Anatomy Of A Scammer

If you have an interest in a foreign woman, join the gang. Many of us do for their traditional family values and their beauty. You shouldn't in the least give up that desire. However, if you are looking for a foreign beauty, here are some simple indicators that the woman you are writing is not what you are looking for, but instead is a scammer.

A scammer is probably an older person, could be male or female, and may work alone or in concert with someone else. A scammer can communicate in your language--communication is the best tool they have. A scammer has no interest in coming to meet you or meeting you in his/her country. In fact, chances are that they couldn't qualify for marriage with you in the first place, or they have other interests in their own country.

They may or may not already be married. A scammer will have access to the internet at almost any time and will likely be corresponding with many men. A scammer will have some way of knowing your email address so he/she can initiate contact with you in order to quickly put the scam into motion. Waiting for you to contact her could take forever, so be especially careful about ladies contacting you. A scammer may likely be affiliated with a website alone or be assisted by a friend.

They are not likely to have 'known' membership in any site. To do so might compromise their cover. A scammer will be willing to take anything--gifts or money. They will usually suggest Federal Express for mailing things to them and Western Union for money transfers. Both are the most expedient and most expensive. They will not care what it costs you to provide either. Professional scammers will NEVER provide photos of themselves. Consequently, they can NEVER provide CURRENT photos either.

It is likely they will acquire photos of some beautiful girl on a one-time basis but will not be able to repeat the effort. A scammer has nothing to lose and everything to gain by appearing to be honest and sincerely interested in you. After all, if they are scamming several people at the same time, their chances of getting something (gifts or money) are good. A scammer knows that their victims have certain vulnerabilities.
You want to meet someone whom you've longed to be with. You've made a decision to look the world over for love. A scammer knows that's your vulnerability. A scammer cares about him or herself, doesn't give a hook aout you, and will attempt to milk the situation for everything.
A scammer realizes that you are likely to be new to this endeavor. A successful scammer is a professional--an unsuccessful scammer is going to be. A scammer is a scammer because he/she is good at it. Like any professional, they've had some practice getting to where they are. In all likelihood, they probably failed miserably many times. But, that's the essence of their success. They turned those failures into a polished approach that has a good success ratio. Bumping and skipping down the road at first is just what it took to get good and to know the mindset of their victims. A scammer is one who is remote or secluded from their victims and who feels assured their victims will never find them. Foreign scammers are betting their victims will not spend additional money to bother finding them or trying to locate them. Scammers hide behind their national borders and laws that make it difficult for you to have them prosecuted. Scammers will review your ads and adjust their identity to complement what you are looking for. Scammers will appear to be the ordinary woman for you. Scammers will watch the love traffic for clues on how to improve their techniques. Scammers have NOTHING to lose by scamming you. Scammers will make more money by scamming you than they will at anything else in their country. The exchange rate will make scammers rich in their own country. Scammers have everything to gain what you will lose. One thing to never forget--A SCAMMER RELIES ON GAINING YOUR TRUST AND CONFIDENCE. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO SCAM YOU!!

How to Spot and Defeat a Scam

Recent Photos. Scammers will seldom use their own photo. Usually, the scammer is not the attractive type anyway, or she would most likely be seeking a legitimate relationship. But, she will likely always have photos of someone who is attractive. Always attempt to get a recent "dated" photo of the person with whom you are corresponding. If she's sincere, and it's really her, she'll provide one. But, if not, she won't. After all, if the photo is of someone else, she can't very well send you one, can she? If she makes the excuse that she doesn't have time, give her time. You have plenty of time to do this right.

Sincerity. A scammer will always try to convey sincerity. She will work hard to impress you that she is honest and wants to support your every effort. She will appear in the best way possible to be the woman you want. She may tell you that she wants to help with the finances or that she has property herself and doesn't need money. She'll hope that you will offer money to her, but will appear to not want it.

Airline Tickets. A good scammer may offer to pay for her own ticket. In the process, she may convey to you that her parents or someone else will give her the money but might ask you to loan it to her so she can get the ticket right away. She may assure you that she will pay you back once she arrives. She might even indicate that she has a vacation coming up soon and that now would be the ideal time to visit. She will do anything to increase the need and urgency of having money sent to her, but she will be very subtle about how she asks for it. She may also tell you how she is counting the days until she visits you, or she may convey other similar expressions of romanticism. If you do provide her money for a ticket, chances are she will not come; but, she will likely make up reasons why she needs more money. Perhaps the ticket costs more, especially if you advance the schedule. She may also ask you to loan her more money to augment her travel funds by suggesting that people from her country often encounter difficulties getting through international airports. Even though she may not have an airline ticket, nothing keeps her from going to the website and pulling up costs and a schedule with flight numbers and then providing that to you as if she had the ticket--seems legitimate, especially when you check the flights yourself. If she does, ask her for the ticket number so that you can track her flights as she travels. Or, ask her to fax a copy of her itinerary. With the ticket number, you should be able to log into a web site or call the airline to confirm her schedule.

Address Verification. Always verify the address of the lady with whom you are corresponding. That is very important to ensure she is sincere. Try writing her by mail first and then wait on a return letter from her. You can do that in addition to writing by email. If you get her address right away and send something to her, you will likely receive a return letter by the time you get to know her through email. If so, that will be added assurances that she is who she says she is. Photos are a good thing to send and ask for. If an address doesn't work, then suspect the worst.

References. Don't hesitate to ask for references. It is good to know of her and about her from someone else. If she is religious, ask for the name, address, and phone number of her clergy. If she is employed, ask for contact information about her employer. You don't necessarily have to contact either of them, but as long as she knows you might, chances are she'll provide correct information. If you do try contacting them, but can't get through--suspect the worst and ask for other references.

Website Affiliation. If the lady writes to you first, try to verify how she came to know of you. If she is affiliated with the service that you are using, ask her to tell you her member number or some other way of identifying herself to you. If she is a member, chances are she is legitimate and sincere in wanting to know you. But, if not, then perhaps she has other designs in mind. If she is not a member of the service, then try to find out how she came to know of you. Ask her to provide the name and contact information of the person who told her about you. If she does, don't hesitate to contact that person to learn more of the lady writing you. If she can't or won't provide a contact, chances are she is not legitimately seeking a relationship.

Phone Calls. Always ask for a phone number and always call her. However, bear in mind that just because you talk to her doesn't mean she is sincere. Talking to her doesn't confirm who she is, but you might make reference to her photo to see if she responds correctly. If she has a certain feature--a mole for instance--that you think she should know about immediately, make conversation with the intent to see if she identifies with it. Pick out anything else about the photo to see if she remembers. If it is her in the photo, she should be conversant. But, if not, then she is not likely to be.

Chances. Whatever you do, don't take chances. A chance is a risk you might not want to see the other side of. You succeed best by design, not chance. Put as much design into what you are doing; take as few chances as possible. Never bet on something you can't afford to lose.

Truth. Remember that some people will tell a thousand truths to make one lie. A good scammer will provide truth in every lie. It's more convincing that way. Learn quickly to discern truth from error.

Sending Money. Well, by now you should know NOT TO SEND MONEY unless you really, really know this person. If you do send money, you should always use a method that requires identification, like Western Union. Prior to sending any money, you should ask her to fax you a copy of her identification card, birth certificate, visa, or other document to prove who she is. While this may convey mistrust of her, her willingness to provide this will convey trust on her part. Always make sure you understand the mechanisms for cancelling a wire transfer. With Western Union, you can call at any time prior to the pickup. Don't be afraid to do so if you have any inclination that something is wrong. You can also track the transfer to see if it has been completed. Once you have identified her and know that she is a scammer, you can try reporting her to the U.S. Secret Service who has responsibility for investigating international fraud and scams.

Frequency of Contact. If they are sincere, the frequency of contact will likely not change. But, if they are not, the closer you get to giving them money, the more they may contact you. If you find that their interest in you perks a bit when mentioning money, that may be the best indicator that they are not sincere.

Age Discriminators. The best victim a scammer might have is an older man who might fall prey to a young, beautiful girl who is interested in him. While the scammer may be an old lady or even a man, he/she will convey him/herself to you in an appealing way. If you fall into that category, beware of the age differences and get all the assurances you can.

First Meeting. Chances are it will be easier for you to visit her than her visiting you. Make that your object. If she doesn't want to meet you--bingo! You know what's up. If she does, good luck with love. But, bear in mind that even a good person can end up with your money. If she doesn't like you, she might just decide to take advantage of you anyway.

Bottom Line. Remember that scammers are after one thing--money. They have nothing to lose but time. If she gets one dollar from you, that could mean as much as thirty or more dollars to her in her currency. So, rest assured, her time is worth the effort. In fact, over time, it will likely be more lucrative than working in her country. Once the money is gone, it's gone.