Safety Tips: How to Avoid Mail Order Bride Scam?
Potential dangers on mail order bride sites
Here are the top-3 dangers users may face when looking for a foreign wife:
- Fake profiles. It’s a huge problem not only for guys looking for a mail order wife but also for those who’re just looking for someone on Tinder. In fact, 1 in every 7 female profiles on the web are fake. Still, though it sounds disturbing, there are ways to avoid falling in love with a catfish. In particular, you can find a website with a great moderation system and validated and detailed profiles and be a bit skeptical when meeting someone new online. There are ways to find out if the profile is real, and we’ll talk about them below.
- Automatically generated messages. If you receive dozens of messages that look the same and sound weird, it’s a good reason to leave the site, especially if your own account isn’t detailed to attract that many women and all the ladies are incredibly attractive. On scam sites, this scheme is used to make men pay for messaging, no more and no less.
- The-princess-in-trouble fraud method. When you start talking with fraudsters, things are moving very, very fast. For example, an attractive young blonde can say she’s totally in love with you, share something personal and confess that you’re the only man she wants to have children with. The chance is that one day she gets in trouble or someone of her relatives gets in trouble, and she’ll ask you for help—financial help, of course. In 100% of cases, it’s just a scammer who tries to gain your trust and make you send money you’ll never see again.
How to avoid scams on mail order bride sites
So, these were the common fraud methods, but what are the ways to avoid such scenarios? Here are some most useful tips for everyone who’s going to find and date a mail order bride online.
- Find a well-moderated website. Yes, it’s just the best way to protect yourself, yet not the easiest one. If you’re going to join an online community, learn as much as possible about the site and, ideally, test it first. Pay attention to the number of verified profiles, their quality, the number of photos and profile videos, availability of video chat/streams/calls, the possibility to send audio and video files, photos, etc. Reach the support and ask them about how they conduct moderation. Ensure there’s the report scams button. Basically, that’s how you can find that safe platform.
- Google women’s photos and make video calls. We mentioned video calls for a reason—talking with a woman in real-time will help you get rid of doubts and just enjoy communicating with a potential bride. Not all good sites have this feature, though, and in this case, use Google search by image to ensure pictures are not stolen or just downloaded on free sites with stock photos.
- Develop realistic expectations and be cautious. The best thing you can do for yourself is to be careful and skeptical. If you haven’t uploaded a profile photo yet, and the hottest girls are already reaching you, that’s a bad sign. If a woman is looking for someone aged 18-90, it’s suspicious. A woman can be perfect for you, but as we’ve mentioned above, if things are moving too fast, it’s a red flag, too. If prices are too low, there may be hidden costs. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you have them and check the prices and features if you can—even on a site that seems good and even is good, you can meet someone who’ll use your optimism and carelessness against you.