Scam and advantage-seeker control
Outright attempts on your wallet are easy to recognize. Requests for visa and ticket money, sick mother stories and such are the trademark of crude straight-forward scam. These situation are usually self-evident.
Women who specialize in extracting money from western men by doing something that seem to lack an English word ("raskrutka" in Russia, literaly "roll out") present a harder challenge. These women are real, they will be happy to see you in person (unlike simple scammers who keep their identity hidden), but their goal is entertainment and valuable gifts, not you.
I can help you identify outright scammers and alert you to the possibility that you are being taken unfair advantage of.
In my experience the later category of "Russian bride" is particularly dangerous to your wallet and your heart. The outright scammer will normally disappear after getting enough from you to supposedly cover the cost of getting her visa and tickets ($1300-1400 seems to be the industry average). Painful to lose, but not a life-shuttering amount, and their victims usually emerge from the experience wiser than before. Some of the advantage seekers we've encountered succeeded in getting much more in terms of money, and were a cause of serious heartache for their victims. Also it is not usually easy to make victims of these manipulators see what is happening. "Do not lose your head" is a good advice that is hard to follow.
Use my knowledge and feel for the "scene" to protect yourself against the more subtle, crafty, and thus more destructive type of foreigner hunter.
And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I will advise you NOT to look among foreign scene participants that advertise on dating sites. Even if they are not manipulators when joining, most will soon be tempted and seduced into this role. Take creative steps to find your woman from among those who do not look for an American (French, Italian) husbands.
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[LINKS TO SCAM-RELATED RESOURCES]
[illustration: broken heart, pockets inside out]
[link to an interview with a woman who makes friends with foreigners for a living]