Protect Yourself from Russian Scams

Whether you are trying to date Russian women online or not, you probably hear a lot about Russian scams. These scams do exist, but the good news is - they are pretty easy to spot.

Other good news is, that most Russian women who look for love online are honest and have serious intentions to find a life-time partner, so don't be discouraged by scammers. They are everywhere these days. Actually, when it comes to so-called "Russian scams" most scam artists are not even women and many of them are not even Russian - they usually work in groups, sometimes even in different countries. They use pictures of beautiful Russian women, or Russian celebrities.

Since I am Russian and I know Russian mentality pretty well, it is much easier for me to recognize a scammer. When our friend Jack told me about his online girlfriend Lena, who was from Russia and whose mother suddenly "got ill" and needed money for the surgery, I smelled scam right away. Jack, who is very kind and compassionate guy, didn't want to believe that Lena was trying to scam him.

"But we were corresponding for awhile. She seemed so nice and she was ready to move to the United States" - he kept saying.

Then he gave me a few e-mails from her to read, including the one about her "ill" mother.

After looking at these, there was no doubt, that poor Jack was being scammed. I suggested that he should reply to Lena and tell her that he has a friend who is a doctor, who might help her mother for free. Well, guess what?

Lena (or whoever she/he) was, disappeared. I wrote Jack's story in more detail in our blog about Russian women

When it comes to dating Russian women online, golden rule is to never send her money. Never. Russian women (decent Russian women I should say) have a lot of pride, so it is not common for them to ask for money. This is one of the reasons why you always need to learn about Russian culture before starting a relationship with a Russian woman (online or not). The more you know, the fewer the chances that you will become a Russian scam victim.

Russian dating scammers will usually ask for money for travel, passport, internet cafe, "ill mother", "ill sister", English tutor or cell phone. If she asks you to send her money, run away as fast as you can.

If you decided to look for Russian wife online, it is safer to do it through a marriage or dating agency, which has a good reputation (Elena's Models is one of them). Reputable marriage agencies take their job seriously and they often check girls profiles, phone numbers and photos to make sure they are real. Free dating services are not as safe, so it is better to avoid them.

Scammers usually use very sexy and attractive photos; they "fall in love" with you very fast and they are usually the ones who initiate the contact. Many men, even the most intelligent, fall for this, because they become flattered and loose their reason due to excitement and euphoria, that a model-looking 20 year old thinks that he is "the most handsome man she has ever seen". Don't let this happen to you.

Many scammers are lazy (or maybe just busy scamming too many people). They use pre-written letters and often don't even bother answering your questions. Keep an eye on it. If she doesn't answer your question, ask the same question again.

Use Google to find databases of scammers, their pictures, letters and "stories".

If you do your homework, you'll be fine. If you have any questions, visit our unbiased blog, which my American husband and I created to help Russian-American couples understand each other better, or leave a comment in my guest book.;-)