A Russian Romance - For Russian Woman: Scam Agency

[SANDRO43]

I already knew that this is a dubious agency. I receive a dribble of some 5 letters/week from their women, have a look at their profiles, and very occasionally read the letters from possibly interesting subjects. No contacts had ever fruitful conclusions, and the women there seem VERY reluctant to find ways for direct communications, for reasons that will be apparent below.

Recently I received this letter from 40 y.o. Inna (http://forrussianwomen.com/show_anketa.php?id=177107), whose English is stated as "Basic. Some words and phrases and alphabet", and decided to waste a few $ in investigating further.

Letter # 1 - Sep 2, 12:38

Subject: Urgently!
Good morning!
My name is Inna. And I like what you are telling about yourself very, very much. I will be very happy to correspond with you and to know more about you and your life. It seems to me that we have common purpose with you to find our second half. I am so tired of solitude and I want to fill this emptiness in my soul with love, tenderness, care and understanding. I am ready to change my life and open my heart to a person who will be my husband. I thank that we have a lot of common with you and we could be a great team with you. I have very active life position and I am optimist and believe in love. I am romantic and I like stars on the sky, I like walks under a moon light, I like sunsets and sunrises and try to see all colors in our reality. Life is beautiful and I love life and people.  I believe that I will meet my destiny and it will be the best person on the earth for me. Who knows, may be this person is you are. I really think so. If to say about myself in brief I live with my daughter Karina. She is 21 years and she is a student. We are very friendly with her and she wishes me only the best. I work as economist and I like my occupation. I have everything in my life except my true love and partner. <B>I hope that our acquaintance will change my life and yours one too. I hope that you will come to me and never leave. Your Inna with tender feelings.

On checking just now, I discovered that she had already written me a similar introductory letter in July (12:38 appears her favourite hour for introductions ):
Letter # 0 - July 26, 12:38

Subject: I just want to be with you...
Hello! I am very glad to read your profile. And I liked it very, very much!
I don’t know  why, but my intuition tells me that you are a good man. So, I would like
to learn you more and more…Tell me, please, more about yourself, what you like, what you don’t like, what are your hobbies… And why did you decide to look for The Lady of Your Dreams namely in our country? I am waiting for your answer… and I hope very, very much for it… The Best Wishes!

Notice she is never mentioning my name in her greetings in either letters.

Anyway, I replied favourably to Letter # 1, however expressing wonder about her enthusiasm (my profile there says very little) and her English, urging her about direct communications, and here is her:
Letter # 2 - Sep 4, 18:26

Subject: Your Inna
Dear Sandro!
I am so glad to get your letter. Yes, I was rereding your profile for a long time and then I decided to write to you, Maybe, it is so brave from my side to write first, but I haven't received any letter from you, and I didn't want to lose my chance of meeting with you. To my great sorry, I have no my private e-mail and I have no internet at home. I have only one possibility to use it here. I understand that it is expensive but I do not want to interrupt our communication. Also, it is free for me and convenient. If to be honest, I am dreaming about our real meeting and I hope you will accept my invitation and we have a brilliant possibility to know all about each other. I think alive communication will be more effective for us. It will help us to understand what we really want. Eyes are able to say much more then hundreds of words in our letters. Do you agree with me? We will possibility to define our future relations. Perhaps real meeting will bring us positive changes and we will never regret about such reasonable step as a real meeting is. I promise to give you as much attention as it is possible. I will accompany everywhere and acquaint you with my relatives. I will show you my city we will go to a good cafe, where we will spend a romantic evening together. Think over my suggestion and I hope you take my invitation. Your agreement will be a great present for me. Hope to hear from you. Your Inna

She must have been really smitten, to invite me over just after 2 letters .

I replied that her invitation was a little premature, then, out of the blue:
Letter # 3 - Sep 5, 06:30

Subject: Do you want it?
Hi!
I have seen your profile and like you very much. I hope our correspondence will have a successful continuation and we will find a lot of common between each other. I am Inna from Kharkov Ukraine. I live in a big and beautiful city and I am dreaming about meeting with well mannered, educated, tolerant and loyal person. As for me I am dreaming about meeting with a real gentleman who knows how to treat women. As for me I am romantic, confident, easy going, kind and understanding woman. I am family oriented person and I have a strong desire to have my own family with tolerant, kind and loyal person. I hope that it will come true soon. I have different interests and hobbies. I like nature and sometimes my friends and arrange picnics outdoors. Sometimes I like to think over life looking at dark sky and observing sparkling stars. This condition helps to reach balance inside of my soul. When I have joyful mood I prefer to dance and to be active. I live with my daughter, she is 21 y.o, and she has already grown. I started to think about my own life. I am an economist and I like my job I selected it, because I was always apt to Sciences at school. I have a lot of interests and hobbies. I have an active life position. I like sport and try to keep good physical shape. I like nature and I like to arrange picnics outdoors with my friends. Sometimes I prefer to stay in silence with a good book or listen harmonic music. I am serious and family oriented person. I want to meet my destiny and to share my further life with. Tell me please what do you like most of all, how do you like to live. What kind of woman do you imagine as a real partner for yourself? I hope to hear from you soon. Regards, Inna

ANOTHER introductory letter ? I replied inquiring what funny games she was playing (Sep 5, 07:04), and:

Letter # 4 - Sep 5, 07:20 (just 16' after mine was sent !)

Subject: Dear Sandro
Hi, dear Sandro!
I understand you pretty well that there are people here in internet who are apt to ventures and I am afraid of it also but I try to trust to my premonition and heart. I am real as you are I am real as sun, earth, sky, ocean. The question is that you do not know me in reality and can not feel my internal essence but I try to open my soul, my emotions and feelings to you in these simple words which will help you to understand me better. I am honest with you and my single desire to meet my true love, my destiny, my beloved husband and friend in one person. I am so tired of solitude and I want to fill this emptiness in my heart with emotions, joy and happiness. I am sure that you aspire to same things because we are all human beings and it is difficult to live and suffer. I am sure that love can change everything in our life and we can get our happy card. Dear, I think that it will be very reasonable decision to meet at the end of September. Real meeting will help us to understand our truthful desires, aspirations and purposes. I promise you will not be frustrated. As to my English it leaves much to be desired and I can not speak English. If you are able to understand Russian it would be great if not we need an interpreter. I think that it will not be so deep obstacle on our way to each other. Your Inna with love

I immediately wrote a complaint to the agency, demanding a refund, and, some 10 minutes later, a further letter from "Inna":
Letter # 5- Sep 5, 07:39 (10' after mine was written !)

Subject: From Inna
Hello, Sandro!
Maybe, I was mistaken about you. I am a normal Ukrainian woman who needs man's care and attention and love, and I thought that you are the man who could melt the ice in my soul, but now I am so dissappointed in you! And if you were just playing with my feelings, well done! If you just wanted to offend me, you reached your goal! Inna

I am now devastated by "Inna's" rejection  .

[Rvrwind]

Seems like "Fat Yuri" screwed up big time!!!
Good work Sandro.
Another agency to add to the Blacklists!! Not that it will do any good from what I have experienced so far...guys will still use them & still get conned & still whine about all the bad agencies out there.
By the way, did you get your refund?

[catzenmouse]

Now Richard don't be so harsh!

Poor girl just wanted to find her life long love, got a bit confused and sent out the wrong e-mail (multiple times...).

Mean ol' Sandro crushed her spirit and her hopes for a happy love filled future. Bad Sandro! Bad!

 

[Rvrwind]

So Sorry, I know the poor girl is hurting & I shouldn't stomp on her feelings like that but gee wiz I just couldn't help myself!!!

[SANDRO43]

By the way, did you get your refund?

Not yet Richard, but I'm absolutely confident that it will be delivered post-haste. Might take a little patience, though, but isn't everybody strongly advising it, when dealing with FSUW (real or imagined) ?

Mean ol' Sandro crushed her spirit and her hopes for a happy love filled future. Bad Sandro! Bad!

Katz, I know I'm a mean and pitiless operator, but isn't everybody also urging firmness with these damsels ?

[Shadow]

Sandro she wanted to meet you so bad and was already in love with you. Your mighty presence and classicfeatures even made her forget she wrote to you as her dreams and hope were all about you. How dare you accuse the agency of leading you on. 

[SANDRO43]

Taking a closer look at these frauds, they give the following info:

A Russian Romance,
ASL Corp.
The 401 Centre
302 Regent Street
London, W1B 3HH

Rather posh address, if true. Does any of our UK friends know of a police authority who might be specifically interested in a report on their activities, and in keeping a "friendly" eye on them  ?

Also interesting in their ToS (http://www.forrussianwomen.com/terms.php):

7. Disclaimers/Limitation of Liability
...
ASL Corp. does not represent or warrant that our service will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that defects will be corrected.
...
If you are dissatisfied with any portion of our service, or with any of these terms of use, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue using our service and this web site.

Service with a smile is NOT their motto, apparently .

[Kuna]

Sandro,

I'd be tempted to buy the domain www.forrussianwomen_rippedmeoff.com and pubish your post there...  It'll only cost you $5 or so with Mydomain.com.

Once you've done it just send the link to them and tell them they can buy the domain off you for the price of what you've already spent... plus the domain fee... plus the hosting fee.

If they dont tell them you'll be happy that the registration lasts for two years and anyone searching the web for them will see your domain listed right next to theirs.

Either way... you can have a little satisfaction!

Kuna

[SANDRO43]

Sandro, I'd be tempted to buy the domain www.forrussianwomen_rippedmeoff.com and pubish your post there...  It'll only cost you $5 or so with Mydomain.com.
Once you've done it just send the link to them and tell them they can buy the domain off you for the price of what you've already spent... plus the domain fee... plus the hosting fee. If they dont tell them you'll be happy that the registration lasts for two years and anyone searching the web for them will see your domain listed right next to theirs. Either way... you can have a little satisfaction!

Kuna, a shrewd and tempting suggestion, but I'd rather investigate the possibility of reporting them to British police authorities first.

I had a look at some relevant Scotland Yard webpages (http://www.met.police.uk/computercrime/index.htm), but unfortunately they say:

Currently there is no facility in the UK to report fraud offences on line.

Frauds must be reported directly to a Metropolitan Police station. Any local volunteers  ?