Russian Dating Scams - Everything you Wanted to Know about Russian Bride Frauds

Any practice which gains quick popularity is bound to attract scams. Ranging from financial schemes to lifestyle trends, anything that promises instant gratification with minimum of cost and effort has potential for suspicion. So have Russian dating and matchmaking sites which after promising ideal partners often appear to be merely vehicles for deception and money-making.

Russian dating and matchmaking sites hit the American scene towards the end of the last century. In the aftermath of the disintegration of USSR and relaxation of restrictions on overseas travel, many women were eager to immigrate to the West. In the absence of professional skills, most of them chose to emigrate as mail-order brides for American or European men. The internet boom only added fuel to the fire with lots of sites cashing in on this demand for young and attractive girls from Russia. However it was only a matter of time before many men realized that they were being fleeced of their money by fake dating partners and dating websites.

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Russian dating scams make use of men from North America and elsewhere in the world looking for female partners from Russia. The male clients first sign up with a dating or matchmaking agency which has a list of single Russian women willing to enter into partnerships with men from other countries. After the client chooses a potential partner according to her online profile, appearances or common interests, things may move on to mails, online chats and video conferencing. The final stage of the process marks the face to face encounter between two sides which may be in the client’s home country or in Russia.

In case of a scam, the Russian girl will bring up money issues just when a degree of understanding has been reached between the two sides. She may do this by like expressing an interest in travelling  to her partner’s country but claiming not to have the money for passport, tickets, visa etc. As soon as her partner sends her the money she may claim to have gone to the Embassy and found out that she needed yet more money for various expensive requirements like travel insurance or financial solvency rules . The plea for still more amounts of money will continue with excuses like presents for loved ones at home or for repayment of a student loan and so on till either the guy at the other end realizes he is being duped or more likely till he finds himself staring at an empty wallet.

One aspect of the Russian dating scam is the bride scam. This happens when the man is directly interested in marrying an eligible woman from Russia but after bringing her into his own country finds out that things are not so easy. The Russian woman may not want to get married at all and right after her arrival may disappear, preferably with the guy’s cash and/or credit card in tow. Alternatively the Russian-origin woman may get married to her partner but begin to show her true colors during the waiting period for acquiring permanent residence status in the country. During this time she would keep demanding money from her husband and even use blackmail or threaten him with charges of domestic abuse in order to have her way. Eventually she would drive for a huge financial settlement as a way out of this torturous marriage, an amount which would enable her to live in a lavish style in the country. In all this she may be acting alone or in connivance with a gang already in place and knowledgeable about legal matters relating to marriage with an immigrant and the process of getting a Green Card.

There are several ways of recognizing and avoiding the Russian dating and bride scams. One of the surefire marks of a scammer is a direct approach with which they send unsolicited emails to single, middle-aged men from the US and other countries and offer the ‘friendship’ of a girl from Russia or any of the former Soviet bloc nations. Yet another distinguishing feature of scammers is that they are unlikely to mention unique and individual details since they are replying to potential victims by the hundreds. Their emails are usually pre-written with any answers only at the beginning or at the end of the mail. They also ignore specific questions put to them or often end up typing the same things twice. This is the serial kind of scammer and relatively easier to detect and avoid.

However the more dangerous kind of scammer uses a more personalized approach. She would actually pay attention to your questions, focus on individual details during conversations and give specific replies. She would seem sympathetic and affectionate besides knowing how to cater to the emotional needs of a lonely man. However one way to spot such a scammer would be to notice if she displays excessive eagerness for a meeting after just a couple of mails or chat sessions. Ultimately whether the serial or personalized type, all scammers would come down to demands for money for travel or personal expenses.

Yet another way to avoid falling into the trap of fake Russian brides and dates is to double-check the site through which one gets in touch with them. The genuine dating and matchmaking sites would have clearly specified phone numbers and headquarter addresses. Finally it is always a good idea to seek overseas partners through recommendations of people who have successfully done this.

Not all Russian women seeking foreign partners are cheats and not all Russian dating websites are fraudulent. When practiced honorably, the trend of American men dating or marrying foreign women ensures that both sides are happy. While Russian women are glad to escape the economic and social uncertainty of a country yet to find its feet post-liberalization, the men from western countries believe that Russian women make devoted and amiable life partners. However the increasing instances of dating scams involving women and agencies from Russia have now made the practice almost synonymous with fraud. So in the event of dating or marrying overseas women, one needs to proceed with extreme caution and only after careful verification.