How to Avoid Being Scammed
Warning Signs
What do to if You Suspect a Scammer

How to Avoid Being Scammed

• The best way to avoid being scammed is NOT TO SEND the girl any MONEY or valuable things. At least not until after you are 100% sure that she is real. You should have corresponded with her for a long period of time, spoken on the phone, or even met her, before considering sending her money. Though, if your lady is a member of 1st International Marriage Network, you can be sure that her identity has already been verified by the site administration. You will notice that each female profile on the site is assigned with a Trust Level. The higher it is, the higher the chance that the lady is genuine and has honest intentions.
• Do not emphasize the fact that you have money. Talk about your hobbies, movies, plans for the future - anything. The subject of money will only attract scammers and gold-diggers.
• From the beginning of your correspondence, if you feel that you have found a mutual interest, mention coming to her home country, and maybe even visiting her. This will scare off any potential scammers.
• Also mention that you would like to talk to her over the phone or in a video chat. This is usually not as effective, as a girl might decline due to poor English skills, but it will make a scammer feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, we offer an interpreted phone call or a video chat service which will enable you to get personal experience of communication with your lady please, read more here
• If she writes to you about correspondence expenses, you can offer to pay for the mail forwarding yourself. This would not involve sending any money to her personally. If she is an honest girl who is sincerely interested in you, she will accept this offer gladly. If not, she will disappear and you will not have wasted either your time or money. Please, note that 1st International Marriage Network has a built-in system of forwarding and translating your messages where you pay directly to the company. Girls will never get a commission, guaranteed.
• If you have not done a video chat yet but you want to make sure that your lady is real, there is an easy and elegant way to do it: order a small gift or a bouquet of flowers with the included "photo of the recipient" option. This way you will not only please your girl but will also have recent non-studio photos of her for yourself. This service is also available for 1st International members.
• Remember, that free or near free dating sites are full of scammers. As far as we know all or almost all of the attractive women supposedly from Ukraine or Russia on such sites are fake. This is a bold statement, but believe us, this is not a sales pitch, but simple logic. If the site is free, or $30 per month, do they really have the resources to check all the girls who sign up? Nothing beyond a simple computer algorithm and these are very easy for scammers to fool. Naturally, scammers have the advantage over regular real women as they can pick and choose what they “look like” (steal photos) while real women have to stick with what they’ve got (maybe just a little Photoshop or a picture taken 5 years ago 😊). So nobody writes to them and soon they don’t even bother. On 1st International Marriage Network we require all girls to send a copy of a passport, and our employee will actually look at it to make sure it’s not fake. The majority of female profiles have video presentations, too.

If you should find out that she is a scammer, do not forget to report her to her agency or website. This will help prevent any future incidents. In case you and the woman are members of 1st International Marriage Network, you will be entitled to a 100% REFUND for the website services related to the lady in the unlikely event of her turning out to be a scammer. Read about our refund policy here

Warning Signs

• Vague letters with no or few questions about you. She may write very loving letters about how much she needs you, misses and loves you, yet does not seem interested in you personally. A lady seriously considering marriage will obviously have questions.
• Your questions are never or rarely answered. A real girl will understand that you have questions about her, and try to answer them. A scammer might not even read your email.
• Her letters may seems like "form" letters, and if she is a scammer, they are form letters. They are usually sent out in order - reply 1, reply 2, etc. If she is working on many people at once, you may even receive letters addressed to someone else. Her letters may become progressively sexual, and her photos more seductive. This is a common theme throughout the varying scams.
• Hints about how expensive Internet cafes are. They really are expensive, but most Russian, Ukrainian and FSU ladies do not use Internet cafes for their correspondence. The majority of girls will have Internet access at work, or through a friend, of even through a smart phone. They may pay someone for this service, but if they claim it costs them $50 - $100 per month, you need to be suspicious. Besides Internet cafes, there are business centers in almost every city where e-mail can be sent and received very inexpensively. Please note that the local partners of 1st International Marriage Network provide free computer/Internet access to the girls they represent in their cities so that they can check their messages and reply.
• A tragedy occurred and money is urgently needed. This is the most common scam used. It usually comes up after she has corresponded with you for a while. The story could be almost anything - one of her parents is ill, or got hit by a car and could die unless an expensive operation is performed; her money was lost or stolen, the rent is due and she could be evicted and end up on the streets. There are endless variations to this theme. You should not fall for this unless you have met the girl and her family in person, or otherwise know the story could be true.
• She wants to visit you and needs money for the visa/tickets. While it is possible for a women to obtain a tourist visa to visit the USA, it is very difficult. A certain income level must be met and there are many restrictions. While it is less trouble for a Russian or Ukrainian citizen to visit other countries within the FSU, this remains one of the most common scams. Most real women would prefer that you visited them in their home country, where they could be in familiar surroundings and introduce you to their family.

Unfortunately, some scammers know of these warning signs and how to avoid arousing suspicion. Be patient. A loving and faithful relationship takes time to build, and scammers will get restless. They wait for the easier prey, especially for those men who seem to be new at meeting Russian women. We encourage you to tell us about any suspicions you might have, or any topics we have not discussed.

What to do if You Suspect a Scammer

• Don't send her any money.
• Check the scammer list for her name and browse for her photo.
• If you and your lady are not members of 1st International Marriage Network yet, suggest her to join us, and we will verify her identity as a part of the registration process. Thus, you will be able to make sure that she is a real person and your relationship will not be spoilt by suspicions and doubts.
• Order a background check on the lady here (performed anonymously by a private investigator)