Love is Cruel XIV

Well, we have seen the dangers of the "sweetheart scam."  People looking for love or companionship, online, find (usually) a "dating" service that offers a wide variety of beautiful women, each looking to find an American boyfriend (or husband).

The mark, after introductions, will find that the scam works generally in two ways.  The first, like the 419 scam, attempts to keep the mark going as long as possible.  The "girlfriend" first asks the mark for some money for basic expenses.  Then, as the relationship proceeds, the "girlfriend" attempts to visit the United States but needs money to get to the Embassy, money for interviews at the Embassy, money for transportation, money to stay at a hotel while in town, etc.

The second method is where the mark travels to the "girlfriend's" country.  He finds himself threatened with bodily harm unless he turns over money.  Sometimes, the threats involve the mark turning over credit cards, bank account information and other financial matters.

There are other ways in which the "sweetheart scam" unfolds, but these two methods are the basic ones.  Readers can view the previous two posts for advice on how to minimize the risk.

    This brings us to the end of the "sweetheart scam" for now.

    And, as promised, I don't like the term "Russian Mail Order Bride."  I lived in Moscow for a number of years and yes, while the "sweetheart scam" is employed in Russia, it is also employed in many other countries.  Let's just call it the "sweetheart scam" and leave it at that.

http://www.tauskvega.com

As always, have a great and fraud-free day.

--------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel XIII

Let's face it - no one really likes to admit they were scammed in a "mail order bride" scheme.  Even among fraud schemes, this one is especially cruel.  As we discussed at the very beginning of this thread, even by fraud scams, this one is especially cruel.  And, we have not finished discussing this topic - like all fraud topics, this one is complex and involves many variations and trends.

     So, today we will discuss something which is common to all frauds, but especially the "sweetheart scam" - why should someone who is a victim go and talk about it?  As we stated, this is embarrassing.  Breakups and love relationships gone sour are hard enough, but adding the element of fraud can only make this even harder to talk about.  But, there are many reasons why these scams need to be exposed.

1.  First is the obvious.  If a person is a victim of a crime, he has the duty to report it to law enforcement.  This not only creates a record should something occur in the future with the same people, it also allows law enforcement to create a database about these types of scams.

2.  Second, if money was stolen or personal effects stolen, your insurance company may require a police report (obviously, the person needs to check with his insurance company).

3.  Third, remember that the more people who hear about these types of frauds, the greater the chance that these can be avoided by other people.

4.  Fourth, it allows law enforcement to track the fraudsters so hopefully, at some point, they can be caught and stopped.

  We will wrap this up tommorrow by talking about my distaste for the term "Russian Mail Order Bride."

   As always, have a great and fraud-free day.

www.tauskvega.com

------------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel XII

Well, as promised, we will be exploring today what happens when a person is asked to meet someone in person.  In other words, going to a foreign country to meet the "girlfriend."  Remember our previous discussion - there exist situations where the person is in a foreign country, meeting his "girlfriend" for the first time, and it turns out that the person is being extorted out of his money.  How does a person prevent this from happening?

First, only carry a limited amount of cash.  This is always important.

Second, make certain that you have people whom you trust who know where you are going, when you are going, and whom you are going to see.  They should expect a phone call from you (yes, pretty much every country in the world has cellphones now with multiple networks).  Further, if they do not get a phone call from you when you are supposed to call, there should be a plan of action as to how to react.

Third, make certain that all of your bank accounts and investments are locked down and cannot be changed by you when you are overseas.  Remember, some of the scammers involved in these operations are professionals who know how to get access to your accounts.

Fourth, be extremely wary when your "girlfriend" asks you to move from the location you select to another location.  As amorous as this may seem, it may be an invitation to a dangerous sitation.  Remember what I said about this at the beginning - I don't like giving love advice and do not like acting like a chaperon.  However, this is a blog about fraud and scams, not Ms. Lonelihearts or dating sites.  I am not going to advise the readers of this blog on how to conduct their love lives, only how to keep their money.

     Unfortunately, because the mail order bride scam is so prevalent, precautions such as this must be taken.

We will be wrapping up this discussion in the next few posts.

As always, have a great and fraud-free day.

------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel X

OK - let's bite the bullet and discuss how this type of fraud can be avoided.

     First of all, it is important to acknowledge that finding a spouse or girlfriend overseas is obviously a little more difficult than finding one in your own culture.  Aside from the obvious problems of long-distance relationships, there are different cultures and expectations to take into consideration.  Add to this the problem that it will involve some expense, even in the age of the internet and instant communication (if you are going to get serious with someone, at some point you will need to meet them face-to-face).  Further, as always, serious relationships take some time.

     If a person considers all of the above, then the chances of fraud can be reduced right from the start.

     Once a relationship is started, however, then the person needs to examine the following:

1.     Is the person using an internet dating service?  If so, is there a fixed fee for the use, or are there constant "hidden" fees that appear at all times and for random events (i.e. are they charging you by the minute, claiming that you went beyond your authorized minutes, do you have to use the agency's own interpreters, can you only use the service at specific times, do unexpected charges appear on your bill, etc.?)  If this is the case, then clearly something is up.  There are many professional dating services that are fair and honest brokers that provide actual service for a reasonable fee.  Like any other service, some background checks should be done to investigate the service that a person will use.

2.   Once you meet a woman online, does she start asking for money quickly?  Does she start telling you about unexpected expenses in her life for which she needs help?  Do many of the conversations revolve around money?  If so, then this is a telltale sign that something is up.

3.    Ask to see real photos of her, not just photos that obviously were taken by professional photographers.

We will continue this later.

http://www.tauskvega.com/

Have a great and fraud-free day.


--------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel IX

I hope all my American readers had a good 4th of July.

    At this point, I have to be honest with my readers concerning a point about which it is difficult to write.  One of the main points of this blog is to not only share different types of frauds with my readers so they can best prepare themselves through education, but also how to avoid being a victim of fraud in the first place.  Unfortunately, in this situation, this also means that I need to play the role of a relationship counselor in addition to being an attorney and fraud examiner.  I would like to say that this is above my pay grade, but I suppose that would be a cop out.  So, let's ask the question: how does one avoid being a victim of the sweetheart scam?

     It is easy to look at these situations from a distance and say - "well, how could you NOT know she was scheming you?  I mean, she kept on asking for more money, she kept on having you come back for more, etc. etc."  But, this is not the answer.

   Remember once again - most sweetheart scams are designed to make the victim keep coming back for more.  The mark makes a trip to the "girlfriend's" home country, meets up with the girlfriend, has a good time, and pays for the girlfriend's expenses plus some "extra" expenses at the "girlfriend's" request (and no, I am not talking about prostitution.  I am talking about the "girlfriend" asking for expenses that "came up" during the time of the mark's visit - i.e. extra rent due, extra taxes due, etc.

   Also, remember, even before the mark gets to the "girlfriend's" country, the "girlfriend" could be asking for transportation fees, agency fees, emergency fees, etc.

     Here is the hard part - the mark is emotionally compromised because the "girlfriend" is playing on his emotions.  They are in a relationship, right?  Don't boyfriends help out their girlfriends?  She is not asking for a whole lot of money.  Just an unexpected expense.

   So - once again - how do I answer this?  What advice can I give to the lovelorn?

    Well, actually I do have some answers.  But, this will have to wait until tomorrow.  Until then, just remember what a good friend of mine (a family law attorney) told me - a relationship is a transaction, just like any business transaction.  She is right, and this does not mean that she is heartless, quite the contrary.  And, thinking in this manner helps us to think clearly in these circumstances.

http://www.tauskvega.com/

Have a great and fraud-free day

------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel VIII

We are exploring the more violent part of the sweetheart scam - when the mark is in the "girlfriend's" home country and is being extorted for funds.

     As discussed, in the more extreme version of the scam, the mark has flown to the "girlfriend's" country and is now being extorted, under violent conditions.  The mark is sometimes, literally, held up at gunpoint.  Sometimes the mark finds himself being charged with phony crimes by the local police or judges, once again having been bought off by the "girlfriend" or the "girlfriend's" family.

    In today's world of instant money transfers and online banking, this is no simple extortion of funds from the mark's wallet.  The "girlfriend" and her accomplices can easily gain access to the mark's life savings, bank accounts or even stocks and 401k plans.  The technology that enables instant communications and makes banking easy also lends itself to this kind of extortion.

     Once again, the entire purpose of the "girlfriend" and the "girlfriend's" accomplices is to get the mark to her home country, where she has the advantage, and fleece the mark for everything he has.  As stated, this is the dark side of the sweetheart scam (as if there is an upside to all of this).

    This goes against the original statement, of course, that the sweetheart scam is like the 419 scam in that the purpose of the scam is to continue the scam as long as possible.  Clearly, once the mark is robbed, he will not be coming back.  But, like all frauds, the sweetheart scam is sometimes used by criminal gangs and organizations who will take what they can get as fast as possible.  Also, in certain countries, criminal gangs and organizations control aspects of law enforcement and the courts, so they have no fear of any kind of prosecution.  In this respect, their are exceptions to the way the sweetheart scam works.

   We will continue our conversations the day after tomorrow.  I wish everyone a happy Independence Day.

http://www.tauskvega.com/

Have a great and fraud free holiday.

------------>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel VII

Remember, the purpose of the sweetheart scam is to keep the mark coming back for more, just like the 419 scam.  The more the mark can stay on the hook, the more the "girlfriend" can keep the money flowing.

     However, some sweetheart scams are designed to get the mark to the "girlfriend's" country and, once there, violently extort money from him.

     We have already seen how, once contact is established, at some point the "sweetheart" may invite the mark to her country so she can use him for money.  However, some sweetheart scams, when the "girlfriend" and her associates feel or believe that the mark is wealthy or may catch on sooner or later as to what is going on, may just decide to force the mark to pay money once he is away from the United States.

     How it works is, of course, simple.  Once the mark arrives to meet his "girlfriend," or at some point after they have met, the "girlfriend" and her associates will, at threat of gunpoint, demand money and financial information from the mark.  It is, in essence, a glorified form of kidnapping.

     The mark is completely helpless.  He is in a strange country, where he usually does not speak the language or know anything about the law enforcement or courts (and it is likely that the legal system is corrupt), and cannot navigate his way around.  Not only is there a terrifying physical danger, there is also the psychological reality that the mark is in a location and place completely out of his frame or reference and understanding and is at the mercy of people whom he thought he could trust.

     We will continue this discussion tommorrow.

http://www.tauskvega.com/

------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel VI

We were discussing that going to the foreign country and spending money on the "girlfriend" is a one-time thing.

     Remember the primary purpose of the sweetheart scam - it is not to get married to the foreigner (after all, once that happens the scam is more or less over, but that is for another discussion).  The primary purpose is to get the mark to continue paying money - just like the 419 scam.  The "girlfriend" gets the mark to keep coming back for more.

    So, at this point the mark is visiting the girlfriend's country and is spending money on her.  He is putting her up at expensive hotels, buying her expensive meals and paying for the "agency" who introduced them.  Also, let's not forget that the mark is also probably buying for her expensive gifts as well.  Remember what I said at the very beginning of these posts on the sweetheart scam - it is especially cruel and unforgiving as it relies on the age-old human desire for companionship.  This desire has millions of years of evolution behind it and scammers know that people have this basic human need and exploit it.

    After the initial visit, usually when the mark is getting ready to leave, there is talk about taking the relationship to the next level, sometimes even marriage proposals.  At this point, the mark will have to return home to the United States, but the "girlfriend" will still be able to continue the scam.  After all, now that the mark has visited his "girlfriend" and has gotten to know her (usually, of course, involving sex), his emotions are even more easily manipulated.

    So, once the mark returns home, the emails and phone calls continue, along with the pleas for money.  The "girlfriend" needs help with unexpected bills, applying for the visa, applying for transportation to the city where the Embassy is located, etc.  The scam continues, with more and more demands for money.  Let's not forget that in many countries, U.S. currency is still highly valued and if the scammers can get $3 or $4 thousand dollars from the mark, this is an excellent salary.

    Tomorrow, we will discuss when the visit to the "girlfriend's" country can take a violent turn.

http://www.tauskvega.com/

As always, have a great and fraud-free day.

-------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel V

We've been discussing what happens when the mark is hooked and sends his "girlfriend" money because she needs to get to the Embassy for an interview, needs money for the interview, needs money for transportation, etc.  There is, however, another variation of this: what happens when the mark comes to visit his "girlfriend" in her country?

     This is another variant of the scam.  Sometimes, the "girlfriend" will invite the mark to her home country.  When this happens, there are two basic variations of the scheme: either nonviolent extortion or outright criminal threats.  We will talk about the first variant today.

    When the mark arrives in the foreign country, as before, the entire purpose is to get money from the mark.  This can be easier (sometimes) in the "girlfriend's" country.

    First the mark has to put up money to stay at a hotel, and usually it is one of the better ones.  Unscrupulous hotels will sometimes share the proceeds with the "girlfriend."  In addition, the mark will have to pay fees directly to the "agency" when they are in the country.  The mark will also be expected to pay for food and gifts for his "girlfriend."

    It is also common for the "girlfriend" to ask the mark for monies to help with expenses or that the "girlfriend" is going through a crisis and needs some money to help with this emergency.  Given the romantic setting and the pleading of the "girlfriend," it is easy to see how the mark will fall for it and give money to his "girlfriend."  After all, it is just a one-time thing, right?

   We will continue this tommorrow.

www.tauskvega.com


Have a great and fraud-free day.

-------------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel III

Continuing with our discussion on the sweetheart scam:

   At this point, the mark is in communication with the girl of his dreams.  Emails have been exchanged and maybe even a few phone calls.  Now, it is time to meet the fantasy girl.

    This is where the "meat" of the fraud comes into play.  At this point, there has been no real investment of money by the mark into this fraud, just time.  The purpose of the "girlfriend" is to get the mark interested to the point where he will want to spend money.  As stated, the "girlfriend" and the agency that arranges the meeting take the time and effort to make the "girlfriend" look as enticing and beautiful as possible in the pictures and the emails and phone calls are designed as "come ons" to get the mark to take the bait.

    Once the mark is interested, money will begin to exchange hands.

    There are two real ways at this point that the fraud can proceed.  The first way, and the less dangerous way, is for the "girlfriend" to propose that she come to the States to visit the mark so they can get to know each other.  Since the "girlfriend" will be (usually) coming from a country that requires a visa, this means that she will have to get a visa from an American Embassy or consulate.

    The "girlfriend" will request that the mark send her money so she can proceed with the visa.  This usually involves: (a) telling the mark that she needs transportation to an American Embassy or consulate from her hometown so she needs plane tickets; (b) money to stay at a hotel while she waits for a visa interview; (c) visa fees [which actually is a legitimate requirement since the Department of State charges for visas, but not at the price she is stating] and (d) money to pay an agency to help her with the visa processes.

    The "girlfriend" can demand several thousand dollars for this, once again stating that she needs the money for the above requirements.  The mark, thinking nothing is wrong, will send her the money.

    This is where the mark is "hooked."  Once again, like the Nigerian 419 scam, the purpose is to keep the mark coming back for more, not for an end result.  Once the money starts flowing to the "girlfriend," this is where the fraudsters make their money.

   We will discuss how this fraud develops tomorrow.

Here is some more interesting reading on the subject: http://www.kmbc.com/money/9246998/detail.html

www.tauskvega.com

As always, have a great and fraud-free day.

---------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel II

Let's start discussing the details of the sweetheart bride scam.

    The first step, of course, is the mark begins searching for a bride or date online.  Usually, this means that he is referred to a website which offers the ubiquitous "exotic foreign women searching for American men" details.  The mark is offered a bewildering variety of pictures of beautiful women (sometimes the photographs are taken by professionals with the women being instructed to pose as provocatively as possible).  Included with the information, of course, are the various biographies of the women.  The agency also provides the contact information for the women, but this information is often filtered through the agency (in the sense that all emails are cc'd to the agency, phone contacts are handled by the agency, etc.).  Note, however, that this is not always the case.  In many instances, the women provide their own email addresses and/or phone numbers.

     The second step is the contact between the mark and the woman.  This usually begins with email introductions followed by an exchange of correspondence.  It is important to note at this time that the woman usually has a working knowledge of English, or at least can get by in conversation.  Once again, however, this is not always the case and sometimes the agency will provide an "interpreter" as part of the service.  This email correspondence sets the stage for the next phase of the fraud.

   www.tauskvega.com

As always have a great and fraud-free day.

-------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk

Love is Cruel

Today we start talking about a type of fraud that became popular in the 90's, but is still prevalent, especially with the web.  It is an especially cruel type of fraud and deceit as it plays on the age-old human desire for companionship.  It is called "mail bride fraud," "mail order bride fraud" "Russian bride scam" (although I despise this term for reasons I will explain later) and "sweetheart scam."  We will refer to it as the sweetheart scam for the purposes of this blog.  The sweetheart scam, in essence, is using the internet to promise a man (usually, although women are prey as well) a marriageable wife (usually much younger) but, as with the "419" scam we discussed earlier, the purpose is not to connect the women with the man, but to stretch out the relationship as long as possible and, during this time, get as much money from the man (obviously, the mark).

     More and more, people are using the internet to find dates and brides (and, of course, grooms).  Dating sites abound as do commercials for "find the right companion."   We will discuss websites, dating organizations and bridal agencies that "specialize" in finding women for American men.  As stated, although this is a late 20th and certainly a 21st century phenomenon, it is not new.  This scam goes back centuries.

    Modern communications and the internet, however, make the sweetheart scam much easier to perform.

    Although we will discuss this in detail, there are two details that need to be discussed immediately.  First, the websites that promote the sweetheart scam claim that the women they have to offer are "not spoiled by American feminism and are willing and submissive."  Anyone who is searching for, in essence, a blow-up Barbie doll to be a house-and-sex slave should question just what kind of wife they want and, more importantly, what kind of person they are.  Human beings are not chattel and, anyone who falls for the line of "a submissive woman" is asking for the sweetheart scam.  Second, as any marriage counselor or family attorney will tell you, not to mention common sense, marriage is a commitment, both legal and personal (it is not the purpose of this blog to discuss spiritual matters and I don't want to get into this area).  Marriages are not made over a visit to a few websites.
 
   As can be seen, this is a long topic which we shall discuss in depth.

www.tauskvega.com

Here is a quick story and video on the subject: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/14/eveningnews/main688311.shtml

Have a great and fraud-free day.

---------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk