Mail Order Brides Scams: The Best Ways To Identify And Avoid Internet Brides Scams
You have every right to be wary about scams on mail-order bride sites. To help ease your stress, this article has clear and concise details on how to identify and eliminate scams so that you may have a safe and satisfactory mail order bride experience!
Should you be worried about international dating site scams?
It’s always good to be cautious because, let’s not deny it, online daters do encounter mail order bride scam from time to time. Well, the internet is not a kind place, so keeping your wits about you is recommended.
What are the most common types of mail order bride scams? ⛔
There are quite a few scams to keep an eye out for, and the most common and infamous ones to be aware of are below.
“Boris and Natasha” scams
This is purely through texts and emails for the most part. These particular scams involve a man masquerading as a woman in order to swindle a hopeless romantic. This particular term was penned by the U.S. State Department.
Emotional scams
In an emotional scam, a woman gets close to you emotionally. She makes you open up to her, trust her, and slowly fall in love. Once the pink glasses are on, you won’t see the warning signs. She’ll ask for money for various reasons, and since you want to be a caring provider, you might give up and give it to her. Sooner or later, once she’s had her fill, she’ll leave you heartbroken and with a lighter wallet.
As the saying goes, “When you look at someone through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags.” So be attentive if you want to avoid order bride scams.
Scam sites
Such platforms look like real mail order bride websites. You’ll find everything there, from a comfortable interface to a large number of attractive girls. When a member buys credits and starts communicating with women, everything seems normal for a while. However, she’ll refuse if you ask a lady to meet in person or connect via video chat. And this will happen every time. So, it’s better to check out reviews before registering.
Fake profiles
Those seeking foreign brides should be aware of fake profiles. Girls’ pages seem too good to be true as women look like top models, while their information has much in common with yours. Fraudsters create such accounts to cheat other members and even steal someone’s identity. They may offer to take communication outside the dating site, ask you to support them with money, or say they need your card number for some reason. You shouldn’t do any of it.
Gold-diggers
No doubt that a reputable mail order bride service is the best choice for online dating, but if you ever decide to try something new, be aware of this scam. Gold-diggers have dozens of ideas on how to take your money away, from tough health conditions to the death of a relative. A woman can even promise to buy a ticket and visit you, but once you transfer the necessary sum, you’ll never hear from her again.
How to avoid mail order bride scams?
Now that you’ve learned about all the major scams you might run into, you need to learn how not to fall for romance scam. It’s actually easier than you think! Armed with the user’s common sense, these tips will keep you safe and secure as you search for your perfect significant other.
Use reputable websites
There are numerous ways to understand if a website is well-established or not. Simply reading through its privacy policy and terms and conditions can help you realize whether a platform is secure. A good customer support system, verification process, and secure transaction methods are things that you should be on the lookout for. You also should read previous users’ reviews so you can learn about their opinions of the website. In general, spending money on a reputable and trustworthy dating platform should be your priority over other possible expenditures on dating foreign girls.
Don’t send money directly to a user
Every mail order bride website has a system that allows men to send gifts to brides. It’s never recommended to send money directly to a lady because more often than not, it ends up being a scam. The so-called ‘woman’ (possibly even a “Boris”) will simply take your money and bail. By using the inbuilt gift system on the website, you can protect yourself from being monetarily scammed. After all, what can a scammer do with flowers and chocolates?
By the way, sharing any of your financial data is also a very bad idea in case you don’t want your mail order wife cost to be bigger than you planned it to be.
Don’t dox yourself
This is one of the most important rules. Never give anyone your personal information that can be used to identify or expose you. Exchanging information that is deeply personal should be held off until a proper relationship has been established, or better yet, until you’ve met in person. This is a warning sign when a woman insists you give her your real address or phone number.
Other ways to protect yourself
Some savvy individuals have even hired private investigators to snoop around and find out if the woman they’re talking to is indeed a real person. While this is a bit extreme, it’s also effective. Others use particular bases to identify frauds and fight mail order bride scams.
The surefire check
Ultimately, the best way to ensure a person’s genuineness is to meet face-to-face. While this can be inconvenient and taxing emotionally, physically, and monetarily, it’ll prove they’re who they say they’re. It’s highly recommended to meet in person once a proper relationship has been established. By the way, many men go on mail order bride tours to meet real women.
Viruses and other malware
Don’t click links you receive in a chat on online dating sites! They can contain viruses, adware, spyware, or compromise your passwords and even bank accounts. Sensitive information can be stolen, so never open links or applications, no matter how curious you are. Messages with links or apps are usually sent by automated bots or scammers. If you ever come across one, report it right away to customer support to deal with it. In such a way, you help to fight mail order bride scam.
Check girl’s social media
When online communication is pleasant and intriguing, you may become less attentive. However, it’s better to find out more about a member you’ve just met. Checking social media pages is the easiest way to conduct research. A lady’s profile should contain photos, some information about her, and recent posts. Besides, she also must have real followers.
Refuse to undress on camera
Using a mail order bride website requires members to develop their relationships creatively. However, if you’re not sure about the person, it’s better to avoid putting your cloth off or doing dirty things during a video call. That member can record your little show and blackmail you.
Don’t share your contact data
For a scammer, it’ll be easier to access your personal information. They can steal your identity or get your financial data. So, even if you like someone and want to diversify your communication, it’s still better to stay on the website and try other available features for interaction.
Most common mail order bride scam red flags
Here’s what scammers usually say or do in order to trick you, get money or your personal information.
- Urgency. If a person you’re talking to on a dating platform starts asking you for money because of some emergency, give yourself time to think it through and check it all out. It especially works out well for scammers when they start begging for sympathy, saying something like their mother has to have a surgery.
- Too good profile. When you find a girl’s account that seems just spotless, it’s a reason to put on a thinking cap. Smart, gorgeous, young, single, and extremely interested in you girl look indeed attractive, but it’s better to be sure about her intention. That’s why using phone and video calls to check her identity are recommended.
- Fast-paced relationship. You’ve just met and are already very close and intimate with each other? Well, it might happen in fairy tales, but it isn’t that frequent in online dating. You both need time to learn each other. So if you start noticing she exaggerates her feelings towards you making you believe she’s head over ears in love, think if this is really possible in such a short period of time.
- Poor text quality. It’s one of the most common signs that might help you avoid scams. If messages contain multiple typos or don’t even make any sense, know that it’s a fraudster. Stop a conversation and inform website moderators.
- Inconsistent stories. A woman often forgets what you were talking about a day or an hour ago. Besides, the details she describes don’t agree with each other. It means that a member you’re communicating with doesn’t notice what she says, or the profile is used by more than one person.
What to do if you’ve spotted mail order bride scams?
Unfortunately, romance scammers are excellent manipulators who can easily make you the target of their scheme. In case you noticed or became the victim of fraudulent activity, do the following:
- Contact customer support. Block a user and inform a dating website moderator about a particular member.
- Call the bank. If you’re sure that a scammer got your financial data, warn bank representatives and ask them to reverse a transaction in case there was one.
- Reset passwords. A fraudster could steal your data, so it’s better to hurry up and update information giving access to your accounts.
- Inform the police and Internet Client Complaint Center. If everything got serious, immediately tell about the accident for further investigation.
The best way to stay safe and avoid the undesired situation is to pick a trusted international marriage agency.
Why do you read about so many mail order bride scams in the media?
You can get mail order brides absolutely legally in America. But why are there so many myths, bogeyman stories, and misconceptions about online dating and scam in it?
- The media thrives off of negative news.
- People are much more eager to click on that rather than something wholesome.
- This creates a bias in what the mainstream media shows the world. It leads to a disproportionate representation of the number of bride scams compared to the actual number of success stories! This is an extremely important factor for any man interested in mail order brides to keep in mind.
- The industry is surrounded by numerous stereotypes. Chances are there were some stories about ladies who didn’t know English or married rich older men, but it doesn’t mean that every woman is like that.
- Someone still believes that a foreign female needs a Green card only. In fact, this statement is ridiculous because it’s hard to believe that those hundreds of thousands of mail order brides from all over the world are ready to leave everything just for the American dream.
So, you should check facts and think critically to not let the media manipulate your opinion.
Final thoughts on mail order bride scams
So, don’t brush off truly genuine mail order brides simply out of fear and paranoia that was caused by biased media! Don’t let a rare mail order bride scam stop you from finding your love and happiness.
A general tip for everyone who wants to avoid mail order bride scam is to be a bit more suspicious and cautious. You can meet bad people trying to deceive you anywhere nowadays—online and offline. Just follow your intuition and common sense, and you’ll be safe.
F.A.Q.
No, mail order brides aren′t scams. They’re real women who strive to meet foreign men for a serious relationship. These ladies are found on specialized international dating sites.
The mail order bride industry doesn′t have anything in common with human trafficking or illegal affairs. People are just dating online and building their relationships distantly. If everything gets serious, a woman has to apply for a K-1 visa and marry her American partner within 90 days.
The poverty level is pretty high in Ghana, and therefore many people become romance scammers. They cheat foreign men to get the money.
Inform the bank about your recent transaction immediately and ask to undo the money transfer. You should also contact the police and the Internet Client Complaint Center.
Hey guys! So, I recently went on a wild ride with online dating and wanted to share my experience to help you all out. For nearly a month one Russian doll asked me for gift delievery for every new photo of her! But I still couldn’t persuade her to video chat. And how wonderful that I I stumbled upon this article about mail order bride scams, and let me tell you, it was eye-opening! I had no idea about the risks involved. Stay safe out there folks!
I’m a bit worried about mail order brides scams. Are there any signs that I should look out for when trying to identify genuine sites? What precautions can I take to make sure I’m dealing with a legitimate business?
To avoid falling victim to mail order bride scams, it’s essential to conduct thorough research on the agencies or platforms you’re considering. Verify their reputation and legitimacy by reading reviews and testimonials from other users on sites like: sitejabber.com, trustpilot.com, reviews.io. In addition, reputable platforms will have strict verification processes for both men and women, ensuring the authenticity of profiles. Legitimate businesses will also have clear terms and conditions, privacy policies, and customer support readily available.