View Full Version : Scam or not
This person seems sincere. I haven't tried any filters on the text.
Hello my new friend Anthony. I am very glad that you have answered me.
I was very glad, when I saw your letter. I search for person with
which I might To lead all life. My intentions very serious. To tell
the truth I already have despaired to search for my present love, my
prince here, And I have decided to try to search in Internet. I shall
tell to you about myself. I live in Russia in city Yoshkar-Ola.My
growth of 168 centimeters, weight of 53 kgs. I am 25. I was never
married. I have education of the cook And higher education on a
speciality economy and marketing. But in the present Time I work as
the cook in a dining room. I have no children. At me very beautiful
eyes, I think that you will estimate My sight on a photo. Do not
think, that I to praise myself, but the woman loves everyone, when the
man estimates her beauty. I like to go in for sports. I frequently go
to a training hall and in fitnes club I Like to hold Itself in the
form. I do not smoke and I do not drink alcohol. I think that it is a
pledge of youth, Beauty and health. I think that you with me will
agree. I ask you to send me many your photos. I think that appearance
of the person not the most important. On mine the main thing in the
person his soul And his private world, but me is very interesting to
see yours Photo. I live with mum. We close people with her. We should
understand eachother very good. We should pass a long way that in the
end we shall understand together whether or not. But I think that we
shall well. I shall help you to study about me. I well talk in
English. At me the good teacher was and I was the provisional
schoolgirl, And the knowledge of English remained at me from school. I
think that you can understand all my letters. If something to you will
not be clear, Tell me about it. Your letters will help me to teach
your language better. I have no the domestic computer, because it very
much Dearly for me. I shall write to you from the Internet of the
centre. I hope that we with you well learn each other Also the
computer may, it is simply impossible, will help us to find each
other. I want to know more concerning you. Tell to me about your
habits, Friends. Tell to me where you live. What you like to eat? I
ask it because I very well am going. Write to me all about itself, Ok?
Do not hesitate to ask, I shall try to answer all your questions. I
shall wait for your answer. Your friend Rimma from Russia.
Search for a part of the text, for example this part in Google:
"not be clear, Tell me about it. Your letters will help me to teach"
And you'll find the exact same letter here:
http://www.womenrussia.com/blackpage31.htm :)
Seeming sincere is their job...
Daneel,
Thanks for your quick response. I did notice that her photos are not professional.
It seems that with the scams,the more contact information you ask for, the more they avoid or provide fake info. Another scam asked me for money in her 2nd letter.
She does indeed address me by name in her letters and they are lengthy.
She asked for my phone to call me.
I'm still unsure.
I work in the Fraud division for the US dept. of State in Chicago.
Thanks again
ap
Hello ap17,yes she does sound very sincere.
And thats usually how it goes for the first 2 or 3 letters.I would not reccomend you stop communicating with her.Usually I do.
In your case you have come to this site because something about this letter has twigged a few alarm bells.
I would ask you not to give your phone number or too many personal details,but continue to ask questions and see how long it takes for her to request money for "mom's" upcoming operation or school fees or for a visa or plane ticket to visit you.
I would give you more information but don't need to give all our secrets away on the open board which can be googled.
But if you could find the headers on the email and post them here or private message them to me,I could perhaps tell you were the person is from.
If you think we could find the person (from her photo) then post that also.
Also check out http://internet-love-scams.org/ (this is our sister site for love scams)
also this site that has a lot of info on russian scams http://www.fraudtech.bizland.com/gypsy_introduction.htm
and a very good article here:
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20060128094950999C329460
Stay safe
ap17 --- Aquene has given you some pretty good advice. I believe that your pen pal is a player, but, I could be wrong. If you feel you must speak to her, maybe buy a track phone. That way she (?) will not have your home number and when the mins. run out, you don't have to recharge them and she will no longer be able to bother you (if she is a fake). There are a lot of "clue" phrases in her letter that bother me. I'd bet a months pay (pretty small bet) that within a few more letters she will be asking for money or other thing(s) of value. Please, Please ap -- be very careful.... Think with your head and not other parts of your body !!!! (heart for ex.) ;) ---- The good folks here and at love scams can be a tremendous help and they do have your best interests at heart.... Ask and they will answer..... Good Luck and Remember Who You Work For !!!!! -- tc
Thanks for the tips and advice.
Not sure how to get the header from yahoo.
I'll attach a photo here.
ap
Sent you a pm on how to forward the email to me ap17,that should take care of it,if not,I will pm you how to do the headers.
enforcnthelaw
19 May 2006, 22:16
AP:
I was asked to reply to your original posting since I am a police officer; however, I have been out of the office most of the day and just now got the message(s). Having seen what Topcop and Aquene have stated, I would say that you have received some very good advice.
I briefly did a search on Yoshkar-Ola, Russia and found several "Russian Bride" dating sites on the web. I am fairly new to the overseas bride scams, but I would venture to say that if she starts asking for money, or unloads a lot of family "baggage" on you (medical problems, etc.) then it would sound like a good set-up to being scammed.
If you are "serious" about wanting to find out if this person is real, and if she is posting her information legitimately, you might consider looking for a reputable investigation service in Russia that can do a background check on the information she provided. I don't know any companies specifically...so again I would caution you to do your homework on anyone you considered hiring.
In any event, I would advise you to not send any money and to take your time in getting to know this "person." If it is a scammer, the longer you take to get to know them, the more likely they are to just stop all communication with you (as they tend to want to move onto targets that are not asking too many questions and more willing to "assist the poor girl").
Sorry my reply came so late, but I am glad to see that you received some excellent advice from others on this forum, and I wish you the best of luck as you deal with this person/incident.
Thanks for the advice.
Actually My office has DS personnel in Russia. I was thinking of giving them a call.
In the past when the scam asked for my ph/address I gave them my Federal office no. Needless to say,that was the end of that.
cheers
ap
Saturn Girl
21 May 2006, 22:31
I briefly did a search on Yoshkar-Ola, Russia and found several "Russian Bride" dating sites on the web. I am fairly new to the overseas bride scams, but I would venture to say that if she starts asking for money, or unloads a lot of family "baggage" on you (medical problems, etc.) then it would sound like a good set-up to being scammed.
This area of Russia seems to be the hotbed (no pun amended) of bride scamming.
Just received a phone call this morning from her.
Sounded sincere.
I'm still not sure its a scam.
Remember, I work in the Fraud divison at US Dept.of State.
ap
If she was serious, why would she use an exact copy of a letter previously known to be used by fraudsters?
Open up a free email account under a new name and contact her again, see what she says. Do some investigating.
You have nothing to lose until she starts asking for money. But some of these are not afraid of spending months or even years building up trust, before they start asking for any money. There are a few examples of this and those stories are never very pretty.
Take care.
I was not aware she used a copy of a scam letter.
ap
It's on the page I linked to in the second post in this thread.
I checked out that link the day it was posted, never saw anything that resembled the letter. Maybe I'm reading too fast?
ap
No, sorry, it's not an exact copy. But some of the phrases are identical. Search "Your letters will help me to teach" and you'll find it.
This phrase is also quite common: "I do not drink alcohol. I think that it is a pledge of youth, beauty and health"
Search "pledge" here for example:
http://www.womenrussia.com/blackpage81.htm
If you search "168" here:
http://www.womenrussia.com/blackpage32.htm
You will find this piece of text which is also identical:
"My growth is 168 centimeters, weight is 53 kgs. I'm 27 years old. I was never married. I have education of the cook and higher education on a speciality economy and marketing."
Take some other short piece of text and search it in Google, and you may find more of these. Try her other letters too if you like. They are all variations of the templates these scammers use. I am sure she will have a good excuse for this that will sound very sincere, of course.
Hi AP17, the russian scammers are very good and have a lot of experience of this type of scam, fortunately a lot of the members here also have a lot of experience spotting them! you can rest assured that if they say it is a scam then it is, sometimes it is hard to believe that the scammers are not sincere! and many times it is a real let down to realise this after losing a lot of money, we deal with a lot of people daily who have fallen for this type of scam and it is hard for us to see them not only lose money but get hurt emotionally as well! in this case you have the opportunety to get out early, rest assured it is a scam. regards Big Al
Yes,
I'm seeing the indicators too. In the past when I ask for phone and address the person is often unresponsive and often disappears when pressed.
In one scam I used my State Dept. signature in an email and that was the end of her.
Another wanted money in her second message and I offered to send one of my co-workers to her place with the money. We have agents in every country
Never heard from her again.
At this point,my only cost is time.
Thanks again to all here for the input and advice.
ap
Browade
29 May 2006, 17:46
Sorry that it took me so long to see this thread. There are several sites in Russia where you can meet friends, just like similar sites in other countries. The big difference is that many if not most of these sites are backed and supported by the same criminals who run the porn sites and carding sites where they openly trade stolen identities on the internet. To-wit Russian Organized crime. You may find that your sweetheart is also a star on one of their porn sites.:o
I search for person with which I might To lead all life. My intentions very serious. ... to search for my present love, my
prince here, ...
growth of 168 centimeters, weight of 53 kgs. ... never
married. I have education of the cook And higher education on a
speciality economy and marketing. ... At me very beautiful
eyes, ... I like to go in for sports. I frequently go
to a training hall and in fitnes club I Like to hold Itself in the
form. I do not smoke and I do not drink alcohol. I think that it is a
pledge of youth, Beauty and health. ...I think that appearance
of the person not the most important. On mine the main thing in the
person his soul And his private world, ... At me the good teacher was and I was the provisional I think this speaks for itself. Isn't this too good to be true? Unfortunately, many people are very attached to this kind of scam because the scammers address a very personal and emotional issue in a persons mind. [/QUOTE]
I want to know more concerning you. Establishing a relationship is an important issue in these scams. Very often the scammers are exchanging emails and phone calls for several months before they ask for money for the first time.
Btw.: If you'd post the header informations and the scammers phone-number we could determine if the person behind these emails is really from russia or (what I think) somewhere in west-africa.
I don't know how to get the headers out of yahoo.
ap
breccia
29 May 2006, 20:15
Hi ap17,
You can find out how to get the headers from yahoo here:
http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=577
Got it Thanks.
Below are the headers from the lastest message:
I have 3 earlier messages too.
ap
toxxxxxxx@yahoo.com via 68.142.199.92; Sun, 28 May 2006 18:19:18 -0700
X-YahooFilteredBulk: 194.67.23.63
X-Originating-IP: [194.67.23.63]
Return-Path: <rimma-4-ever@mail.ru>
Authentication-Results: mta228.mail.re2.yahoo.com from=mail.ru; domainkeys=neutral (no sig)
Received: from 194.67.23.63 (EHLO mx27.mail.ru) (194.67.23.63) by mta228.mail.re2.yahoo.com with SMTP; Sun, 28 May 2006 18:19:18 -0700
Received: from [195.161.214.149] (port=35758 helo=149.214.dialup.mari-el.ru) by mx27.mail.ru with asmtp id 1FkWK7-000HW3-00 for toxxxxxxx@yahoo.com; Mon, 29 May 2006 05:13:36 +0400
Date: Sun, 28 May 2006 14:17:29 +0400
From: "Rimma" <rimma-4-ever@mail.ru> View Contact Details Add Mobile Alert
X-Mailer: The Bat! (v2.04.7) Business
Reply-to: Rimma <rimma-4-ever@mail.ru>
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
Message-ID: <1398123474.20060528141729@mail.ru>
To: "ap" <toxxxxxxx@yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <20060526120420.92816.qmail@web81004.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
References: <20060526120420.92816.qmail@web81004.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----------213D903F707662"
Content-Length: 496018
Browade
29 May 2006, 20:24
@ap17 please edit the post and change your e-mail address to xxxxxx wherever it is shown, unless that is a baiting account that has nothing to do whith contacting you in real life.
GOOD ENOUGH THANX
@ap17 please edit the post and change your e-mail address to xxxxxx wherever it is shown, unless that is a baiting account that has nothing to do whith contacting you in real life.
GOOD ENOUGH THANX
DONE!
Browade
29 May 2006, 20:27
This is where the e-mail originated:
WHOIS results for 195.161.214.149
Generated by www.DNSstuff.com
Location: Russian Federation (high) [City: Moscow, Moskva]
She claims tolive in Yoshkar-Ola, which I undrerstand is 500 miles east of Moscow.
Not good,!
ap
Browade
29 May 2006, 20:31
The IP must belong to the mail service rather than her ISP.
She is on a dail-up connection in the area shown below:
domain: MARI-EL.RU
type: GEOGRAPHICAL
descr: Geographical domain for Mari El Republic
nserver: ns.chtts.ru.
nserver: ns.mari-el.ru. 195.161.208.130
nserver: ns.mv.ru.
nserver: ns2.mari-el.ru. 195.161.208.135
state: REGISTERED, DELEGATED
org: OJSC "VolgaTelecom" Mari El branch
phone: +7 8362 421549
phone: +7 8362 664435
phone: +7 8362 412471
fax-no: +7 8362 664151
e-mail: ***@mari-el.ru
registrar: RIPN-REG-RIPN
created: 1996.10.01
paid-till: 2006.11.01
source: TC-RIPN
Browade
29 May 2006, 20:34
I dont know much about Russian geography but isn't the Volga area West of Moscow?
OK I Googled it and it is located Southeast of Moscow. However when I Googled it every site I looked at had ads for Russian Women which is also not a good sign since it is good indication that this scam has become an industry in that area.
Yes,I believe so. The relay must be out of moscow.
FW Admin
29 May 2006, 20:39
Just for your information, that particular netblock of 64 IP addresses:
Netblock:195.161.214.128/26 (195.161.214.128-195.161.214.191)
Record Created:Mon Nov 24 14:27:57 2003 GMT
Record Updated:Mon Nov 24 14:27:57 2003 GMT
Additional Information:[Dynablock] Dynamic IP address, use your ISPs mail server
Currently active and flagged to be published in DNS has been blacklisted at SORBS for spam activities for a long time - as you can see, since November 2003 and still active on the DNS servers. This effectively means that most major ISPs will have already blocked emails from these IP numbers being received by their customers. Yahoo, Hotmail and other such webmail services do not necessarily use information held at blacklisting agencies (DNSBL) and tend to rely on their own filters.
breccia
29 May 2006, 20:40
Googling for this "lady's" email address brings up the following:
Google search result (http://www.google.nl/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial_s&hl=en&q=rimma-4-ever%40mail.ru&btnG=Google+Search)
(S)he is listed on one other anti-scam website as a scammer.
Browade
29 May 2006, 20:42
Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, has a bill and feathers like a duck = must be a duck or in this case a sweetheart scam supported by Russian organized crime.
Googling for this "lady's" email address brings up the following:
Google search result (http://www.google.nl/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial_s&hl=en&q=rimma-4-ever%40mail.ru&btnG=Google+Search)
(S)he is listed on one other anti-scam website as a scammer.
Excellent!! Thanks for the heads up!!!
Happy Hoilday.
Remembering "memorial day here"
cheers
ap
ant958
27 June 2006, 03:39
Just an final update on the situation mentioned here.
On june 5th got the usual sweet lovely letter regarding travel to the US (to see me of course) and the cost.
I insisted to travel there to meet with her "mum" and that an officer from my employer would take me to her place. (we do have offices around the world)
US Dept.of State
Needless to say, I haven't heard from her again.
Thanks to all here for the input.
end of story.
ap
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