Hello...New to RWD and have RW coming to visit me for 1st meeting.

[alaskaman]

3 months ago I had placed a local M4W add on Craigslist personals and was contacted via email by a professional RW(physician) shortly thereafter.  We have been emailing regularly ever since and really hitting it off.  So much so that she is making preparations to come to me for a meeting.  She stated up front that she will be travelling on her own expense and does not expect any financial assistance from me.  Have any of you had a similar experience?  Any advice on what to expect, etc... will be appreciated. 

[Faux Pas]

3 months ago I had placed a local M4W add on Craigslist personals and was contacted via email by a professional RW(physician) shortly thereafter.  We have been emailing regularly ever since and really hitting it off.  So much so that she is making preparations to come to me for a meeting.  She stated up front that she will be travelling on her own expense and does not expect any financial assistance from me.  Have any of you had a similar experience?  Any advice on what to expect, etc... will be appreciated. 

Welcome alaskaman!

You haven't provided much information but I would say to you to proceed with extreme caution for a couple of reasons. She contacted you from craigslist and she is making arrangements to come to you. Both are very typical of a scammer. There is much available information on this forum for you to read. Have you looked at any of it? If not start with the scammers section and the 10 commandments. Also check out the scam avoidance links to the left.

[alaskaman]

Hey thanks Faux Pas!

I will check out those scammer resources.

[Lily]

She contacted you from craigslist and she is making arrangements to come to you. Both are very typical of a scammer.

How would she scam him if she said she is travelling on her own expense? Tickets/passport/ visa money are not requested.

[AkMike]

I'm betting that "YET" should be added to Lilly's question.
 Even money says she/he'll streach this out drawing him into the web before she/he needs to spend this money for an urgent operation for mama or some such reason.

 Just remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't.

[Jumper]

lily-
there is no reason for him to panic or break off communications,,
she *could* be legitimate,,
but
sadly it is not likely so he should be cautious and wary,,

it is a very very common scam,,
 a "rw" will say for months they are coming,, have the money and visa.. etc etc..
but on the day of departure ,some "emergency " will come up that they need not all,
but just a little  bit WU to them immediately, so that they can continue the plan  to meet the WM..
(and its almost time, he can almost see her right? and its just a little monry,,things come up? right?)

a *con* or *scam*

con is drived from *confidence game.*
and this is a common "con" and
it's simply a story often used to build a tapestry of confidence and trust , before the small "sting"

much much more effective,
 than coming right out and asking,..

[TwoBitBandit]

Any advice on what to expect, etc... will be appreciated. 

I expect that about 24 hours before she arrives she'll run into some sort of an unexpected problem that will require that you send her $1000 by Western Union to solve. 

If you don't send the $1000, she won't show up.
If you send the $1000, she won't show up.

I give this woman about a 1% chance of being legit.

[Turboguy]

Yes, I have had the same thing happen a couple of dozen times.  For someone not used to these letters they can be fun when they first start.  It can really get the old adrenaline pumping.   As long as they are smart enough to not send money when the gal has that last minute problem it is not a big deal.  Chances of her showing up.  About the same as winning the powerball by finding a ticket laying in the street.

The good side of those scammer letters is that it has created an awareness of RW and their attributes in some guys who may have never thought about it otherwise.

[Al_C]

Funny that you mention it because that is exactly how I got started on the RW thing.  I was on the match.com system looking for another AW (what WAS I thinking?) when I got an unsolicited letter from "Yana" from Novosibirsk.  She put her photo at the end of the letter, and she was such a goddess that I just sat there in disbelief and drooled.

Of course I knew nothing about scams at the time, so when she announced that she could get a visa to come to NY (I didn't know that was impossible), it sounded really good.  Then the request for money came, and that was when my cloud 9 landed back on earth and I took a closer look at her story, which did not add up too well.

I began to look on the net and found that her "story" was all too common and in fact fit the scammer scheme like a glove.  So I decided to keep writing to her, since that was free and quite fun, but not send her a dime.  And she went away soon enough.

That is what you should do here.  Keep writing.  If nothing else, it builds your confidence and gives you good practice at connecting with a RW.  And it is free and harmless.  But do not, do not, send her a dime.  This woman is a scammer, plain and simple.

Next step:  Get yourself listed on a legit RW marriage site.  There are many to choose from.  I am partial to Elena's Models, but the initial investment in EM is quite high, so maybe you want to start with one that does not require up front $$.

And don't just dive into the women's profiles.  Read the tips first.  EM has many good ones.

Good luck to you, and don't forget to keep us posted.

[Al_C]

Funny that you mention it because that is exactly how I got started on the RW thing.  I was on the match.com system looking for another AW (what WAS I thinking?) when I got an unsolicited letter from "Yana" from Novosibirsk.  She put her photo at the end of the letter, and she was such a goddess that I just sat there in disbelief and drooled.

Of course I knew nothing about scams at the time, so when she announced that she could get a tourist visa to come to NY (I didn't know that was near impossible), it sounded really good.  Then the request for money came, and that was when my cloud 9 landed back on earth and I took a closer look at her story, which did not add up too well.

I began to look on the net and found that her "story" was all too common and in fact fit the scammer scheme like a glove.  So I decided to keep writing to her, since that was free and quite fun, but not send her a dime.  And she went away soon enough.

That is what you should do here.  Keep writing.  If nothing else, it builds your confidence and gives you good practice at connecting with a RW.  And it is free and harmless.  But do not, do not, send her a dime.  This woman is almost certainly a scammer.

Next step:  Get yourself listed on a legit RW marriage site.  There are many to choose from.  I am partial to Elena's Models, but the initial investment in EM is quite high, so maybe you want to start with one that does not require up front $$.

And don't just dive into the women's profiles.  Read the tips first.  EM has many good ones.

Good luck to you, and don't forget to keep us posted.

[ScottinCrimea]

alaskaman,  One of the easiest ways to check  is to google her name, her city and the word "scam" and see what comes up.  I smell scam here because unless there aare extreme extenuating circumstances, any RW knows that the chances of getting a visa to come to the US are practically nil, and many scammers play on the fact that the average AM doesn't know that.

[Lily]

I'm betting that "YET" should be added to Lilly's question.
 Even money says she/he'll streach this out drawing him into the web before she/he needs to spend this money for an urgent operation for mama or some such reason.

 Just remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't.

Some time ago a RWD member told that he has seen plenty of RW in the airplane heading for the U.S. That would mean, that there are still a number of people who go to the States for any business. It is hard to get a U.S. visa, but, depending on her business and reasons, still above the nil. ( How otherwise could I earn my diploma in the U.S., after all? For visa officers, I have no ties in Russia, after all..) Last but not least, I know quite a number of girls who went to States mostly for studies. I would not tell that such situations are 'extreme extenuating circumstances'.

No way  - may I stress it - no way I am telling that she is not a scammer. However, there is one secure way to go for alaskaman. Just see whether the financial need subject come up or not, and wait her to land in the U.S. Alaskaman really does not need to do anything, just to wait.

Also, I am sad reading the words 'if it's too good to be true, it probably is'  it is probably one reason why Lily is still single.

[Gator]

Alaskaman,

Does her city and current lifestyle conform to your city and lifestyle?  If not, be careful.

Also, google several of the phrases in her letters - the phrases that could easily be a cut and paste.

[I/O]

Keep writing.  If nothing else, it builds your confidence and gives you good practice at connecting with a RW.

I fail to see how communicating with "Boris" or a bank of computers (of which either is by far the most likely here) is practice at all for communicating with a RW. :noidea:

Any advice on what to expect, etc... will be appreciated. 

Expect nothing (The most likely outcome) and you won't be disappointed. Correction, expect one thing, a bite at the eleventh hour.

I/O

[AkMike]

AkMan, I'm in Anch. and if you want to have some direct input from a guy whose married a lady from Ukraine send me a PM and I'll try to help you out.
 AkMike

[Faux Pas]

alaskaman

The information here available to you here is boundless. The posters on this thread offer you some great advice. If you lined up the years of experience here on this thread alone you're  looking at 100+years of experience with FSUW. The majority of this experience has at one time or another been approached just as you have and in such the same manner. With possibly the exception of Lily which you can see is quite the lady, so she most likely hasn't been.

From the information you have provided this is nothing but negative. Most of us have seen it before (some many many times). The bright side here is that there is many women from the East are looking for you and if you are serious about finding them it is easy enough to do. Stick around and read, read and read some more. This can be accomplished but it requires good footing. Again, read, read,read.

[Ronnie]

If she is a sophisticated scammer she will produce a scan of an airline ticket.  It will be fake but very authentic looking!  The greatest risk is that you become somehow emotionally attached and ignore the warning signs.  That's her objective.

Lily, Your only problem is one of marketing.  Who is better at marketing than Americans?  Let us help you.  Where do you have your profile listed?  We'll have you married off in no time!

[TwoBitBandit]

Lily, Your only problem is one of marketing.  Who is better at marketing than Americans?  Let us help you.  Where do you have your profile listed?  We'll have you married off in no time!

I agree, Lily is obviously a catch.

http://www.ladagirl.com/1040.html

[Ronnie]

Gee, thanks Bullwinkle!  I looked at Lily's profile and have a few ideas.  But I don't want to hijack this thread so I'll start a new one called "Marketing Miss Lily"

[AkMike]

If she is a sophisticated scammer she will produce a scan of an airline ticket.  It will be fake but very authentic looking! 

 I've also  seen very good looking visa's attached to phoney passports offered up as proof. When I compared them to my wifes visa they were easy to spot as phoney.
 Photoshop can be a bad thing!

 But if you are careful you can walk away with the brass ring for real!

[BillyB]

3 months ago I had placed a local M4W add on Craigslist personals and was contacted via email by a professional RW(physician) shortly thereafter.  We have been emailing regularly ever since and really hitting it off.  So much so that she is making preparations to come to me for a meeting.  She stated up front that she will be travelling on her own expense and does not expect any financial assistance from me.  Have any of you had a similar experience?  Any advice on what to expect, etc... will be appreciated. 

Scammer's like to target men who never had any intention on meeting a foreign women because they are most likely naive to the fact that it's nearly impossible for RW to get  a visa. Most likely these women or men writing you will have a problem right before their flight that is solved with money. That means YOU are needed. The thought of a beautiful RW flying right to your doorstep is wonderful, not to mention the sex will be mind blowing. That's why so many men will send a few hundred bucks at the last minute because they are thinking with the little head. It's okay to dream as long as you wake up to reality.

One thing you have to admit alaskaman is that RW is a refreshing sight compared to what you're used to seeing on Craigslist.