Best way to detect scammers

[mobious99]

Hi,

I've just writing to someone and she's already mentioning the "Love" word and I was wondering, she seems genuine. She's already given me her address (no phone number yet) and I was wondering what the best way to check if she's real or not?

[kievstar]

If you have not met her in person I would dump her. 

[Sculpto]

I would not jump to such a fast conclusion as Kiev, especially since mobi does not give us any other info than her mentioning the love word...he does not tell us in what context, how many letters they have had, and how he found her... it is possible she is a young dreamer with little internet experience and less with men.

You can also call her out on her proclamations of love, ask her how she can love you when you never met IRL.

google her email address and IP number.  If they come up on a ton of anti-scam lists then you have your answer.

If they do not come up, ask for her phone number and call her at irregular times.

Offer to visit her, but, far enough in the future that you do not have to get on a plane next week, but soon enough for her to see you can be serious.  Judge her reaction.  If she is negative about it, forge ther, if she suggests meeting in your country.. strike against.. if she suggests meeting in a third country toss her out the window.

[diverboy70]

Check thre x-mailer and watch out for "bat professioanl" And ask for her phone an d call her!

[ScottinCrimea]

Any decent scammer seems genuine and sincere in the beginning or they wouldn't be in business long.

I worry about the L word popping up so quickly.  If she doesn't feel confident enough in you to provide you her phone number, how can she love you?  It's a pretty strong contradiction.  Has she said why she won't give you her phone number?

[SANDRO43]

I was wondering what the best way to check if she's real or not?

Have a look at our Scam Card (Scam Avoidance menu at left) for some hints .

[dispozo]

Do you translate her letters?

You have to watch out for the words "like" and "love" when translated.

[Kuna]

Check thre x-mailer and watch out for "bat professioanl" And ask for her phone an d call her!

Diver,

I've seen you give this advice a few times so I just want to let you know that use of "The Bat" is not a strong indicator of the person being a scammer. 

Yes, I believe professional scammers may use The Bat but it's a popular email client in FSU and not just scammers are using it. My wife is nagging me to download/buy it for her because of the ability to switch languages freely and the built in virus protection.

Equating "The Bat" with scammers in like equating Outlook Express with wife beaters...  Yes, some wife beaters MIGHT use Outlook Express but it doesn't mean Outlook Express users are wife beaters.

[viking]

Kuna, 'the bat' is not an inexpensive piece of software. The average RW could not afford it and most cases would not spend the money for it to just communicate with a few men. Heck, it can be expensive just to have internet service in the home. It has been my experience that when I have seen this show up, it was 100% a scammer.

[Shadow]

Kuna, 'the bat' is not an inexpensive piece of software. The average RW could not afford it and most cases would not spend the money for it to just communicate with a few men. Heck, it can be expensive just to have internet service in the home. It has been my experience that when I have seen this show up, it was 100% a scammer.

Viking first of all you would be surprised how much the average RW could spend on this, secondly you can be assured that like with Microsoft Office not all users have paid the full price, although at $45 (Pro) it is not overpriced.
Finally, as 'The Bat' allows multiple user profiles it is a handy tool for internet cafes and small businesses that do not want to rely on web mail software. Due to the possibility of having multiple user profiles it is popular among the scammers.

http://www.ritlabs.com

[Shadow]

Hi,

I've just writing to someone and she's already mentioning the "Love" word and I was wondering, she seems genuine. She's already given me her address (no phone number yet) and I was wondering what the best way to check if she's real or not?

Google her address. Take part of the sentences in the middle of her letter and Google it to see if you find (almost) the same letter.
Check the e-mail header to see if it is consistent with what she tells you (location/kind of connection).

If you want to be really sure...visit her.

[viking]

Shadow you are right. I would be surprised. And I can understand the possible need in an internet cafe environment. But for home use? Why would a RW need multiple profiles? Or user names. Personally, I have one profile, one email address and never had a need for more. To me, if a RW has several email addresses, all coming from the same IP address, that tells me she has a need to separate a a large amount of email, not a good sign. When I was in the search mode, all I needed were a few individual folders to keep track. Also, to be clearer, when I saw 'the bat' and it was coming from a person substantially younger than me, well, delete, delete, delete.

[docetae]

Viking first of all you would be surprised how much the average RW could spend on this, secondly you can be assured that like with Microsoft Office not all users have paid the full price, although at $45 (Pro) it is not overpriced.
Finally, as 'The Bat' allows multiple user profiles it is a handy tool for internet cafes and small businesses that do not want to rely on web mail software. Due to the possibility of having multiple user profiles it is popular among the scammers.

http://www.ritlabs.com

Do you have someone in FSU who have bought a software !!!!!???? Even in University they are using pirated copy of windows... you can buy DVD with office + windows etc for less than 5$ on market... You can even find data dvd with mp3 (all madonna song, etc) in supermarkets...

Piracy is the norm.

[Shadow]

Do you have someone in FSU who have bought a software !!!!!???? Even in University they are using pirated copy of windows... you can buy DVD with office + windows etc for less than 5$ on market... You can even find data dvd with mp3 (all madonna song, etc) in supermarkets...

Piracy is the norm.

I know personally someone who bought an official Russian version of Microsoft Office for $1000.
But I guess that Microsoft Russia will be able to track that person as one of the 5 official copies sold 

Viking the thing is that Microsoft Outlook (not Express) is used a lot at home, just because people are used to it. People working in an office environment in Russia might be using The Bat every day for office, and there for get a copy for home use.
Most scammers get money by Western Union, does that make everyone in the FSU who receives money by WU a scammer ?
Its just something that, with the right circumstances, can raise a red flag but nothing more.

[Kuna]

No need to reply to all posts above about "The Bat"....  but I think the retorts have it solved.  People using The Bat are not ALWAYS scammers... there's many reasons and/or methods to use it INCLUDING piracy and office/internet cafe use.

I certainly wouldn't be dumping anyone just because she was using The Bat.

[diverboy70]

Kuna!

Yes, you maybe be right! However the answers I have got from "The bat PROFESSIONAL" has allways been from girls with stunning photos and very romantic letters It's not just the bat!

[roykirk]

I'm sure some people would disagree with this, but I immediately discounted any woman who wouldn't provide a phone number immediately, or that claimed not to have one.  Hogwash.  As many people here have pointed out, you'd be hard pressed to find an FSU woman who doesn't have a cell phone.  Another often debated item is the e-mail.  I also discounted any woman who didn't have an e-mail address.  Not only can they find an Internet cafe, but the supposed lack of an e-mail address is how some of these agencies stay in business with their letter forwarding fees.  I was also extremely skeptical of any woman who seemed to have only professional studio photos.  If the OP's lady has displayed any of these warning signs, I'd say cut her off.  In my opinion, the "love" word is also a big red flag.  The one scammer I came across on EM did this.  Said she loved me after about the 10th e-mail, and not even a single phone call because she claimed her cell phone was broken and could only dial calls, but could not receive them.  I gave her the axe and noted about two weeks later that EM suspended her account for multiple complaints about unethical activity. 

[Misha]

ads were placed by unscrupulous individuals who are only out to separate you from your hard earned dollars.

How does that saying go? It takes one to know one  :evil:

[Ooooops]

Why would a RW need multiple profiles? Or user names. Personally, I have one profile, one email address and never had a need for more. To me, if a RW has several email addresses, all coming from the same IP address, that tells me she has a need to separate a a large amount of email, not a good sign.

Exactly, to separate mail.   It's like keeping your socks and undies in different drawers.      I don't see anything wrong with it and wouldn't see a scammer right away with a multiple-personality person.   

And yes, as it was said already - Love and Like are often mixed up in translations....

[Faux Pas]

No need to reply to all posts above about "The Bat"....  but I think the retorts have it solved.  People using The Bat are not ALWAYS scammers... there's many reasons and/or methods to use it INCLUDING piracy and office/internet cafe use.

I certainly wouldn't be dumping anyone just because she was using The Bat.

Another reason: On my last trip to Siberia, I was supposed to have internet access in the apartment I rented. There was something (I later found out it was an internal network) but I couldn't tell what or how to use it because it was all in Russian. As it turns out it, was a local ISP with its own internal network. Once you connect on it, you then have a username and password to connect to the WWW. But there was email on the internal network and I sent one to myself while troubleshooting as I was having problems receiving my emails. Once I finally received it, looking at the header and there was "the Bat". This was from an email I had sent to myself through this network.

A very strange configuration just to connect to the internet but, it was, what it was. I found out toward the end of my stay that I had to purchase "time" at the local store where ever they had those self service little stands or kiosks

[msmoby_ru]

Kuna, 'the bat' is not an inexpensive piece of software. The average RW could not afford it and most cases would not spend the money for it to just communicate with a few men. Heck, it can be expensive just to have internet service in the home. It has been my experience that when I have seen this show up, it was 100% a scammer.

PLE-ase

Look, "the bat" is a email client that many Eastern European IT folk use as a sort of "FU" to MicroSoft..

It DOES NOT indicate "scammer"  - Bank Robbers driving BMW's does that mean  BMW drivers are Bank Robbers ..

Many of my Wife's friends and ex colleagues write using "the Bat!" - are they scammers, too?

BTW I think it is a Romanian programme
 

[msmoby_ru]

..and let's face it - much more software it FSU countries is pirated... so "cost" isn't an issue..

[SANDRO43]

I hope this article will be useful for men to avoide scammers.

Thank you for your contribution, but nothing much new (have a look at our ScamCard in the "Scam Avoidance" menu at left ).

[Mtnmansummit]

I've not been here for over a year what is "x-mailer and watch out for "bat professioanl" "

[SANDRO43]

I've not been here for over a year

It shows, this has been discussed before . It's info that you can obtain from an e-mail IP header which, among other things, tells you what created that particular e-mail.

what is "x-mailer

X-mailer is a mass-mailing tool often used by spammers among others.

X-Mailer Direct is a productivity-tool made for the professional e-marketer.
+It guides trough the 4 steps of creating personalized e-newsletters.
+It allows sending e-mails from the datasources where recipients are usually stored.
+It integrates with Outlook, Excel, Access, SQL Server, ODBC, OLE DB, or even a web-site or a CRM system.

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Email_Tools/Mail_Clients/X_Mailer_Direct.html

and watch out for "bat professianal"

On the other hand, the Bat is a mail program widely used in Eastern Europe and installed at many FSU Internet Cafés.

So while seeing X-mailer mentioned in an e-mail IP header is a possible red flag, the Bat is not.