Traditionally, the victims of Russian romance scams have been men. The fact that Russian women are famous worldwide for their beauty makes men more vulnerable. Dating a Russian beauty is the dream of many foreign men in the world, but it is much less common for a female to be seeking a relationship with a foreign man from Russia.  But, don’t think that leaves you 100% safe.

According to different studies, women are not so focused on the looks when they date online. Although being attractive is a plus, things like being a successful businessman or a loving parent is also important to women. And although these are not characteristics that specifically identify Russian men – they can and do portray themselves as the perfect match when conducting online scams and fraud.  Private investigators also caution that many Russian scammers never even mention Russia.

Russians continue to scam foreigners because they have enough experience and are smart enough to understand that it´s time to reach new people and to shape the industry to the new circumstances.  Online criminals are very creative and tech savvy, and they tailor their online profiles to meet your needs and what you’re looking for.  Mr. Perfect who you meet online, even if he claims to be from your hometown living in your own country, can still be a Russian scammer.

An important thing to understand about online dating scams is that anyone can be a victim and that spotting online scammers is getting more and more difficult.   For women, it’s important to keep in mind that you are certainly not immune from Russian romance scam.  Internet crime is an equal opportunity crime, and women find themselves victims at least as much as men.  Women were less of a target when all this online dating started because they were extremely careful, timid and even skeptical about it. But as online dating grew and turned mainstream, women started feeling comfortable with the idea of meeting people online, and the security measures started to abate too.

Today, romance scams are part of organized crime and Russians are leading the way. Scammers study their victims, read the patterns and take care of all the details necessary to catch their prey. Things are better planned and more structured than in other fraud types because there is no space for mistakes, for saying something wrong, or different or contradictory. The script needs to be followed strictly in order to be successful, especially with women being the target, because they listen to the details.  However, women are still a big target because their heart strings are moved easier than men´s and most of the time they skip the important dating background checks. Romance scammers try to get the best out of their marketing skills, combined with some natural charm and criminal blood.

Keep an eye out for the following red flags, and be skeptical.

1. Women like men who have an important thing in common with them. A scammer will use the information in your profile or in your social media profiles and elsewhere on the Internet to understand and get to know you better, and in this way play with coincidence. Similar life experiences, like divorces or widows will suit well for the criminal profile.
2. Women like successful businessmen. Russian scammers commonly claim they are in the oil business, or gold. Although being a successful businessman does not really match with money requests, there is always a smart way to ask. Maybe the recent Ukrainian crisis has affected their business, or they had trouble with liquidity or they simply want you to be part of the business. Scammers know that claiming to be broke is not a smart thing to do because it will raise suspicion.  In most scam cases, your catch seems to be perfect.
3. Sensitive men are the most attractive of all. With so many things going on in Russia, there will be plenty of stories that can help a scammer back up his story and look like the most sensitive man you´ve met in your life.  Political and other hardships are common.
4. Women like men who commit. Con artists commit to anything because it´s not really true. They´ll promise marriage, they´ll promise to pay you back, they´ll promise to make you happy and do whatever is necessary to be at your side. Internet scammers are successful because people end up trusting them and sending them money or personal data even if they do not know each other, and unfortunately this is the weakness of women: trust.
5. Blackmail is becoming increasingly common, so never share photos or videos or emails with a potential partner that you would feel embarrassed about if it went to your entire family or company where you work.  Scammers find blackmail an easy payout.
6. Remember that your next perfect match (and Internet scammer) may never even mention the word Russia.  Criminals now have bank accounts and criminal accomplices overseas, and they may even assume the identify of a real person in your own country.

Russian dating scams are not just a men issue, they´re everybody´s issue. Getting informed and looking for advice on online dating, especially if you´re over 50 will be very helpful. Unfortunately women have the biggest record of losses in romance scams because they are not aware of this. Be cautious and if you feel something is not right, get professional help to uncover the evidence.

C. Wright
© 2014 Russia PI™

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