Possible Russian scammer makes front page of Virginian Pilot newspaper

[virginiajoe]

On the bottom of the Monday Virginian Pilot,it's the SE VA newspaper for Norfolk,Va Beach,Hampton,Williamsburg.It reads A Virginia Beach Bachelor His Would -be Rusian Bride,A love...of money?
Charles Wright was engaged to Irina Nikolaeva from Siberia,she was set to arrive at Norfolk International Airport from NYC but never made it.Charles got a e-mail from Irina's mother that she is lying in a Moscow hospital beaten into a coma,in desperate need of expensive medicine.And the worst part is there's a good chance none of the above is true.
He had first contacted her in December,and they are already engaged,that's a red flag.It turns out she was dating his friend but when she asked for money for the flight,Wright's friend balked.Man typical scammer.She is from Belovo Siberia.The girls mother claims she tracked Irina in a Moscow hospital and wants Charles to lend them money to help her.Charles says if it is legit he will go to Moscow to help her.
It's really sad when this stuff makes the front page,it seems to be a bigger problem than most people realize,and it is giving the honest good Russian women a bad name,it's not fair to them,now everyone in Va Beach will be saying bad things about Russian women.If it is a scam he feels lucky he just got scammed out of the airfare for Irina to come her and didn't wind up in a nasty divorce with her.I will definitely be careful myself,this does seem very complicated.Good Luck Charles.

[BC]

Whatta mess.

Maybe 'dated' and 'engaged' via email, never met personally and has no clue about tourist visas and K1. Wonder how far along the wedding arrangements were..

Will this lead to 'Scamber' alerts.. :?

[virginiajoe]

This guy was really stupid,our town here in Va Beach seems to be a hot spot for scammers.I agree the singles scene sucks here unless you want to live in the bars with all the freaks.He should have never sent her the airfare money.I seriously doubt she is in a hospital in Moscow.The man is unemployed on disability,he got hurt at the shipyard here in Norfolk at the navy base.What Russian women would want this man for her husband,no disrespect to this man,I am sure he is a fine person who just had some bad luck.
People here in our area are going to try and help him,this monster of a person,whoever he or she is needs to be brought to justice.They even tracked the e-mail address to a business in Moscow.
It's just a shame,I remember my first scammer,she was from Siberia,Biysk in the Altai province,beautiful area but frigid in the winter,Marina Smyrnova was her name,I thought it was Smirnova,I had just came out of a bad relationship with a woman from Oslo,Norway,she choose to return to her parents,and I stayed her.I fell in love with Marina,she was everything I wanted,I told her I would visit her and apply for a fiancee visa in the future and she said she will come to me,she asked for airfare,I google searched here and found 3 other men here in America she was trying to scam money out of for visa/airfare.I'm glad I was smart enought not to send her the money.But I got over it,now I am friends with a woman from Volograd and will visit her in the near future.
I will see if I can post the article for everyone to read.

[BC]

Unfortunately most scams prey on the weak, old and poor.

[MandM]

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=86802&ran=148555&tref=y

[tim 360]

M,  that is a beautiful story,  thanks for the link.  Looks like "Mama" is going for the double-dip.  $3K,  nice. 

If men weren't so stupid there wouldn.t be any scammers.

[MandM]

I don't get it - even if she wasn't a scammer, how was he planning to support her? He could barely afford $600 for the tickets!

[BC]

Maybe the agency had a money back guarantee.. Just return the goods before the end of the credit card billing period.

[Elen]

The story is so full of stupidity of that guy that it's even hard to believe it really happened. Even Americans can't be such brainless:D (though may be I'm wrong)

[Maxx]

our town here in Va Beach seems to be a hot spot for scammers.

Do you care to elaborate? You mentioned earlier and I know it is true that there is a large Russian community in the Maryland/DC/Virgina area. Have you heard of scams coming from this immigrant base there?

Maxx 

 

[virginiajoe]

I know of 2 other people here in Va Beach who have been scammed not from Russians in VA but in Russia.It seems like if they think guys in this area are dumb enough to fall for the scam,they will concentrate on that area,but who knows how they work or what they think.The bottom line is men in this country are sending them money,and they are using whatever technique it takes to get it.
I guess I shouldn't have singled one area out as a hot spot since this is going on all over the world.Elen mentioned that even Americans cannot be so dumb,obviously there are some of us who are,but the true scumbags are the scammers themselves.Do they think us Americans owe them something?Do they think we should feel sorry for them because they are in Siberia and don't have all these things we do readily available that we should give them money? If they claim to be such christian loving people they will ulitimately pay the price later on.I know this is a harsh statement,but these scammers think they are in total control over what is going on and so forth they have been because our governments don't really care about $600 or whatever they ask for.All this reminds me of the lyric from the Rush song Bravado,"we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost." That says it all.

[Maxx]

The reason I asked as I heard a few rumors from a reliable source of a scam taking place and I suspect it maybe coming from that neck of the woods.

My suggestion is that you try and figure out a way to acquaint yourself with the Russian Community. Study Russian and go to one of their churches? Or go to one of Clyde's groups? You should get a close look at these people and size them up. It is part of the education process. Who knows you might find your wife out of them? BTW I am always being lined up for a Russian woman here in the US or Canada by people I know. It is got to be less risky and much easier to adjust with such a woman than with one living in the FSU and much less problems and expenses with the INS as well.

Maxx

  

[virginiajoe]

Thanks Maxx for the reply,I am interested about this scam coming out of my neck of the woods.The guys here in VA say most of the RW are in the Northern Virginia area but we do have some students here at the beach working and at my job there are 2 people from Uzbek and he is trying to get someone to go over there and help him bring his wife here,he is out of his mind.Is that the scam you are talking about? It's amazing how you can get involved with this stuff! I told him this could get you into trouble and the young man and your wife if immigration catches them.People will think of anything to get what they want,he said her visa application to come here was denied in Tashnet.

[BC]

joe,

Scams are universal.. last interesting one I read about was where an entire house was 'scammed' and officials said that just about anyone could do the same.

Another one I just googled:
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/LAW/02/22/fraud.crackdown/

One good statement:

"It's much easier than you think," Keisler said. "We've talked to these people, these are not unintelligent people. I think we all tend to be more easily persuaded by things we want to believe, and the people on the other side of these phone calls have really reduced this to a fine art."

Who doesn't want to believe in easy money or easy love.

[tim 360]

Joe,

People get scammed every single day in the good ole USA.  Get used to it.  While your interest in these "Russian honey-pot" scams is commendable....these are tiny little scams in contrast to our regular American scams.  Thats right---made right here in the USA by real Americans.  Most states attorney generals have their hands full already.  Should we really get the government involved because some guys are so stupid as to send money to strangers on the internet. 

If some guy wants to throw $$$ out the window,  I say all the power to him.  Go for it!  It's his money.  Should we get the government involved.  Now,  if I wanna take the chance and throw money out my window right now---I don't think we need the gummint' stopping me.  It's my money.

If my neighbor spend $1000 bucks on gee-gaws on QVC,  should I call the gummint'?

Some guy finding "love" on the internet who wants to send his "babe" in the FSU some money via Western Union...let him.  One way or the other a fool and his money are soon parted. 

Ya know,  its always a good idea to do a little research FIRST before you,  make an investment or buy anything or even give to a charity.  Or send money to someone you have never even met....once.

The spotlighted guy on this particuliar article is pathetic.  What do we got to do,  protect him from himself?  Scams?  Good thing he wasn't thinking of buying art or making an investment.  Stakes are more than a few hundred.

Scams work best if the intended victim is needful, with a touch of greed and a good portion of stupidity.  Obviously,  this poor soul really believed this RW was coming to him.  This is his fantasy.  Like old PT Barnum said....

 

[andrewfi]

Well, at least this guy is probably not a breeder. One less slackjaw to pollute the gene pool.

[Elen]

All this reminds me of the lyric from the Rush song Bravado,"we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost." That says it all.

Have not idea about Bravado but this tune familiar for each Russian child is sounding in my head each time I hear some stories like that one 

Пока живут на свете дураки,                  Until fools live in this world
Обманывать нам, стало быть, с руки.      It's very easy for us to  deceive
Какое небо голубое!                                How sky is blue:D

Мы не поклонники разбоя:                       We are not admirers of robbery
На дурака не нужен нож,                         There is no need in knife for a fool
Ему с три короба наврёшь                        Just lie him a lot 
И делай с ним, что хошь.                           And you can do anything with him

( there is also two parts in this song about a flattery for a brager and a penny to a greedy man)

Какое небо голубое!                         How sky is blue

Живут на свете эти трое.                Those tree do live in this world
Им, слава богу, нет конца                And, thank God, there is no end for them
Как говорится, зверь бежит -          Like they say- animal runs -
И прямо на ловца.                            And right in hunters hands

Ps This song is from movie about Pinnocio

PSS I'm not a scammer but I feel not such many pitty for such fools.

[OhioGuyRob]

PT Barnum was right......

 

Theres a sucker born every minute.

[jb]

Well, at least this guy is probably not a breeder. One less slackjaw to pollute the gene pool.<snip> and: PT Barnum was right......
Theres a sucker born every minute.

That sorta sez it all

[Leslie]

Joe,

I agree with your statement from the viewpoint of of a western man -

"the true scumbags are the scammers themselves.Do they think us Americans owe them something?Do they think we should feel sorry for them because they are in Siberia and don't have all these things we do readily available that we should give them money? If they claim to be such christian loving people they will ulitimately pay the price later on."

But expoiting a fool is seen as smart in FSU culture.

Quite honestly international police agencies DO have much better things to do than chase "Fat Yuri"

You do realize that the woman and her mother and this whole story has almost certainly been manufactured by a petty criminal.  The only real women are the one's Yuri pays to collect the money.......

When I lived in NYC I helped a lot of guys.  I don't do this anymore mainly because I have no wish to associate with losers.  These guys have created this industry.  I have no sympathy at all for them.  If they thought with their brains instead of their balls it would not have happened...

 

[BC]

And to think I could setup a *.ru mail account and make more than I do now just dreaming up romantic stories.

[MandM]

BC,

Do you want to team up with me? I could provide sexy photographs to send to idiots like him....

[Elen]

I want to participate too

[Maxx]

Send me the sexy photos and I will check them out for you :cool:

Maxx 

[MandM]

Maxx,

send me your e-mail address and I will forward you some pictures of me naked.... when I was 6-months old