Is this a scam letter?

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 12 Jul 2008 Posts: 18

Hey everyone,

Haven't posted here for ages, but recently I joined a dating site and I got a response back the other day that seemed fairly suspicious. Maybe I'm just a bit paranoid about this sort of stuff ever since discovering this website, but I put parts of the email into google to see if anyhing came up, and while I didn't find that exact email I found a couple of fairly similar ones.

Quote:

Hello there.I saw your structure on site of acquaintances *****.com. I'm very interesting to find out you. It would be very pleasant for me to keep in touch with you!My name is Tatyana and I'm 29 years old.I search man for serious relations! I send you my photo and I hope to receive more photos from you.My e-mail is ******@yahoo.comIf I have interested you I would be glad to receive the letter from you.Wait for your answer,Tatyana

Immediately it set off alarm bells, but a friend I showed it to didn't see anything suspicious about it and figured it may just be the language barrier, so I sent back a fairly standard email just saying hi and whatnot, and I got this back:

Quote:

Hello again *****.

I'm glad to see your letter. I'm grateful to you, that you understand me.

****, I want to tell you a little more about myself. I hope that it's interestingly for you.

My name is Tatyana. I have been named so in memory of my great-grandmother. She was very clever and wise woman. I never saw her, but heard many good memoirs. And what about your name??? Why you have received such name?

I live in Russia, city Saint Petersburg. It is the big and beautiful city. I have been birth here. I live with mum and the grandmother. (It's mother's mum) my father has thrown family when to me there were 4 years. I remember him a little. I don't know where is my father now. But if it's fair, I do not want to know him.

I like to dance and listen to cheerful music. I believe that music helps to be cheerful.

And what type of music do you like? It will help me to understand your character.

I never had experience of acquaintance to the man from other country. But I think that it really interestingly. Therefore I have visited a site slinky.com.au, there I could find yours e-mail the address. I heard much that outside of Russia men are more gallant and more polite. Is it valid so???

I saw one vital example. My girlfriend, has married and has left in Europe to her husband. Recently she again arrived to Russia already with the husband. I looked at them and was pleased to their happiness. It's really fine pair.

I saw how they love each other.

By the way, their names Vlada and Derrick.

Vlada advised me to follow her example. I'm for a long time could not be solved on it. But having thought, I was solved. I had attitudes with men in Russia earlier. I have many admirers till now. But I understand that it will not bring anything serious. I'm enough adult, also do not want attitudes for some weeks.

I have decided that I'll try to fasten acquaintance through internet. I have internet cafe near to work. Therefore I can frequently write to you.

****, and what you seek in internet? You search for serious attitudes or all this only for the sake of an entertainment? Please answer my question sincerely. I appreciate kindness and sincerity in people. I don't like liars and egoists.

oh if it's fair, I do not know what I can tell about myself more. I hope that you can ask me about something. I'll answer you with pleasure.

And wait your comment about it. well?

I should go now. I'll wait your letter.

bay for now.

Tatyana.

What do you guys think?

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 3:13 am

I'll go ahead and say yes, it's a scam.

Master Baiter Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 120 Location: USA

Did you check the IP?
Ask for a pic and see what you get.
I vote scam (pro-dater).

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 3:29 am

Yes, I read the first line, it's a vlad

Please go ahead and post the missing details and if you can post at Scamwarners as well

The more places this is posted the harder the scammer will find it to scam from others.

BTW, Click Here for some proof that it is a scammer

Just adding, if you are going to start frequenting dating sites, it may be a good idea to read through the romance baiting FAQ, even if you never intend on baiting them there are many good tips on how to spot the scammers amonst the crowd

You will find a link to the love sticky in my signature line

Edit, coding fixed Very Happy

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:11 am

i'm tempted to say that any story with a character called 'vlada' is surely a scam! Smile

but seriously, i would not treat it as a scam until she asks for money.
i think she will need it for passport, air fare, grannie's health problems, etc.
but i could be wrong.

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:35 am

@R2, trust me, it's a scam Wink

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:58 am

i agree murry Smile

but i phrased it very badly

what i meant was that if they don't ask for money, it's not a scam.
as soon as they ask for money, it's a scam.

by 'i could be wrong' i meant she might ask for financial help with something not on my list.
but she will surely ask for money.

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:29 pm

r2d2 wrote:

what i meant was that if they don't ask for money, it's not a scam.
as soon as they ask for money, it's a scam.

Ummm... R2, It is a man pretending to be a woman to try to get the future victim attached to them to scam them out of money. It is a scam.

I guess you could say that a victim is not a victim until they send money... unless you talk to the victim who's hopes have been dashed by one of these scammers whether they send money or not. They will scam your emotions in their attempt to scam your money.

@the OP, The Last Enemy who wrote:

What do you guys think?

My opinion is It is a SCAM.

In contrast with the pedantic little droid's comments.

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:44 pm

ParaNoid wrote:

My opinion is It is a SCAM

I agree 100% - scam.

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 7:50 pm

@r2d2, The tricky part about romance scams, is that it can take quite a while for the money requests to roll in. It is not uncommon for scammers to spend months grooming their victims before they pull the trigger and start asking for money. If someone is serious about meeting people online, they don't want to wast a lot of time testing everyone out, so it's sensible to use probability and profiling to draw conclusions. For example, if you Google the first line of an email and get dozens of hits from anti-scam sites, you can walk away without wondering if you're turning your back on the person of your dreams.

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:42 pm

it's a particularly insiduous scam, isn't it?

the whole thing reads like a very typical vlad script. as per above, googling the subject line is a very good move to detect scripts.

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 10:44 pm

r2d2 wrote:

i agree murry Smile

but i phrased it very badly

evidently i am still phrasing it very badly Smile

r2d2 wrote:

she will surely ask for money.

just to be clear - i agree that this particular email is almost certainly a scam.
i can't say 'definitely' because i have not been doing this as long as you guys.
but i'm prepared to take your expert advice, as you've probably seen many of these.
however, i can say that the very idea that any woman would randomly email people to start a relationship strikes me as preposterous.

i'll try to be clearer what i was trying to say, since it has been misunderstood twice, and my slipshod phrasing didn't help.
i am feeling my way with love scams at the moment, and i have not developed any deep relationships with scamerettes.
but my instinct is that i should behave normally [straight bait] them until they ask for money.
then, after they ask for money, i would bait them for trophies, send them to western union looking for money, and all the other things that baiters do. am i on the right track?

@luckey - thanks for that insight into how they work. i had assumed they would move in for the kill quickly, like nigerian scammers, but i can see the strategy you outlined would work well for them

@nailgunner - nice idea about googling - i shall use that one.

@lotta - only 100%? see <this thread> Smile

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 11:13 pm

I think you're just being mean to people called Derrick. Very Happy

Just because he's named after a crane and is Derrick.Isn't life hard enough for him ?

I haven't had a drink and that script nearly had me on the floor with laughter, but then I am quite a strange person.

Quote:

I looked at them and was pleased to their happiness. It's really fine pair.

It's probably just me.

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 11:54 pm

^^

@r2d2: we're getting closer. Wink

Your approach makes perfect sense for a baiter who is not certain if s/he is in contact with a scammer or a real human. If I read the first post correctly, the OP is looking to meet someone rather than to bait someone.

You were making a good point, but others were more focused on the specific question.

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:52 am

@R2, I am not taking offense here but

Quote:

@nailgunner - nice idea about googling - i shall use that one.

That's how I found the evidence posted upthread, I know, I had trouble with the coding and had to redo the search which would have made it hard to see but that is one of the best ways to prove a scam, scammers change many of the details of their scam on a regular basis but they seem to like to use the same basic script and modify it slightly to fine tune it.

If you open the link I provided you will see what I actually searched on, I am in the process of putting together a guide on google searching for another site, I can give you a look at a draft version by PM if you like

You are right though, many of us have seen litterally thousands of these and usually after reading the first line we have already made up our mind, for a newer member it is hard to see how we may have come to that conclusion which is why I like to point to some evidence rather than just saying it is a scam, the same applies to visitors at Scamwarners, if they ask "is this a scam" usually "yes" is not quite the answer they are looking for, "yes, it is a scam because, (insert some proof here) is a far better answer.

In the huge rush to tend to our own pets it can be easy to over look that vital step in answering the question.

If you are going to be baiting some romance pets, may I suggest taking a look at the romance FAQ, it was compiled from some great information gathered by some of the best romancebaiters around and will give your love lad baiting career a big boost, you will find a link to it in my siggy line.

When you have done with that, some of those same people who compiled that FAQ went on to create the begginings of the Eater University and there are some very good classes on love baiting in there as well.

Edited to add
@Drab
Not sure how I missed this but with the time stamp being the same on your post and mine it looks like that was the reason

Quote:

Did you check the IP?
Ask for a pic and see what you get.
I vote scam (pro-dater).

I dont think so, it looks more run of the mill Vlad, need money for visa or airfairs type scam.

The Pro daters are the ones who actually will meet up with you, may even have sex with you, they fleece you of all you have and then move on, pro daters are usually very good at scamming, they dont use too many sripts and seem genuine from the start, if this were a pro dater, I doubt I would have been able to find evidence so easily or pick it as anything other than an email from a Russian / Ukranian.

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:40 am

thanks murry - all advice is very gratefully received. Smile

Murry Guru wrote:

The Pro daters are the ones who actually will meet up with you, may even have sex with you, they fleece you of all you have and then move on

i'm assuming that you mean they encourage marks to travel to meet them, not that they are in the uk or prepared to travel to the uk - is that right?

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:10 am

^^Pro-daters will travel, of course, the victim will need to pay for it but they are just as happy for you to visit them and then steal your money or have you support their lavish lifestyle until your money runs out.

Fortunately they are rare but they do exist

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 07 May 2009 Posts: 11

Hey Last Enimy

I got the same letter about two months ago, and I still am in the best Cyber Affair I have everseen. Do we consider this a scam or entertainment??? I sent a little money but was never asked. as a matter of fact when i offered it was rejected several times.
I am planinng of traveling abroad and searching the dreams but know its a cyberlove. But without it the ideas would have never manifested.
I think that letter is an introductory way of Ukrain and russian girls to get one foot in the door or into your wallet.......or maybe a big fat russian dude with too much X cromosome and good writin skills

But I know for sure My lil' Russian Cyber Girl Didnt take me to the cleaners like my Money hungry materialistic american whore wife did!!!!

I will be heading to russia in the next couple months, and need a wing man
Hope these word help!!!

Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 2:45 pm

Hi Curly,

Welcome to Eater.

I cant say what the person you contacted would have done or will do if you continue, but prodaters are a much smarter fish than your garden variety scammer.

Please do take care, as much as your wife may have financially beaten you, if this is a prodater as I strongly suspect you will be taken to the cleaners again.

Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 3:01 pm

Hi Curly, Welcome to Eater. Going to visit this "person" is not a good idea at all. In the world of prodaters, two months is not very long. They just haven't gotten around to the scam part yet. But it will come. As Murry said ...you will likely be taken to the cleaners again...or worse.

Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 3:27 pm

most definitely, deliberate bad grammer but the give away to me is the correct use of their & there and also correct punctuation in

it's
I'm
I'll
don't

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 07 May 2009 Posts: 11

Hi Murray and Harvestmoon

Thx for your advice I have been questioning this for some time now.

Maybe I will take a tour instead, But I have always wanted to see russia anyways thought it would be nice to have a good lookin tour guide

Either of you now how these scams work?? Is it like the normal one

I take my local girlfriend out to dinner ,If I had one
buy here flowers a car some jewlery
a little bed time here and there some smiles
a fight then no return calls and then you get replaced
Only Difference between life and scam is ?????????????????????

Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 4:20 pm

Hi Curly, The difference is...you are possibly dealing with hard core criminals in this case. While your local girlfriend may break your heart, this one might break your legs or take your life.

You need to ask yourself is a little sex worth the risk? Go buy yourself a hooker for the night that is less risky.

And you say you have been considering this for a "long time"..but also mentioned that you received your first email from this "person" two months ago. To me, two months is not a very long time to be considering something that could change your life.

Just as a side note. There are also a lot of males who are happy to live off of financially established females, right here in the states. So your other sarcastic comments can go both ways. Wink

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 07 May 2009 Posts: 11

Sorry for the offense Harvestmoon.

I meant considering traveling to russia for along time. Not visiting A cybergirl.
And As for both ways That is true and I am sorry . I Just seems to always find the wrong person.
I think We....... WE as Americans have become spoiled in materialism.
And It has contaminated, Us As a majority...
The average Income for a month in other countries is less than our people
spend in a hour at the Mall.
Sad

sorry curly

Ps Harvestmoon

I dont have sex with strangers. I protect my health ...

I only touch those I know and have Known for a long time,I am very secure and attractive. So this world for me is nothing more than a buffet!!

Combined two posts -ghost

Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 6:44 pm

^^ Well that's good to hear! Smile