I have been corrsponding with a Russian girl from Moscow for about two months. Her name is Margo and she tells me tht she has the money and the Visa to come to America to visit me. She has never asked me for money and she explains to me that she lost her Credit card and her bank closed the account for a number of days until they can re-issue another card. She wants me to open a savings account at a bank so that she can transfer money to that account and procede to purchase her airline ticket.
I smell a scam in there somewhere and I have ran several scenarios through my mind as to how this might play out but was wondering if anyone on this forum has ever actually seen this type of scam play out.
Her last letter reads....
"You have good ideas. Only here I thought already of it. In Russia very bad bank system. To open the international account, it is necessary to wait a lot of time, even this procedure can sometimes be tightened for some months. I today was in bank and learned about my bank account. To me have told, that I cannot use the bank account still at least weeks two, and can and more. I think, that the best idea will be, that you have opened the bank account in one of banks in the USA. Thus my girlfriend can transfer money for your bank account and you can transfer this money to me. I am assured for the girlfriend, that it the fair person and never will deceive me. I am familiar with it since the childhood. I trust it on 100 %. I think, that it is even not obligatory to you to open the account with a credit card. It is necessary to open such account that on it it was possible to transfer money from one bank of the USA to other bank in the USA. I am assured, that we we can solve this problem. I very much hope for you and very much I wish to meet you."
Anyone know this scam? Not looking for advice...Hey !I know it's a scam..I just want to know how they do it.
jeff,
1. do not participate in any money transfer ideas from her. she can wait two weeks. they may steal money from somebody transfer them to your account then you transfer money to her using WU.
2. have you talked to her on the phone? did you verify her address by sending small flower arrnagment and ask to take photo at the delivery?
it is may be not a scam. but why do you need this trouble. she can ask her girlfriend to do WU dierctly to her:)
Je12,
It is for sure a scam and just in case you may be in any doubt tell her that you have spoken to a US travel agent or airline, you can purchase her ticket in US, for collection in Moscow, but the airline/agency need to see a copy of her US visa before they can issue a ticket, say it's got something to do with the aftermath of 9/11.
And if she actually has a US visa then my name is Elvis Presley.
And also google for 'Russia blacklist' and read about all the similar scams for visa and tickets.
je12,
Just read your bottom line. I've read of this fiddle before but I can't recall the full details, the Africans are famous for this one but the monies do not actually move between accounts, that's why they call them wire transfers, and somehow the recipient (you) gets notice that the monies are soon to arrive, or have, arrived (electronically) thus you send, back to her (electronically), these monies and you subsequently find out that the monies that you thought had arrived have not arrived and indeed don't exist.
Like I say I can't recall esactly how they do it but it's something along those lines.
Ej12,
I just googled for 'bank transfer scam' and came across this:
Wire Fraud
The simplest way a scam like this will work is that the bank transfer you receive will actually be bogus, and though the money may appear to be in your account, it may later be detected as fraud and the transaction cancelled. Unfortunately, by this time you will have already withdrawn cash from the account and forwarded that on to somebody else who will no longer be traceable. You will be liable for the debt, which may run into many thousands of pounds.
most people have a good record at a bank, to such an extent that you can draw direct after having made a deposit.
A deposit shows immediately, as available money, and indeed you can draw against it - irrespective who made the deposit, you can draw.
So she deposits, and asks you straight away to transfer her these funds - which you do.
Only later you'll find out the deposit was a fake, it bounces and you're out of the real money.
Oooooooold scenario, don't fall for it. Time is at an essence here, never ever be hasty. And in any case, you can ask your bank for a special clearance first - do so if you smell a rat.
I agree with Olga. You do not need to know the mechanics of the scam. All you need to know is that in 2 months she/he/it could not get a visa if you are in the US and you are being lied to. Here are processing times for visas in the US https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/jsps/Processtimes.jsp?SeviceCenter=CSC. Just write her/him/it and tell her/him/it it would work out better for you if she comes three weeks later anyhow. This will give her/him/it time to come up with another reason to ask you for money. If you want to have fun with her/him/it make a new excuse why each time you are ask for money will not work. Next tell it you cant find a Western Union and if it finds one on the net for you tell it you got into it with the clerk there and Western Union black balled you. Those scammers hate it when you work them and they do not get any money.
Thanks for all that scam information!
This sure enlightened me and I hope that this posting has given someone else who reads this topic a lesson on the Anatomy of this kind of scam.
There sure are some clever detectives on this forum.
Why is it when I read from many guys that are in process of being scammed that first thing they write is ......'she has never asked for money'???
Scammering is a process....asking for money is acient history. Now its all revolving in a story so that maybe guy will not get what is really going on. Girl getting visa and flying to meet you in your country is old story...just now trying to tie into other avenues...... banks/WU.
Just don't get lazy and go meet girl, to me, if she meets you she is not a scammer. She could be just a dater, goldigger, or just not serious. It's the guys call, if it doesn't work, do better homework or just look elsewhere, no one ever said this was easy and certainly not cheap.