There are lot of experts among you guys, many of you have actually been to the FSU countries and experienced what actually goes on there. I on the other hand have not. I am a very experienced world traveller and have found myself in some interesting situations in Latin America involving machineguns and unsavoury police men. i.e. I am not a complete novice. Bottom line I am suspicious without throwing out the baby with the bathwater. I need some input please.
I am involved in a long overdue (friendly) divorce and looking for company. I decided to use Yahoo Personals and forked out my $20 per month for 4 months. One of the interesting things that happened was that I received some emails from the FSU. I deleted them at the begining then later took a closer look. The end result was that I started an email correspondence with a very pretty girl from Kazan. She seems quite normal, undemanding and generally pleasant. I am contemplating going out to see her and see what develops.
ANYWAY - I work with a Ukrainian guy who has filled me in on all kinds of info. The one thing that pricked my interest the most was the crime situation. God knows it is in this forum enough. I am definitely taking notice of all of it.
This is what I don't understand. To send someone a personals email on Yahoo Personals you need to have an account. These accounts are not free as I have already mentioned. Money is tight in the FSU. You generally cannot look up the Russian girls profile. With a free account all you can do is send an icebreaker, not an email.
So the problem is this. How are these girls sending emails to me? This one I like has not answered this question, but then she has not answered a lot of my questions although I definitely get the feeling that it is an inability to translate what I have written properly.
I am thinking that possibly a bunch of criminals get together, file a phoney profile. Blast emails to tons of American guys. Some of them will be curious just like me. Some will accept the emails and pictures at face value. They go to visit in the FSU and disappear, goodbye money, cards etc. Perhaps I am being excessively cautious but my Ukraine friend is telling me that if they want to crack the Yahoo email system they will do it. They are very resourceful. He also says that they would indeed literally kill you for a few bucks.
Sorry to have gone on so long in my first post but I would be VERY grateful for your inputs because so far I really like what I see and read with this particular girl. Thanks in advance for your help.
Steve
FL, USA
Thanks for responding Wess. She gave me a @list.ru address.
I have been running through this forum this afternoon and it is an eye opener. I thought there were tons of these women looking to escape the hard reality of the FSU countries and find a new life in America or similar. That is what A Foreign Affair would have you believe anyway. The feedback I am seeing is that this is just not true. Professional letter writers, asking for money, the big green card scam, duff photos etc etc. It is depressing, I thought this situation actually gave an ordinary regular, middle of the road guy a chance for a beautiful, intelligent wife. I am starting to think differently. I for one would not have neough money to continually pop over to the FSU countries until something clicked - too expensive. All input gratefully received.
Steve
Well you are lucky you landed here, this is a pretty safe site, the agency is good about weeding out scammers and such. Stay within this site and you will be ok. sure they get on asite recruit some guys they take them from their site to their e-mail site and then down the road you send money. Rule 1-10 do not send money to women you have not met in person.
I really appreciate the advice. She hasn't asked me for anything yet and maybe it is all very genuine and I am being paranoid. However if there is one thing I have learned in my 49 years is that if something seems to good to be true it almost certainly is. Perhaps I will find a cute, intelligent wife down this road but I am starting to have some doubts.
actually this forum has a lot of positive information and rule how not to get scammed. just follow them.
get her phone number, talk to her over the phone, send her flowers to check if she lives at that address, ask florist to make a photo at the moment of delivery. she may be very well real. if she doesn't answer questions it is already strange.
Ok - I found out yesterday. She is a scam artist. Apparently it is the ticket/visa ploy for about $400. I found her picture plastered all over Elena Petrovas site. She has an extensive blacklist - huge. This bitches' picture come up over and over again with a dozen names. How the hell do they break into Yahoo?? Where there is a will there is a way I suppose. I am glad I was suspicious. Thanks everyone 'nuff said
Steve
Unfortuantely - it seems that the monitors work standard Monday to Friday workweeks. I'm guessing that Agency knows this and has intentionally chosen the weekend to sabotage the finace.com forum.
Hey guys I have a question. A new woman has contacted me. She's requesting that I reply to her via her private email address instead of corresponding here. This happen much here?
I have corresponded in the beginning with girls that had a private
email. It didn't work very well for me. There was no scam involved
just I think they had there emails set up through an internet cafe and they don't go there often or can't afford it any longer. The agency that my lady is with is pretty cool. She doesn't have to come in all the time to pick up letters. She mostly has them read them to
her over the phone and she tell them what to write back. She comes
in a couple of times a week to pick up the hard copies of the emails.
She told me the only letter she was not involved in was the introduction letter. She really didn't know what to write I guess, but
I was one of the gentlemen she picked out to correspond with. The other two, the fools didn't respond to her. The agency has really worked well for me, I have also become friends with her interpreter
which happens to be her best friend. So far I'm happy with this, now
just waiting for our meeting on November 19th in Kiev is killing me.
I personally think the agency is the best way to go especially in the communications with letters. I send letters to my lady by regular mail also.