighting and people tearing into each other I would have stayed married.  

There are a lot of people who have good imput and if they are trying to promote a business and are not to overt about it I think it is just something that is going to happen.    I run a business myself but it has nothing to do with russian ladies.   We are outstanding with our service but we do get a problem that slips through the cracks once in a while.  No agency or service is going to be perfect.   I think AFA is probably the best of the bigger services and there are people who want to deal with a big service. 

 

[Marc Dayton]

My quesition for AFA, is simple when you buy profiles from small agency, and post on your site. You then sell letters, how to you know that the e-mails from the small agency are real.

When you pay an agency a fee per letter that they send to you so you can send to your men, paying a commishion per letter just opens the door for scams. How do you keep up with all the agency working for you, and how do you check to see if a letter is from the girl or if its just the agency sending letters in her name ?

 

 

[Bruno]

[line]
My quesition for AFA, is simple when you buy profiles from small agency, and post on your site. You then sell letters, how to you know that the e-mails from the small agency are real.

When you pay an agency a fee per letter that they send to you so you can send to your men, paying a commishion per letter just opens the door for scams. How do you keep up with all the agency working for you, and how do you check to see if a letter is from the girl or if its just the agency sending letters in her name ?

[line]


What ? AFA don't work directly with woman ? And they pay by letter send by woman ? .... Is it one honest business agency here ?

About see if the letter is from the ladies of not, it is easy, read the header of the e-mail and use the IP... samer server like mail.ru send the IP... but if you have someone other in the line, you cannot control the IP because the IP will be from the agency... it is why i prefert free site, i can control myself the origine of e-mail and i don't need trust other people who run a business...

 

[jb]

What ? AFA don't work directly with woman ? And they pay by letter send by woman ? .... Is it one honest business agency here ?

Bruno,

I hope you are business man enough to be able to smell the stench of corruption that prevades the MOB agency business.

There's some really bad apples in that barrel.

[Marc Dayton]

Bruno,

The ISP would not work here, what happens is the girl is part of the small agency. She gets the letter in most cases from the small agency. Then the small agency gets paid to send the letter to AFA. Then AFA charges the man toget the letter from AFA. who then pays the small agency.

So back to my question dose AFA even care if the letters are writen by the agency, and not the girl. Their are a lot of agency out their that if they get a commishion to send AFA a letter, that for fact whould write the letters for the girl with or with out the girl even noing the letter was being sent to AFA.

Its sort of a leagel loop whole for AFA, well and any other agency that works this way. I have even been told, and I repete this I have been told that some of these agency have books of letters so a computer opperator can open a book and copy part or all of a letter and send ?

 

[Bruno]

[line]
I hope you are business man enough to be able to smell the stench of corruption that prevades the MOB agency business.
[line]


I am not business man... but it is problem with business agency who have lead to the build of my site... actually, i have only find 2 good agency on all the NET...

And maybe, in some time, i go stop my site itself... i have know virus attack from other agency, some have write to woman for ask they remove her profile because i am a bad agency... and now, since friday morning, i am not more able to reply to woman who have post a ads for ask the photo because my IP is blocked at mail.ru, list.ru, yandex.ru, ... normally, it will be right with mail.ru monday... but i begin to be tired from these fight... the story of David and Goliath is beautiful but it is not working in the real life...


[line]
So back to my question dose AFA even care if the letters are writen by the agency, and not the girl.
[line]


Marc, with Galina, i have know more bad situation... the agency was writen for her to man without she know... and the agency have refuse to remove her ads after our first meeting... i have become enough strong with these agency and finally, they have remove the ads but have shell all the data from her to other agency... result, now some man pay for contact her but she don't anymore reply to letter... she have a new e-mail box...

[Marc Dayton]

Bruno, maybe being a saint in your own mind, is why your haveing problems this is not an easy Bz. I have had 6 driffrent men over the years steal data base, site photos, and yes brook into the office and even taken the hard drives from my computers.

If you would mellow out you might get some were, but from me to you STOP YOUR CRYING , and thinking only about YOU YOU YOU, and you might make some freinds. Its not about you. Its only about the men, and their choices of what they want.

You and I are to serve them, and provide them with the best we can, and if you can't do that then you should get out, but I hope that pisses you off enuff to stay with it?

 

[Bruno]

[line]
If you would mellow out you might get some were, but from me to you STOP YOUR CRYING , and thinking only about YOU YOU YOU, and you might make some freinds. Its not about you. Its only about the men, and their choices of what they want. You and I are to serve them, and provide them with the best we can, and if you can't do that then you should get out, but I hope that pisses you off enuff to stay with it?
[line]


Marc, i think that you need consult a psy... i have agree with you previous post and explain my personals experience and you attack again... yourself, you have post your full story, your experience... several people on these forum speak about personal experience...

Maybe you have some complex of inferiority... some therapie exist for this... in any case, don't worry anymore, i go no more reply to you post...

[Marc Dayton]