Scam And Fraud Warnings

Contrary to what some people think, Russians and Eastern Europeans are about as honest as Australians, Americans and Western Europeans. You are just as likely to be scammed by someone you meet online in your own country (or at work, or in a nightclub, or in a..., well, you get the picture) as you are by someone you meet from Eastern Europe.

One of the oldest scam directories or "Blacklist" sites is the available from Elena Petrova, owner of Elena's Models. The Russian Women Black List has scams dating back to the late 1990's and early 2000. You should really take an hour or two to read through some of the experiences of others. You may find yourself asking, "How could he not have seen this coming?" Well love and emotions can definitely play with your head, especially when an attractive man or woman is involved.

The key difference between a local scam where you may get your feelings hurt and a long-distance dating scam can be the sums of money involved, especially if you are planning on taking a week or two to go visit your new beloved man or woman.

These scams can go on for months or even years, with the scammer taking his or her time. Quite often in fact the person you think you are corresponding with does not really exist. Scammers have been known to use photos of actresses or models, or in other cases to pay local girls to take a variety of snapshots that they will use to send to you. There is a joke that quite often the beautiful girl you think you are writing to is really, "Fat Yuri".

A sample where you can see the actual scam and fraud warnings played out in a typical communication is available at agencyscams.com. The nice thing is that many of these scams have not changed in years, and my husband tells me that he remembers seeing many of these same photos six or seven years ago.

Many sites will tell you that the best way to avoid getting taken advantage of is never to send money overseas. Even if you never send money you can still be taken advantage of down the road once your relationship has started.

My advice it you is to be very honest with yourself, as self-deception can be a painful and expensive lesson.

Before you start writing anyone, learn as much as you can about the rules of the game, who you are and what you truly want out of the situation. Above all, be completely honest with yourself.

Part of being honest with yourself is educating yourself. Use the many "anti-scam" and "blacklist" sites to learn as much as you can and avoid becoming a victim.