Our agency was approached by a U.S. citizen. His fiancée, a Russian citizen, had been detained at a Russian airport — or at least that is what she wrote to him. She was supposed to fly to visit him, and everything was going well until this happened.
Meeting on a Dating Site
They had met on a popular dating site. Their correspondence quickly grew into affection: they talked a lot and shared their stories and plans. At some point he invited her to America and offered to pay for the flight and expenses. She sent scans of her documents and personal photos — this won his trust, and he transferred a large sum for the tickets. Soon scans of the purchased tickets arrived too.
Detained at the Airport
On the day of her flight, the fiancée wrote that she had been detained at the airport: some suspicious pills had been found in her luggage. According to her, the situation was very serious, and to avoid punishment she needed another large sum — for lawyers and her release.
He was ready to transfer the money, but something made him stop. That is when he came to us. The task was clear: to check whether the woman was telling the truth and whether she really was in trouble.
A Professional Fraudster
The check revealed a completely different picture. The “fiancée” turned out to be a professional fraudster. All her documents, photos and scans were fake: the pictures had been downloaded from the internet, and the documents fabricated in an image editor. She played on his trust and feelings to get money under the guise of love and an upcoming meeting.
Someone you know only through correspondence remains a stranger until their words have been checked.
Thanks to the check, our client avoided even greater losses. We handed him all the evidence we had gathered so that he could decide what to do next.
Beware of Online Dating
Dating-site fraud is becoming more common, and the schemes are much alike. Be on your guard if:
- declarations of love and plans for a future together appear after just a few weeks of correspondence;
- the person avoids video calls and communicates only by message;
- documents and photos arrive only as scans;
- money comes up in conversation — for tickets, a visa, medical treatment, and then for a “sudden misfortune”;
- you are being rushed and asked not to tell anyone.
If someone you know only through correspondence asks you to transfer money, stop and check them before you pay. A check costs less than lost transfers.