Online scamming is a very tricky thing. It's hard to trace, reporting to police usually doesn't help, even cybersecurity systems aren't always effective because proof of a crime can be hidden or removed. On mail order bride websites, it's sometimes hard to realize you're talking to a scam because the beauty of the women there can blur all the doubts. To prevent such situations, here's the list of the most popular mail order bride scams and tips on how to stay safe.
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Are all mail order brides a scam?
Spoiler: no. Almost all mail order bride websites require ID verification from all the registered members (sometimes, only females or males need to do this). Just check each platform and its reviews attentively and try to find out if it's legit.
Common mail order brides scams
Both websites themselves and their members (especially women) can be scams. As for the platforms, they might just rob men by asking them to pay for communication, presents, and membership but don't give anything in return. They create fake accounts so you'll be spending money on literally nothing. But this is a rare thing. What are the most popular manipulations real women from legit websites can do? Read on!
Emotional prostitution
The main aim of this mail order bride scam is to make you send money to a woman. Ladies can assure you they've developed feelings for you and want to meet ASAP, but they'll need money for plane tickets or a hotel room, for example. She may also ask you to send some money just to support her, her sick mother, or whoever else. After all, a lady can just disappear as nothing happened.
Desire to get a residential status in a foreign country
One of the most popular destinations of mail order brides worldwide is America. It's because the US residence gives great opportunities to find a better job, get a newly born baby the US citizenship, and simply live the American dream, which isn’t always what it seems. So, it's not the feelings, it's just the benefits a marriage to a foreigner can offer.
Fake profile information and pictures
It's pretty easy to fake photos, and it's even easier to write fake personal information. That's why sometimes a 25-year-old single girl from the capital city turns out to be a 48-year-old woman from a small town in the middle of nowhere who's not even single and just wants either more attention from men or get their money.
How to avoid scams of mail order brides?
All these mail order bride scams aren't just an unpleasant experience, but also a huge financial and emotional loss, as well as a waste of time. To keep away from such bad situations, follow these pieces of advice.
Don't send money to any woman
Usually, scams tell you how bad their life is, that they're all alone, or they've just got into a car accident, or they have a sick dog, etc. Millions of different stories they can "feed" you with to make you send them money. But don't do it. Until you meet the lady in person, don't make any money transfers. But if you've sent it, it's almost 100% unrecoverable.
Stop the communication with suspicious women
Although police reports don't always work, try to contact them as soon as you start feeling a woman is trying to scam you. If you've sent her money, don't try to return it on your own. If not, just end chatting or calling her and let it go.
Report to the relevant institutions
There are various ways to report scams in different countries: it can be a local police office, the Internet Crime Complaint Center like in the US, or you can also report to a website administrator. Not all the scams can be traced and stopped, but some cases show reporting is helpful. You need to do this at least to help others not to get trapped in the same way.
Mail order bride scams are more of an exception than a tendency. The majority of women are indeed real and pursue only the aim of getting married happily. Of course, scams can happen to anyone but don't give up on the idea of finding true love. After the rain, there's always a rainbow!