Many times there is a question that returns from new , and sometimes even more experienced members.
Is the woman that I am writing to real and sincere, or is this too good to be true ?
While in no way I claim to hold the absolute wisdom, I have managed to dodge the bullets and find my partner, so I will try to give some insight in to recognizing the most common practices.
First of all one should remember that the base for every succesful scam story is often a real event. This is why the stories often sound possible, because they actually happened.
However remember that just because something has happened, it does not have to be true.
1. Obvious scams.
The most obvious scams are coming from organized sources. Where in the past they mainly registered through various dating sites that have no strict control, nowadays they also use spam mail to find gullible victims.
The method of working is simple and, to the people who are easily convinced, effective: the visa and ticket scam.
A woman contacts you out of the blue, with no clear indication where and how she noticed your profile. The letters, often long and with a lot of general information that will cover 80% of all initial questions men ask, will in a short time increase in feelings.
Often the letters are a bad translation with many errors in grammar and words. If any, specific replies will be in the first or last paragraphs and sometimes clearly show different language skills from the rest of the letter.
In a short number of letters, the woman falls in love and decides to travel to the 'victim'. For this money is requested, and if sent some problems will arise that need more money.
A variant is the hospitalization of a family member with money needed immediately for an operation.
The women usually will not give out a phone number, and will not agree with a visit to them as 'Russia is a dangerous country'.
The practice to avoid this type of scam is simple. Unless you are a well-known sex symbol in your own right, never believe a woman will fall madly in love with you based on exchange of a couple of letters an pictures.
And never send money to a stranger, and that includes a 'travel agent' sometimes used. Chances that the woman of your dreams will appear on your doorstep when she needs your money to buy a ticket are close to zero.
2. Professional writers / chatters.
It is common knowledge that there are many men who prefer a long correspondence with their 'virtual girlfriend' as they do not have the money or the courage to travel to the unknown parts of the world. These 'keyboard romeos' have attracted malicious people to start ghost writing.
When you are in an agency where correspondence is paid by the letter, there is a chance that you meet a professional writer. These are interpreters that use profiles, some fake and some of real women, to make you write and pay as much as possible.
To recognize, you will find that the women has no interest in meeting or writing outside the agency (as it will not bring money), and will often write short notes that tell she has little time, a proven method to avoid having to make up a new topic to write about.
Meetings will be set a time in the future, because of weather, holidays, the current situation in the world and whatever else to prolong the writing. When the time gets close to meeting, or indication shows that the man is getting short on cash, the woman will break off the virtual relationship or disappear.
Often there will be hints for gifts, as that will bring extra cash. Needless to say that gifts through the agency are in these cases never delivered.
A modern variety to this is the webcam chat. In many cases the women are either professional chatters pai for the income they generate, or are portrayed to have bad English so an 'interpreter'will type for them.
with modern techniques it is fully possible to use a robot controlled program that looks like a real person reading and typing, including smiling and waving in response. While in reality there is an interpreter typing away and pressing actions to give the impression of a real person.
To avoid this, make sure that when starting out on this you are reay to travel in short time, and you have the resources and free time planned. Any sincere woman will be happy to meet you and make time as much as possible.
3. Professional daters.
There are women out there who have discovered that the world is full of men with more money than common sense, and some of them have decided to make a profession out of it.
They will talk on the phone, they will meet with any man willing to make the trip, as long as it will give them an opportunity to make an extra buck.
Often these women will make many hints for gifts, and during a meeting will feel that the best way to show the FSU is visiting as many shops as possible, of course not without buying various items as fur coats, cameras, telephones or computers.
The men, being in holiday mode and feeling they are tested as provider, will be ticked in to buying to their limits, and made to feel guilty for any refusal.
As long as money flows, so will affection.
To avoid this type, understand that while any woman likes to receive gifts, not many will openly request them.
Asking questions on the forums or reading topics about similar situations is a good way to exchange opinions. And remember that people in the FSU would rather not eat for a week and ask all their family an friends than asking money from strangers.
