am I being scammed?

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 9

I have been chatting on yahoo im with a Romanian girl who I met on a dating website. Of course she has no money and has lost her job. Also lost all her belongings in the floods 2 years ago. She has never asked me for money. Now it has come to the point where I'm the best thing since sliced bread and she wants to come here to see me and hopefully our life together will be wonderful. She loves me and tells me how she always thinks about me. I have talked to her 4 or 5 times on the phone. However I have to call her because its her cellphone and she can recieve calls for free but must pay to call out. I have 6 or 7 photos she sent me and they look legit. Here is the problem I have---I dont know if this is a scam. She says to get a visa to travel to the USA it will cost around 1600 euros or almost 2000 dollars to pay all the taxes and fees between the USA fees and Romanian taxes and fees. I dont know what the rules are in Romania but it seems like an excessive amount of money to me. This does not include the cost to travel such as the airline ticket. That will come later. Everything seems legit to me up to the point I went to the bank and was ready to wire the money and a little voice in my head said WAIT!!!!
So here I am looking for some help. I want to know what it cost for a person to leave Romania and travel to the USA. Can anybody help me?

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 11:46 am

It is most definitely a scam. Read around here and learn. And do not EVER send anyone any money sight unseen.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Quote:

She says to get a visa to travel to the USA it will cost around 1600 euros or almost 2000 dollars to pay all the taxes and fees between the USA fees and Romanian taxes and fees.

And that is the scam. He (most vlad's are really men) will just keep stringing you along with one fee and financial hurdle after another.

I'd suggest just blocking the email address(es) from your mailbox and cease all communication. Above all, Do Not Send Any Money. You'll never see it again.

I am glad that you listened to those alarm bells in your head; many times people don't.

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 11:55 am

As above mate, and sorry you got done. Best thing is to cease all contact and if you feel hurt by this then have a look here
http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/419_advance_fee.htm

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 11:57 am

Talk about close shave Shocked

Why don't you post one of the photos "she" sent you? I'll bet a pound to a penny somebody on here "knows" her. If you get what I mean.

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 11:58 am

Sure it's a scam.
A non-immigrant visa for the US from Romania costs $111.
That is made up of $100 visa processing fee and an $11 PIN fee.

Wannabe Baiter Joined: 05 Jul 2006 Posts: 90

That is most definitly a scam. A visa would cost her no more than $ 125, and there are no tax fees to be paid. Sorry for U, but it is time to go slap her up a bit, she can be regarded as MUGU. Twisted Evil

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 4:24 pm

behind that lovely little fascade lies a dirty,scruffy,vlad-think about how he would look on your first night together-little pink nighty,3 days beard stubble,breath like rotten herrings Twisted Evil

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 9

ok thanks for your help!! She says the money isn't just for the US visa but also for " taxes and fees" that Romania charges. Somebody clear this up for me. I need you to slap me in the head!!!

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 9:24 pm

^^^^ Consider yourself slapped. DO NOT send money to folks on the internet! If it sounds to good to be true, it is.

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 9:25 pm

*SLAP*
There are no "taxes and fees" for visas that cost that much! Please re-read Breddan Butter's post, as he knows what he is talking about.

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 10:00 pm

Here are some options:

1) You could always create another email address and write to her
2) List the email address here for someone to write her
3) Post the email headers for us to have a look
4) Post up the photos, hopefully someone has seen her before
5) Google some extracts of her letters to see if she has scammed someone else before

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 11:01 pm

@jaybrown1
Slap, slap, slappety slap. Romance scammers are a bunch of heartless bastards. It's one thing to escape from them with your money intact, but they leave emotional scars too. Do yourself a favour and give yourself a little time to get over it before you do anything involving either women or cash. I've nothing against either personally, but regaining a healthy perspective on both should be your priority right now.

Anyway, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it if you gave us some photos and an e-mail address. Some of us might have baited her. Certain people, whose names I woudln't mention in polite conversation, might even have gotten trophies from her. Wink

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 11:22 pm

The whole thing is of course complete and utter BULLSHIT! Everything you've been told by this person is a lie. Simple as that. I see it time and time again. The fees are rubbish, the girl doesn't exist and if you send any money at all you can kiss it goodbye. Post up everything you have on this scammer to save other people from getting scammed, losing money and having their hearts broken. Let the Google bots and your words save some other people from being scammed. Plus of course it lets those of us that love romance baits have a new toy to play with Twisted Evil

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 9

ok--you guys are the best! She is on Mate1 and her handle is MICHAELA 2007. Her Yahoo is victoria1960v
I always talk to her on yahoo instant message
I'm not a computer geek so i am not sure how to post a photo

Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 12:01 am

Photos are easy to post. Just go to photobucket.com and set up an account. It's all easy enough to follow from there.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 7

I use http://imageshack.us. You don't need to register, just browse the photo you want to upload. COPY and PASTE the url here using Img and VOILA...everybody can see the picture.

I checked out the profile on victoria1960v ...there's nothing but a yahoo screen name.
I would be skeptical just on that. Usually serious people have something more.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 9

Ok i put some photos on photobucket here is the link
http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z40/jaybrown1/

Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 10:01 am

Jay... take a breather, with the expert advice from those before me... and do not pass go or send $200... not now, not never. AND, be sure not to share any "real" information of your own with the scammer.

Read all you can on 419eater...

you've come to the best place on the net to play with these dirty-rotten-scoundrels, if you choose to do so. Otherwise the secretary will dis-avow any knowledge of your existance(s). LOL...

Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 7:02 pm

Set yourself up with another ID, and become a "different person". Don't expect any different mails, the usual cut and paste crap/ Learn how to read the headers. Pound to a penny it is using "The Bat." for mass mailing. Next time you publish her pics we want to see her with her kit off.

Posted: Sun May 27, 2007 6:30 pm

My daddy told me many times that if it talks like a duck, walks like a duck, looks like a duck, smells like a duck and sounds like a duck it's probably a duck.
It's a harsh reality to face and somewhat of a knee to the collective groins of males everywhere but these women are way out of most guys leagues and wouldn't piddle on us if we were on fire in real life so why should they be so quick to fall madly in love with us ordinary Joe's from an internet dating site? Because they don't exist, they are only playing on the fantasies of ordinary looking guys who dream of being with a glamourous babe - having her on his arm as they go out to dinner or a movie, have her be there waiting for him as he returns home from a hard days work with a beer and a blowjob, to be able to show your mates what a hot woman you have or countless other vanities these people play on.
If you live in reality and try treating these dating sites as if they were not reality then you would admit to yourself that if any of the women there sound or look too good to be true then 99.9994% of the time you would be correct and save yourself a lot of time and possible heartbreak or financial hardship.
Don't be a fool or don't fool yourself, if they are truly beautiful with model looks and figures and love you almost straight away, be honest with yourself - ask yourself if you met this woman in a nightclub or wherever would she fall head over heels with you as fast as this woman from the dating site did? Honestly, would she?
I know it sucks and hell we aint THAT pitbull ugly after all but models are still models, and you don't see models out with average Joe's.

Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 10:22 pm

My wife has a co worker that actually flies from SFO to Bucharest to visit her "Boyfriend" she met online. Scary, but I don't know any details. I would guess that's not a cheap flight though.

Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 11:41 pm

You were absolutely right to listen to that 'little voice in your head'. Romance scammers are particular douchebags because they not only steal your money, they break your heart too. Follow all the advice upthread and read around the forum and you will quickly realise what a lucky escape you had. Unfortunately it takes a lot of other people a lot longer to realise they are being scammed. Take care.

By the way, if you know anyone else who's looking for lurve on the internet then warn them to be ultra cautious, especially with women who tell tales of poverty and destitution who want to come and live happily ever after (on your dollar, natch) with you if only they can raise some cash for their visa/ticket......

Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 12:19 pm

mmmm those goodies in her pic look store bought-life must be good

Elite Baiter Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 1269

It's a bad idea to bait your own scammer, even if he doesn't have your personal details. Why? He already knows how to push all the right buttons to manipulate you. I would also take a bit of time before starting to bait to make sure you go about baiting in a detached way.