This anti-scam website is dedicate to Miss Olena Blinnikova also know as Olena Trofymenko from Kherson, Ukraine. Not only did she manage to scam me, she later contact one of my old friends and scammed him too. Her case provides many textbook examples of Russian bride scams. It is my hope that this website will assist you in spotting and preventing Russian scams.

Before I continue let me first say that there are many very good women in Russia and Ukraine. So while practicing a small dose of common sense can prevent you from being scammed please do not let your fear of being scammed by a Russia women prevent you from finding the girl of your dreams. Let us remember these Russian women are all amateur scammers compare to the sharks we have here in the United States or in Europe.

To avoid being scammed all you need to do is simply educated yourself on the types of scams that are out there and use a little bit of common sense when entering a relationship. A small dose of skepticism is also helpful. One sure fire way to avoid many of the Russian bride scams out there is not to send money to any one you have never met before.

Some other ways to avoid being scammed: Write to more than one lady. To take it one step further do not travel to Russia or Ukraine just to meet one person. While you can learn a lot about a person through letters and telephone conversations, you cannot develop the chemistry that is need for a serious relationship this way. You do not want to travel all the way to Russia to meet one person just to find out she is not the one. Another important rule is not fall in love or even like with anyone you have never met in person. Now let us define the most popular kinds of Russian Bride Scams out there.

Types of Russian Bride Scams - Scam Scenarios

Anti-scam Service Scam

The fear of being scammed can cause you to be scammed. There are many Russian women blacklist sites and "anti-scam" marriage agencies out there. The anti-scam services they offer may represent the biggest scam of all. They prey upon your fears of being scammed and profit by exaggerating them. Then these so-called anti-scam websites conveniently offer a product or service to easy the insecurity you they helped to breed.

I saw one anti-scam website out there charging $150 to look at their "anti-scam" database?! Another anti-scam website has the gaul to ask for donations. "HELP KEEP OUR SERVERS ONLINE!" They claim that they are non-profit yet their website is full of banners ads that they earn money from!

Then you have the hordes of so-called Russian detectives that charge anywhere between $100 to $1000. If you have reason enough to mistrust a girl so much as to hire a detective then perhaps you should just get rid her and start fresh with someone new. There are too many good women in Russia seeking loving husbands to be fixated on one that may be trying to scam you.

Simply put you do not need any of these anti-scam services. The best scam prevention is being aware of the possibly of being scammed and practicing a little common sense.

Send money for correspondence expenses or mail scam

A women appears out of no where claiming to have seen your profile on the web. She wish to correspond with you but she is poor and needs for you to send her money for postage or to pay for email service. These scams are somewhat easy to spot. If you look closely the first one or two letters are form letters. While life is hard in the former Soviet Union expenses for postage or a small amount of Internet time is not that great.

Translation Scam or Translator Scam

Another variation of the correspondence scam is the translation services scam. It start off the same way but the scammer claims that her English is not so good and needs for you to pay for translation services. If a women is truly interested in you she can find someone to read her letters to you.

English Lessons Scam

If you are corresponding with a young lady and are planning to meet in the near this request may sound legitimate; however, this is one of the most popular scams out there. Best bet is to wait until after you meet and then if you see a future together send her to English classes. Unfortunately I followed this rule and was still scammed. In six months of English lessons Miss Trofymenko did not learn a bit of English. She took the classes but was disinterested. The lesson here is make sure you see progress when sending a lady to English classes. If she is not taking the classes serious then most likely she is not taking your relationship seriously.

Illness Scam - Accident Scam - Operation Scam

This scam can occur by mail or even after you have met her in person. I know because it happen to me. Suddenly there is an illness or accident involving her personally or someone in her immediate family. She needs money right away for expensive medicines or an operation. This by far is the lowest and dirtiest of all the scams out there. It is also the most difficult scam to deal with.

There is no set advice to deal with the medical emergency scam. Each situation is different and you must follow your own judgment. Just being aware that is a possible scam is helpful. Remember it is your money and you are entitled to a detailed explanation on how it is being spent. You may also want to look towards independent sources to verify that there is an actual medical emergency.

Important Note: Please remember that until you are married to girl in question you are not responsible for her or her family's well being.

Repair Scam

Simi liar to Illness scam, the repair scam involves a household emergency of some kind where money needs to be sent right away. For example Miss Blinnikova claimed to my friend that her bathroom was leaking and flooding the downstairs' neighbors apartment. Another popular scenario involves the heater. Once again you must rely on your personal judgment.

Travel Scam

The travel scam can be the most costly. The scammer will want to you to come visit her home city or meet her aboard somewhere. In either case she will request money for travel expenses for such items as hotel rooms, airline tickets, visas, etc. To avoid this make all the reservations and travel arrangement yourself. Please remember not to travel to Russia or Ukraine just to meet one person.

The send money for "this or that" scam

Scammers can be quite creative. My little scammer wanted money to a wedding dress, school tuition and new car. If you follow the first basic rule of never sending money to someone you have not met then you will not fall prey to this scam.

How to find out if your girl is listed on a anti-scam or Russian Blacklist website

There is a free and simple way to find out if the girl you are writing to is on an anti-scam or Russian blacklist website. Simply type in her full name and the word "scam" or "blacklist" in Google's search engine below and see what comes up.

Examples: Olena Blinnikova scam or Olena Trofymenko blacklist