Russian Scams Offline: How to Avoid Them on Their Turf
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Russian Scams Offline: How to Avoid Them on Their
Turf
“Russians like to group together to
scam people.”
- A well-traveled Lithuanian girl I had
a drink with who told me the above after I told her about the Russian group
scams I experienced
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Introduction
Although Russia
is a very fun, wild, spontaneous, and best of all, inclusive place and society,
it is also a very high crime area, riddled with corruption and lack of right
and wrong, beyond the Western imagination. Therefore, an article like
this is necessary for me to write, for the sake of the newcomer to Russia’s
safety, protection, and health.
Most Russian bride seekers have heard the standard warnings
from the online marriage agencies about scammers asking for money online.
It seems easy enough to protect yourself; simply refuse when the Russian woman
you are corresponding with invents a reason to ask for a large amount of
funds. However, once you are off cyberspace and in THEIR territory –
Russia, Ukraine, or countries of the former Soviet Union – you are far more
vulnerable than you think, for their ability to scam you is much more
effective, lightning-fast, clever, cunning, and highly elaborate, especially
when the scammers band together in cahoots to swindle you. The techniques
they utilize are very sophisticated and go far beyond what most Americans are
used to back home.
Unfortunately, most Russian bride seekers are not prepared
for this, as their marriage and travel agencies don’t brief them on it.
As a result, they are easy prey for the highly skilled, experienced, conniving
opportunists who target and exploit them, often resulting in losses of hundreds
of dollars or more. Therefore, I have created this section to help
them. Here, the seekers can learn from my real life experiences of having
been the victim of several highly elaborate Russian group scams. I have
listed the scam and theft tactics that I’ve seen and experienced in Russia,
having spent about a year total there in dozens of cities and meeting thousands
of people. They range from the simple pick-pocket and hit and run scams,
to the highly elaborate group scams, which are the most efficient, on to police
and customs officer scams.
Russians seem to be mentally gifted. Some use their talents for good, while others
use it for evil and crime. Russian scammers are among the most cunning,
calculating, and skilled con artists in the world. They are highly
strategizing, thinking way ahead of the common Westerner (hence their world
dominance in chess). And when they have home court advantage, you are a
sitting duck in waiting for some serious foul play, especially if you are
alone. Another thing in this case that works to their advantage is that
the foreigner, unfamiliar with his/her cultural environment, will be much less
able than a native to recognize when something is fishy or out of place, hence
rendering their defenses ineffective. The scammers and opportunists know
this, and know how to use that to their advantages as well.
The most swift and effective Russian scams are the group
scams. When you are teamed up against,
you’re almost certain to get taken in, especially if one of the group is your
friend, lover or acquaintance, for your trust in that person serves as their
key to the successful execution of the scam (My own examples summarized below
will illustrate this)
And that’s because they VERY good at what they do, like
pros. They use two very effective
principles - speed and misdirection.
Speed, because they aim to work so quickly that by the time you realize
you’re being had, it’s too late, for you are already in the position they want
you to be in, for their scam to work in getting what they want. Misdirection, because they employ a barrage
of tactics swiftly to get you into the position they want you to be in. These tactics can range from false promises
that prey on your greed/desires, to telling you what you want to hear, to
faking friendship/love with you, to preying on your desires/needs/fantasies, to
hyping you up with emotion/greed/desire/alcohol to inhibit your judgment, and
even drugging your drink to rob you later, etc.
In other words, they know how to push your hot buttons to get you to do
what they want, in a very elaborate highly calculating deceptive quick manner.
You might wonder why these con artists have no conscience or
sense of right and wrong. Well, they are
sociopaths, incapable of guilt, and as my dad always told me, “You can only have morals if you can afford
them. Some people can’t afford
them. So be careful.”
Remember that no matter how smart, experienced, or shrewd
you are, you are still vulnerable to being scammed in Russia.
Even Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the greatest military strategists and geniuses
in history, got scammed and outwitted in Russia,
as his massive army gradually weakened and dwindled. On their turf,
Russians have ways of pulling strings to get their way, often covertly,
deceiving even the most perceptive. Therefore, don't even go in
overconfident thinking that you're scamproof.
Here now are the types of scams I’ve experienced, witnessed,
or heard about, arranged by category, with a synopsis description under
each. The categories are as follows:
Simple
Hit and Run Scams
Highly
Skilled Larceny Scams (involving confidence games)
Highly
Elaborate Teamed Group Scams
Police
and Customs Officer Scams
Russian
Women Opportunistic Extractor Scams
Note: If you find that
you’ve benefited from my experiences here and feel that they will save you from
being a victim to such scams and thievery tactics, please consider sending me a
small 5 dollar donation by PayPal (www.paypal.com) to help me recover the huge
financial losses I incurred from Russian scams that taught me such hard
lessons. My PayPal address is WWu777us@yahoo.com. Thanks.
Simple Hit and Run
Scams
Pick-pocketing
These are the most simple to counter. Basically, the
pick-pocketer singles out a foreigner in a high
traffic area by the way he/she dresses, carries himself/herself, looks and
behaves. They usually hang around crowded metro/subway areas, crowded
buses, streets, or train stations. Then they try to inch close to the
foreigner and snatch anything they can out of their most accessible
pockets. Sometimes they work in pairs, with one bumping into you to serve
as a distracting decoy, while the other tries to pickpocket you at the same
time.
To counter this, simply put your wallet in your FRONT POCKET
(many tourists in Russia
don’t even do this), not your back pocket. Place your passport, credit
cards, and most of your cash inside a “passport protector belt” worn under your
shirt, which you can buy in most luggage stores. Only leave expendable
items in your jacket pockets and back pockets. And please do NOT put your
passport in your back pocket or jacket pocket. That seems like common
sense, but you would not believe how many tourists I’ve met in Russia who did
just that, and lost their passport, leaving them to go to their country’s
embassy to get a temporary one, making getting around much more
difficult. Also, if someone accidentally bumps into you, immediately
place your hand over where your wallet is, to guard against a pick-pocketer reaching for it.
The Lost Wallet Scam
This is a quite common scam which I’ve seen several
times. One person runs past you, dropping a wallet or bundle of cash in
front of you, but before you can pick it up, another person does, and offers to
split it with you 50/50. But first, you must follow him to a more
secluded area, such as a back alley or behind a building. There, before
he can give you your cut of the prize, the person who lost the wallet or cash
finds you both and demands to get it back. The other person denies having
it, so the accuser looks to you. When you deny it though, he doesn’t
believe you, and insists on seeing the contents of your pockets. If he
sees cash in your wallet, he may insist that it is his. And while he
argues for it, the other co-conspirator puts the large amount of found cash in
your back pocket, leading you to think that if you give him the cash in your
wallet, that you’ve still made a profit from the lost cash in the
hundreds. If you do, then they take off, leaving you to find out that the
cash wad left to you was a fake. There are several variations of this
though.
Here is another variation of it, as told to me by another
foreigner who has lived in Russia
for years:
Another scam - You are walking down the road.
Someone walks past you in a big hurry. While he passes he drops a small packet
(as if it fell off from his pocket). Obviously, you would try calling him
"hey you dropped off something" but he wouldn't listen (remember he's
in a big hurry!). You would be confused what to do. Maybe you would even pick
up the small packet to chase the guy and give it to him. There is another thing
about this pack! It is transparent and you can
see at least a 20$ bill bundled up inside
(supposedly with more money). Suddenly you would notice another guy just
walking close to you!
He would look to you and will pick up the bundle
/ pack himself. He would try to shout to the other guy with a suppressed voice.
Obviously that guy is gone now. Now you two are left with this pack. he would say since we both saw this let's share the money
inside. You would say probably you don't want it and try to go your way. But he
would try to lure you into this. Finally you might say "alright!" He
would ask you to get in to some lane to share the money. As soon as you go into
this lane the first guy who dropped the packet would come
running back and say "some lady saw you pick up the packet I
dropped". Before you can say something, the second guy would immediately
reply "no, no we never saw any pack!" and make you a party to this
lie! Then the first one appearing to be irritated and very annoyed would want
to check you pockets and shoes. To prove to him you didn't take any money, you
would agree. He would then ask you to show your pockets, purse and ask you to remove your shoes too just incase you hid his
money there. As you do this the second guy would drop that pack on the ground.
Now the first guy would say "see, I knew you took it! and
I'm going to the road to call the cops!" He would run towards the main
road pretending to stop some patrolling car! The second guy would tell you
let's run in different directions!! Standing dumbstruck all this while, without
actually having done anything bad, you become a victim of all this drama. You
can't run immediately as you still have to put on your shoes! Lol! The two guys disappear and you wanna
get the hell out of this place as soon as possible lest these buggers bring
back cops on you for something you haven't done and try to frame you in a
stupid scandal!
You also run/go away,
feeling relieved that you got out of this unnecessary mess! But this is not the
end of the drama. The finale is ahead. As you feel relaxed, guess what!! You
check you wallet / purse pockets, and find that
the money that was there has now disappeared !!! You start searching for it and
become amazed on how where could have they gone? Then only you realize that
while the first was checking your pockets / wallet for his money, he was
actually unnoticed was stealing yours!
You think "what a fool I am!" But no!
There are more ways to these scams and hell these guys are innovative!!
This one happened to me when I first came here. :))
But during all these years, I haven't met a
foreigner who wasn't scammed in one way or the other here!!
Here they say Americans have plastic smiles and
no depth of mind or heart. There is nothing to talk with them about. But I
think one thing that the Americans don't have is this kind of deep scam
thinking! Lol!
If this scam happens to you, don’t try to argue with the
finder of the cash who offers you 50/50 that you know his game plan. If you
do, he will merely be persistent, even going so far as to grab you.
Instead, tell him to go away or fuck off, and then yell for the police, which
in Russian is “militsia”. That should scare
them away immediately.
Leading you into an ambush
scam
This happened to me once, but it failed fortunately.
However, a similar version of it did succeed for a while a year later, but the
Russian police got my stuff back and then the media put me on national news,
making me famous. You can read the story about it here, www.happierabroad.com/The_Cherepovets_Assault.htm.
Anyway, the group ambush works like this. In the
middle of the night, some men approach you on the street, wanting to make
friendly acquaintance. Then they invite you to go somewhere with them, to
have fun or meet some girls. If you, they will try to lead you into a
secluded area so they can beat you, knock you unconscious, and steal whatever
valuables are on you.
If this happens to you, simply tell the men that you are
busy, and if they persist, threaten to call the police “militsia”
with your mobile phone. But if possible, avoid walking the streets alone
at night. If you aren’t with company, take a taxi at night instead.
Train compartment mugging
This happened to a Dutch backpacker I met in a hostel in Moscow.
He related to me that over a week ago, he boarded a train to China
through Siberia. But when he got inside his
compartment, two men entered. One shut the door, and the other grabbed
him from behind, covering his mouth as well. Then the other assailant
choked him into unconsciousness. When he awoke, his passport belt was
gone, along with his passport inside and cash. Without a passport, the
train concierge kicked him off. Apparently, the two robbers had bribed
the concierge to get onto the train to rob him too. Since then, he has
had a difficult time getting another passport and visa arranged for him to
board the train to China
again.
Now, this didn’t happen to me, fortunately. And I
would say that such incidents are rare, since I rode Russian trains hundreds of
times without anything like that happening. But here is how I would guard
against it. When boarding a train, if the compartments have sliding
doors, do not enter your compartment if no one is in there yet. Instead,
hang out in the hallway until the train starts moving, or until other
passengers go into your compartment. By the way, I heard that in Russia
it is legal to carry pepper spray too.
Train station platform
hold up
This happened to a British traveler who got off a train from
Siberia to Moscow.
When he arrived with his two female companions, as he walked the platform
toward the Kazansky station, someone held him up from
behind with a solid object pressed on his back, which supposedly was a
gun. The thug asked him to empty his pockets. Not wanting to risk
getting shot, he complied and lost a lot of valuables, including his British
passport. As a result, he was unable to buy train tickets to St.
Petersburg without a valid visa in his passport.
Fortunately, this didn’t happen to me, but I know the mega Kazansky station complex (off metro station Komsomosky) which comprises a total of three main train
stations, serving as a gateway to the rest of the continent. And as such,
it happens to be a seedy area infested with thugs and pick-pocketers.
So it’s never been a place I’ve felt comfortable around. But to guard
against it, I would suggest that when getting off the train there,
keep a distance from the other people walking by. If someone comes near
you, walk away briskly with your luggage, and if you feel a tap or grab from
behind, simply behave as though you are in a rush and didn’t notice it, and
walk on quickly. Even if you do get held up, chances are that if you
pretend not to understand what’s going on and walk away, they probably won’t
shoot you in a crowded public area, since doing so wouldn’t accomplish anything
for them, since their main objective is to rob for profit, and gunning down
someone would require that they run away immediately afterward. Besides,
if they just wanted to shoot you, they could do it without holding you up in
the first place. But don’t quote me on that though. That is simply
my assessment.
Another thing you can do, which you can also use in the lost
wallet and ambush scams, is to carry a decoy wallet with you, which is a cheap
throw away wallet with very little cash usually under five dollars. If
someone pulls a gun or make the quick grab, they will be fairly satisfied with
this decoy. You can also put a few things in there too - phone number
cards, fake credit cards you get in the mail from credit card companies,
etc. The bigger the wallet is the better.
Highly Skilled Larceny
Scams (involving confidence games)
The inside jacket pocket
retrieval scam
This happened to me just before I left Moscow.
While sitting in a secluded section of the Time Online internet café underneath
the Red Square in the Ahot Marriot mega mall, someone
stole my mobile phone by squeezing it out of my inside jacket pocket which was
hung over my chair while I was sitting in it. I didn’t think such a feat
was possible, because the mobile was deep inside a concealed pocket which I
often had trouble getting out. But it happened nevertheless, or at least
it’s the most plausible explanation that fit the scenario of my stolen
mobile. You can read the full details about it in my account 2 professional
robberies I experienced in Moscow (http://www.happierabroad.com/2_Professional_Robberies.htm),
under the section “The mystery of my stolen mobile phone.”
Before the thief stole it, he tapped me a few times to ask
me to watch his stuff while he left momentarily. Unknown to me at the
time, this was a confidence game he was playing with me. By asking me to
watch his stuff, he was in a sense creating a false sense of trust between us,
implying that we were a team on the same side. That led me to lower my
guard against him when he made his move to steal whatever valuables I had in my
inside jacket pocket, with my back turned. It was a very sneaky, skilled,
and amoral tactic, but worked nevertheless.
To protect yourself, I would avoid
sitting in secluded section of internet cafes, first of all. Instead, sit
in the main areas below where other patrons and administrators have watch over
the area behind you. Also, since these thieves are skilled at snatching
items from even deep pockets, you might want to wear your mobile phone around
your neck on lace strings, instead of stowing it in your jacket pocket.
Sometimes that makes it uncomfortable, but it heightens the safety measure.
And finally, if someone asks you to watch their stuff, watch out. As soon
as he returns, leave, for I have heard that such is a common confidence game.
The drugging your drink to
rob you scam (erasing your memory as well)
This happened to a fellow American I met in a hostel and
hung out with, which you can also read about in the account 2 professional
robberies I experienced in Moscow (http://www.happierabroad.com/2_Professional_Robberies.htm).
Basically, these predatory women meet men in bars and nightclub, and while
socializing they slip a certain type of drug into their drink which makes them
drowsy and blocks their memory as well. This drug, designed to lower
blood pressure, can have lethal effects when mixed with alcohol, and has been
used by aggressive con women for years now, as has been reported in the Russian
media. It has also known to be used as a rape drug by men too. Once
under its effects, the con woman then suggests to the man to leave and go to
his or her place. The man usually complies (not surprisingly) and once in
secluded quarters, she waits until he dozes off before robbing him of cash and
other valuables. The man, under the influence of the drug, remains drowsy
and dazed for about 48 hours, giving the woman plenty of time to do her thing,
and if they are in his home, God forbid, she also then has the chance to take
anything she wants from there as well. And when he awakes, his memory,
having been inhibited by the drug, doesn’t even recall what happened, not even
remembering the appearance of the con woman. However, he usually deduces
what happened after finding his cash and valuables gone.
Embarrassed to say, I witnessed all of this happening right
in front of me to the fellow American I hung out with that night, described in
the account above. Amazingly, though awake and sober, I never noticed the
con woman extracting his cash while asleep. She was so highly skilled and
executed it in a flawless manner, using misdirection, angles, and confidence
games to quell any possible suspicions from me and the hostel owner as
well. I was completely stunned and speechless when it was discovered what
had happened later, right under my nose. I would highly recommend reading
the full account at the link above. This also happened to one of the
managers at an English school I taught at in Moscow,
who related a similar story to me.
I did manage to get a few photos of this con girl with my
mobile phone. Though they are blurry, I will still try to put them on my Hall of Villains
section.
I guess the moral of this is to keep your drink away from
the Russian women you are meeting in bars and nightclubs, or else don’t have a
drink around them at all.
Highly Elaborate Teamed
Group Scams
The Negotiator Scam:
Promises of Reconciliation and Sex
Group culprits: Yanis, Katya, and Yulia
Synopsis:
This is the first of two Russian group scams that I’ve been
a victim of. Taking place in Moscow’s
Izmailovsky Hotel Complex, it was committed against
me by my ex-fiancee Katya,
her girlfriend Yulia, and a con man we met in a hotel
lobby who called himself “Yanis”. Basically,
when me and my opportunistic gold digger fiancée were about to break up, Yanis observed the scene and used it to his
advantage. He befriended us both and offered to reconcile us, but not
before briefing Katya in private. Yanis then offered to reconcile me and Katya,
promising that if I listened to him, she would sleep with me again that night
too. He told me what I wanted to hear, and even employed a clever
confidence game on me. To demonstrate his powers and solidify my trust in
him, he told me to give Katya 200 dollars in cash,
promising that it would be returned. Unknown to me at the time though, he
had plotted this out with Katya in advance.
When all happened as he predicted, I was amazed at his ability to predict them,
and so he gained my faith in him, setting me up for the big swindle that he
would pull on me later. To further subdue my senses, Yanis
took us all to a nightclub to try to get me drunk on vodka.
The plot partially succeeded, and would have completely
succeeded if not for a stroke of heavenly luck. What happened though, was an episode of black comedy, culminating in me
eventually finding the “smoking gun” by a stroke of luck or heavenly
grace. You can read the full account from my journals here The Negotiator
Scam: Promises of Reconciliation and Sex (http://www.happierabroad.com/The_Negotiator_Scam.htm).
But be warned though, for many who have read it described it as extremely
blood-boiling.
As to Yulia’s role in the
“negotiator scam”, it is unproven largely speculative, but based on the
circumstances, it is highly probable that she was aware of it to some degree,
though she denied it (but what do you expect a proven liar to say?) Her
crime in it was one of passiveness, failing to do her ethical obligation to
warn her supposed friend, me, of the criminal plot against me. By nature,
Russians seem to like to protect and cover up for other Russians who are
attempting to scam or swindle foreigners, hence their highly despised
international reputation. But even before this, Yulia
had already committed a barrage of opportunistic acts against me anyway.
Photos of Katya and Yulia will be placed in the Hall of Villains
section, but Yanis’ photos are unavailable since he
refused to be photographed (understandably). Since they got away with
their crimes, it is my hope that placing their names and photos there will
damage their reputations in the name of truth, hopefully garnering enough
collective will and psychic energy against them from all who read about them,
to deliver them their karmic consequences. I say this for it is a well
documented fact that prayer and the collective will of a large group of people
can affect the molecular structure of physical reality, resulting in the likely
manifestation of that intention or wish. And of course, it’s all I can do
at this point.
The “Private Police”
Scam: Robbery, Extortion, and Ambush
Group culprits: Vadim,
George, Sergey, two girls from a disco named Ksenia and Irina, and one unknown
tall assailant with a black cap
Synopsis:
This second group scam against me happened the year
following the “negotiator scam”. Unfortunately, it involved one of my
best friends in Russia,
Vadim, who was like a brother to me. (I know, with
friends like that, who needs enemies?) The elaborate scheme went as
follows. During my visit to Vadim in Novgorod
(3 hours south of St. Petersburg),
we brought home two girls from a disco one night, named Ksenia
and Irina. They somehow steal my camcorder and
leave. The next day, Vadim employs a “private
police firm” to help me recover the video camcorder from the black market,
promising almost certain success, but at a cost of 300 dollars. With no
alternative (I would have had to spend that much on a new camcorder anyway), I
comply, and that evening, my camcorder is returned to me. His friend
Sergey acted as the policeman, showing me his police badge (probably faked) and
even filling out a seemingly real police report while interviewing me.
George, who nicknamed as such due to his ethnicity being Georgian (I don’t know
his real name), acted as the driver, shuttling Sergey between us and the
“private police” firm.
After getting my camcorder back, the next day as Vadim walked me out of an internet café through a park at
night, I was suddenly led into an arranged ambush he set up for me, as an
attacker came out to assault me and attempt to steal my camcorder again,
obviously so Vadim could ask me for more money to pay
his “private police” firm to retrieve it again. Fortunately, it failed,
thanks to perhaps the angels of grace. After footsweeping
me to the ground and hitting me to try to pry my backpack loose, he gave up
after a while and ran away, perhaps fearing that my shouts might attract
attention. But the attack left me slightly bruised and shaken up. Vadim pretended that it was a random attack on us, and that
he didn’t know the assailant. However, the giveaway was that he lied
about being hit in the stomach, using it as an excuse for not coming to my aid
during the struggle, for I witnessed that the attacker only pushed him
aside. (And even if he was truly struck there, he could have still fought
back afterward.) That was the “smoking gun” so to speak. And add to
that the improbable fact that a lone attacker would physically assault two men
without any weapons, made the set up obvious.
That meant that over the course of two days, Vadim, one of my best friends, and his cohorts, committed a
total of three crimes against me – robbery, extortion, and ambushed
assault. I have never had such wonderful “friends” before. Yet he
had the nerve a week later to ask me if he could “borrow” a hundred dollars
from me, promising to pay me back later. Yeah right, I’d sooner trust the
devil than him. What insatiable greed. Fortunately, after the
ambushed assault, I left soon, before Vadim and his
gang could cook up anymore schemes against me. Living in his home, I was
simply a sitting duck for them.
The amazing thing about it is that the whole time, Vadim lied about everything, yet he always did it with an
honest look. Outside Russia,
I have rarely seen such masterful actors. Obviously, to be that good, one
must be devoid of guilt and conscience.
(Note: It was explained to me recently by a chemical
dependency expert that if Vadim had been on drugs, it
would explain his sociopathic behavior devoid of
conscience. And perhaps that was the case, as I do remember seeing him
smoke marijuana.)
You can read the full details of The “Private
Police” Scam at this link: www.happierabroad.com/The_Private_Police_Scam.htm.
Taken from my journals, it includes follow up addendums and list member comments.
And again, like the “negotiator scam”, photos of Vadim, George, and Sergey will soon be placed in the Hall of Villains
section, for the same reasons I mentioned above. Unfortunately though, I
have no photos of Ksenia and Irina.
Summary and preventive measures
As you can see, Russian teamed group scams are highly
efficient and swift, hitting you before you even know it. Therefore, they
are difficult to anticipate and guard against, especially if one of the
conspirators happens to be someone you trust, like a friend or lover. (For a
great example of a group scam, see the group scam portrayed in the movie The
Birthday Girl with Nicole Kidman, which gives a chilling but realistic
depiction of one) Often, they are so effective, covering every base, that they
don’t even leave any red flags or bad signs that you can detect in advance (at
least ones that you can recognize) so that you can forsee
what will happen, as in the case of the “private police” scam. Therefore,
while in Russia,
there is no foolproof way to guard against them. However, here are some
guidelines I’d suggest.
·
Do NOT trust Russians easily, even
if they are your friends, acquaintances or lovers, even if you are a naturally
trusting person and have never been screwed over before. Do NOT give them
the benefit of the doubt, like you might to people in your own country.
In Russia,
people do not even trust each other easily, and there is usually a waiting
period of about a year before someone is considered a trustable friend.
Hence also the reason why in almost every public building in Russia,
there are security tightly monitoring everyone who
comes in, even in supermarkets and cafes.
·
In particular, do NOT befriend
young Russian men who are broke and jobless, for they are most likely to scam
you or lead you into traps, employing the aid of others who will get their
share. Nothing good will come out of it, and will leave you in
unnecessary peril. This was advised to me by Russians themselves.
But if you have to hang around them, stay in public well lit places, and try to
have someone you trust around.
·
If you are dating opportunistic
gold digger women, don’t stick with them for long. If your purpose is to
use them, then make your deal of sex for money/gifts and then leave soon
afterward. If you hang around them too long, they may find ways to
extract more from you and take advantage of you to greater extents.
Finally, what I’ve noticed regarding highly skilled con
artists who defraud others and use manipulation, is that they have one thing in
common. They prey on the human desire for a quick fix and an easy way
out, promising way too much too soon. Therefore, if you find that someone
is giving you a beyond perfect answer to all your problems and needs,
stimulating your desires too quickly, then that is the vibe that should serve
as the warning sign or red flag to you, that you are
being set up.
Police and Customs
Officer Scams
Police Scams
I hate to admit that in Russia,
even those working as law enforcement are involved in scams, swindles, and
bribes. Although it’s pretty ironic that those whose job is to protect
you and uphold the law, are also trying to scam you of cash, that nevertheless
is what you have to deal with, especially if you are of non-white
ethnicity. This just goes to show the extent of the deeply rooted
corruption in Russia.
And in fact, the corruption there is beyond what most Americans can imagine.
The Russian policemen, known as “militsia”, target foreigners, especially non-white ones, by
checking their passports and visas. While doing so, they look for
reasons to declare problems with their visa or registration, to use to ask for
bribes. Sometimes they will make up a reason, even if there is none,
knowing that the foreigner probably isn’t familiar with all the laws.
Though most common among Moscow militsia, it is now becoming more common in other cities as
well. Ever since the incidents of Chechnyen
terrorists hit the country, it gave them an excuse to beef up security even
more, allowing the opportunistic militsia more leeway
for this. They walk up to obvious foreigners or even to Russians from out
of town, and ask for “documents” (the word in Russian is the same). They
especially like to target Asian tourists for two reasons: First, if they
are Japanese or Korean, they tend to be more compliant and unquestioning of
authority, preferring to pay rather than deal with conflict. Second, they
tend to be more likely than blacks or Siberian Russians to have a lot of money
to scam from.
As a minority, I’ve been approached many times by militsia, having even been hauled to the police station a
few times, so here are my suggestions and strategies for dealing with this.
·
Try to dress like the Russians
around you, emulating them so you don’t stand out. Don’t be obvious
tourists, and don’t wear khaki pants, fanny packs, or
have cameras dangling from your neck. Also try to walk like them and have
the same stoic facial expressions. If you are of white ethnicity, you
should be able to blend right in without being noticed as a non-Russian.
However, if you are non-white, you will still be a noticeable foreigner.
·
When walking around areas where
Russian militsia are posted (and in Moscow
they are posted almost everywhere now), try to walk with a Russian woman, for
the militsia rarely stop men in the company of
Russian women. If you are alone, try to scurry up beside a Russian woman
walking in the same direction, even a stranger, so that you can appear to be
with her.
·
Don’t carry too much cash on
you. Try to keep it under 200 dollars, in case you get scammed or robbed
successfully. And if you keep most of it in a passport protector belt
tucked underneath your shirt, you can tell a bribe-seeker that you have too
little cash in your wallet to bother with.
·
Keep the registration dates in
your passports connected, leaving no more than three day gaps between
them. Otherwise, they can use that as a valid basis to fine you.
The travel agency that arranged your visa should have offices that you can
register in. Also, hotels, hostels, and government registration offices
can also register you. Sometimes, if you pay the hotel a little extra,
they will register you for weeks or months.
If you are stopped by a Russian militsia
to be checked for your passport and visa, here are some strategies for dealing
with it.
·
If you speak some Russian,
don’t. Just pretend that you only speak English. The militsia usually don’t speak English and don’t like to try
to communicate in it. Most of the time, they will simply check your
“documents” and leave you. But if they know you speak Russian though,
they can use it against you, interrogating you to find loopholes or excuses
they can use to find fault with you or your documents, to ask for bribes as
penalty fines. Therefore, it’s best to only speak to them in English.
·
If that doesn’t work, and they
find fault with your documents, try to get on their good side. Russian militsia are easily amused and entertained. Say
something funny, silly, or corny to lighten them up. Play buddy with
them, compliment them, joke with them, ask if you can pose a photo with them cause you admire their spiffy looking uniform, etc. If
you can get them in a playful mood, they will treat you much better. At
worst, you can even pretend to be gay (call yourself a “blue man” or “galuboy” in Russian) and come on to them, which will almost
always gross them out so they leave you alone.
·
If that doesn’t work, and they
insist on a cash fine from you, or if they threaten to haul you to the station,
then get out pen and paper, and start taking down their police badge number or
name. This shows them that you are not to be messed with, and that you
will take action to report him to his authorities if he continues this
behavior. Use this tactic ONLY if you know he doesn’t have a valid reason
to fine you, otherwise, it’s probably better that you don’t. In most
cases, it will scare him off, for if his misconduct is reported, it’s likely to
get him fired.
·
If that fails, then threaten to
call your lawyer or the police station. Tell him you are calling your
“jurist” which means lawyer in Russian. If that doesn’t work, then ask to
be taken to the police station.
·
If all else fails, and you end up
being taken down to the police station, remember this. a) Technically, if
you are taken to the police station, they are required to pay for a translator
to come talk to you. Otherwise, they can’t do anything to you if you are
charged with a misdemeanor. So if you wait it out there, they will not be
willing to do that and just write you up and let you go. b)
Usually, the bribe-seeking officer who takes you to the station does not want
his police chief to know about this, for he may get in trouble if discovered
attempting to get a bribe. Therefore, he will probably not keep you
around for long anyway, and may just mock around at you for a while before
letting you go.
·
If they still insist on you paying
them a cash fine, tell them that you are broke and have little cash, which you
need to use for food and shelter. Act serious about it, whine and cry if
you have to, anything to convince them of it. After a scuffle, they will
usually let you go. Most of the time, they will not search you for cash.
The above should up your chances tremendously of getting off
without having to pay a bribe or fine. Please note though, that you
should not quote me verbatim about Russian visa and registration laws, as they
are constantly changing and being revised, which is no surprise given the
highly volatile state of things in Russia.
What is true one day may be different a few months later. And this ranges
from ice cream flavors, best selling drinks (e.g. whereas Lipton Iced Tea was
nonexistent last year, it suddenly fills shelves all over the country this
year), to customs laws.
Customs Officer Scams
The Russian customs officers,
posted at airports and at the nation’s borders, are also known to scam
foreigners and ask for bribes. As the case is with the militsia above, they also tend to target Asians for the
same reasons. To deal with them, following the same strategies above,
keeping in mind several things.
·
Remember to keep the registration
stamps in your passport connected, leaving less than three days gap between
each. Otherwise, they can use that as a valid basis to fine you.
The travel agency that arranged your visa should have offices that you can
register in. Also, hotels, hostels, and government registration offices
can also register you. Sometimes, if you pay the hotel a little extra,
they will register you for weeks or months.
·
Don’t carry too much cash on
you. Keep it under a few hundred dollars. Otherwise, they may try
to confiscate it (and have a party with it afterward).
·
Also remember to speak only
English, and if you have to, write down their badge numbers or threaten to call
your lawyer. Playing or joking with them though, is usually ineffective,
as these customs officers are usually too serious and stoic for that.
·
If you are on a bus or about to
take a plane, they will usually not keep you too long to avoid holding up the
vehicle or aircraft.
·
If they still insist on you paying
them a cash fine, tell them that you are broke and have little cash, which you
need to use for food and shelter. Act serious about it, whine and cry if
you have to, anything to convince them of it. After a scuffle, they will
usually let you go. Most of the time, they will not search you for cash.
Finally, it has been reported that in some airports like in Tashkent,
Uzbekistan, the check in
staff may try to scam you by finding problems with your ticket, and asking for
a payment fee to fix it. Since I haven’t been in such situations, I don’t
know if the above strategies for dealing with police and customs officers will
work, but having a Russian person travel with you will help, as they will be
less likely to pull it on him or her.
Russian Women
Opportunistic Extractor Scams
Through Cyberspace
Although the purpose of this article is to guard and inform
the foreigners against in person Russian scams on their turf, I should
nevertheless address how to deal with the prevalent cyberspace scams.
As you might already know, the online Russian scams
basically follow the same pattern. A woman (or man)
contacts lonely foreign men through the internet, under the guise of seeking
serious love relations, sending him a pretty to gorgeous photo.
Instantaneously, the scammer falls in love with the man, telling him all that
he wants to hear, while sending him canned form letters, the same ones she’s
mass mailing to many others at the same time. The purpose of these lovey dovey letters is to make
the men fall in love with them, hyping them with emotion, and inhibiting their
logic and common sense, so that they are more likely to do what the scammer
wants later, which of course, is to send a large amount of funds through Western
Union. The canned form letters usually don’t contain answers
to any of the man’s questions in his letters, which ought to tip off an alarm
in him, but he may be so “in love” and emotionally hyped that he rationalizes
that away. Or sometimes they may answer one of his questions in the
beginning, followed by a pasted form letter.
When the scammer feels enough time has elapsed between them,
he/she pulls the final swindle. She or he invents a reason that requires
money. It can be anything from a sick mother who needs an operation, to
needing one herself, to needing it to get a visa and plane ticket through
special connections, so she can come to his country to be with him.
Sometimes, it can also be as mundane as needing money to buy a mobile phone so
he can call her, to take the train to meet him in Russia, to fix up the house
for him to stay in, to rent an apartment for him when he arrives so they can
live together there, or to book a romantic excursion tour when he
arrives. Whatever the reason, they need money, and a lot of it.
(Needless to say, it’s not possible to purchase a visa to America
through the American Embassy. And no Russian company has that power over
the US Embassy, which doesn’t accept bribes. But the scammer hopes you
don’t know that, and sometimes he or she is right, unfortunately. There
is, I heard, a way to legally obtain US
citizenship for half a million dollars though, for the purpose of establishing
a business in the US,
but that’s beyond the scope of what we’re dealing with here.)
Fortunately, most men don’t go for this scheme, but these
scammers are playing a percentage game, and the few that fall for it provide a
handsome income for the scammer. Here’s some ways you can weed them out
early on.
·
If in the first few letters, she
professes undying love, that is a red flag that you
are dealing with a con artist.
·
If she doesn’t answer your
questions, but sends you canned letters telling you about her life and how much
she thinks of you, that is another bad sign.
·
As a test, ask her for her phone
number so you can call her. Most scammers do not give out their phone
number, and will make an excuse not to, such as not having a phone. Although
some Russian women really do not have a phone, one with sincere intentions will
at least give you the number of a parent or relative where you can leave a
message or call her at an appointed time. Or she will give you the number
to the receptionist of the building she lives in. The point is that if
she’s sincere, she will try to meet you halfway. There are some scammers
though, who will be willing to call you. She or he will have an English
speaking co-conspirator call you for a while, sometimes asking you for money
too.
·
You can also pay a background
research agency in her city to track her down and investigate her, but this
tends to be very costly. And you would need a physical address too, which
most scammers won’t give out; another test you can use.
·
If she asks you to send her money
for a train or plane ticket to see you, tell her its not necessary and you can
just go to her city directly (which is advised anyway so you can see her family
and environment) Besides, a normal Russian woman
can find money to ride the train, which is dirt cheap and affordable in most
cases. Or you can just offer to reimburse her when she arrives. A
Russian lady who insists on flying instead is probably a high maintenance
princess or gold digger, and you are probably better off without her. But
if you must or can easily afford to pay for her transportation in advance, at
least do the following. Buy the plane/train ticket directly yourself, and arrange to have the company mail the tickets
to her. Most companies will have a refund policy if she doesn't use them,
so make sure to inquire about that. If she doesn't like that idea,
preferring cold hard cash instead, that's a suspicious sign.
How to deliver poetic justice to a scammer
If you find out that this person you’re writing to is a
scammer, here’s how you can deliver some karmic justice to her or him.
Tell them that you will send them the money by Western Union,
and in fact more than what they asked for to get them ecstatic. Then give
her a fake Western Union 10 digit tracking number to
pick it up. When they attempt to pick it the next day with extreme
excitement and anticipation, they will be hugely disappointed to find that no
such money was waiting for them. Then, when they ask you about it again,
tell them that you fixed the problem and it is now ready for them. When
they experience the same huge emotional letdown the next day, repeat the cycle
for however long it takes. The scammer will suffer a lot of emotional
anguish, which will be well deserved. By doing this, you help teach her a
lesson that crime doesn't pay, deliver her rightly due karma, and hopefully
discourage her from doing this again to other men.
Or, if you want to try to give them a dose of their own medicine
and maybe profit a bit by it, then ask them to send you $20 or $30 by Western
Union first, as a token of trust, before you’ll send them the thousand dollars
they want. Test their greed. If they send it, keep the money and
drop them, to teach them a lesson.
In Person
The in person Russian women scams also follow a predictable
pattern. These women, who are opportunistic gold diggers, leeches, and
whores, meet foreign men either through marriage agencies and social tours, the
internet, or in bars and clubs where foreign men hang out. Though they
pretend to be seeking serious relations, they true intent is to be showered
with money, gifts, and fancy dinners. They tend to pick the most
expensive activities and places to go, and are total shameless takers,
perceiving money as an aphrodisiac. They are not ashamed to directly ask
for presents, or cash gifts and loans. And they treat men as cash cows
with no regard for their financial needs. Sometimes, they use
mind-control techniques, such as calling the man “greedy” if he refuses to buy
them what they want or spend freely, staring at him with a hypnotic gaze that
induces guilt in him. Unless they are attracted to the man, they will
make excuses not to have sex, ranging from her parents being worried about her
being out late, to saving sex for marriage, to claiming that she moves
slowly. They will gladly accept sex for money, with the price in inverse
proportion to their level of attraction to him.
But even among the cautious Russian women who move slowly,
the self-respecting ones will not ask you to buy anything for them. In
general, Russian women with sincere intentions who have self-respect and truly
like you, will usually do most of the following:
·
They don’t ask you to buy them
gifts or give them money, even if you truly are rich.
·
They don’t treat you like a cash
cow or bank, but like a person to respect.
·
They introduce you to their
friends and family, rather than conceal you from them.
·
They aren’t preoccupied with where
you are taking them or how extravagant your date is going to be. Instead,
they don’t care where you go or what you do as long as you are together.
·
If they can’t make a date with
you, or are too busy to meet, they will suggest another time they are
available, rather than just giving a simple no.
·
They will be good about keeping
even little promises they make, following through on them rather than flaking
out on them.
·
They don’t keep making excuses to
avoid physical intimacy. And even if they are the shy cautious type who move slowly, they will at least gradually warm up
in a steady progression, regardless of the pace, rather than give you hot/cold
treatment. At the very least, by the second date, she should be willing
to take your arm or hold your hand.
Also, here is a list of bad signs and red flags outlined by
the owner of the Russian Women Abroad Forum, Natasha:
http://www.russianwomenabroad.com/forum_eng/index.php?sid=cecac74d7c9772e386426cf1b62ae8b4
“Here are some signs, which can enlighten you
that she is not attracted to you:
She looks very frustrated when she first sees you. She does not smile;
Even after you spend some time together, she still does not want to hold hands.
When you try to touch her, it looks as though it irritates her... Here I should
say that it is wrong to think that Russian women don't like "holding
hands". They do, but only if they like you. I remember my close friend
told me about one of the foreigners who visited her. She said, "you know, when he tries to touch my hand, I feel
repulsed..." In another situation, when she liked a guy, she would love
"holding hands"!
Here are
some other Red flags:
During your stay, your Russian friend will prefer to spend all of your evenings
in night-clubs or restaurants, instead of spending “quality time” together with
you getting to know each other (don’t confuse this with her attempting to be
hospitable and showing you the town);
Will try to make you buy as much stuff for her as possible, will complain and
show her dissatisfaction in case you don’t get her something she wants;
Will show a change in her mood very often (ex. Will be happy and excited when
you are in public, but sullen and silent when you are alone);
Will act like she is very busy and could devote only a short time to you, in
particular meeting you at restaurants or bars only;
Will be reluctant to discuss your future together, and make serious plans;
Will have sex with you on the first date, but won’t kiss you on the lips or
will accept sex passively (remember “Pretty woman”? )
Also, I wish to assure you that if your Russian friend
will be willing to have sex with you on the first date, it does not prove
anything. She may really like you, or she may just believe that it is the only
way to get abroad.
One more point: on our Women’s forum we discussed if any of our women were
really “in love” when they agreed to marry their husbands, 95% admitted that
they were not in love. Some said that they developed love and respect
throughout their life with their spouses. Those, few who replied that they did
fall in love before the marriage, were met with distrust and disbelief. Many
said that it is impossible to fall in love with a stranger whom you met
on-line. Surely, many (if not all) of these women assured their future husbands
that they were “in love” before the marriage. This is something to think
about!
There is a lot to consider in developing any relationship. Of course, it’s nice
to be very positive and open to the possibilities, but in order to avoid great
disappointment afterwards, I would advice you to use your judgment, insight and
maturity when arriving at this crucial step in your relationships.“
Here are other tell-tale signs of genuine interest or love,
based on my experience. They apply to meeting Russian women in person
from online, having a reasonable time of correspondence with. (For those of you experienced in the below situations, let
me know if your experiences concur.)
1) If you have corresponded
with a woman for at least a while through letters, photos, and phone
calls, but she tells you later that she doesn't know if it will work out
or not, or that you have to meet before she decides, or if she says something
like "I can't say if I will love you or not without meeting you
first", then usually it won't work out. Chances are, when you meet,
she will decide that she doesn't have feelings for you or that you are not the
right person for her. I say this because usually if the woman will love
her foreign male prospect, she will know so BEFORE meeting him and tell him so,
without having to express doubt, ambivalence or second thoughts. In my
case, the one relationship I had which began online and became serious later
worked out this way. She knew she loved me long before we met during our
correspondence.
That's the pattern I’ve seen with
meetings from online relationships. The ones that work usually have the
woman knowing beforehand that he was her man, and she was in love with
him. Usually, their intuition is good enough to know this before having
to meet to test the vibes. But if they have to resort to practical common
sense and say that they aren't sure until they meet you, or are already having
doubts, it’s a bad sign for she is lacking the intuitive sense that she will
have feelings for you. In such case, though they don't want to make a
choice either way yet, the likelihood is that there won't be enough chemistry
for romance, love, or attraction when you meet, if she has to be that overly
practical about it.
2) If a Russian woman you
come to visit puts you in a hotel or directs you to one, it's not a good sign
if you've already been corresponding for a while. The reasons are because
a) it's impersonal and makes you feel like you are on some kind of business
trip, having to deal with hotel staff and security everyday, and b)
it shows that she has little or no emotional investment in you and is too lazy
to go through the trouble of arranging something better and more personable for
you and her. Furthermore, it shows that you are low on her list of
priorities and that you are just something that casually came up for her whom
she will fit around her schedule, rather than someone important. And it
indicates an attitude from her that, "It's his problem. Let him deal
with it at his expense."
On the other hand, a Russian woman
who really cares about you and values a serious relationship with you will
either arrange a flat for you, a room in a flat, accommodations
in her home, or some combination of the above. She will prefer getting a
flat for both you and her to stay together, to allow real relations to develop
in a more natural setting, if you are truly valuable to her. Otherwise,
going out with you and then dropping you off at your hotel is
impersonable and distant, showing that her intentions
aren’t so serious.
Those are things to consider.
Now, if you find yourself dating an opportunistic gold
digger type of Russian woman, here’s my simple suggestion. Unless you
plan to use them for sex, it’s best not to deal with them at all. If you
decide to arrange a sex for money/gifts type of deal with them though, do it
early on, for unless you do, if they have it their way, they will attempt to
extract from you without giving anything back (unless they find you
attractive). But do so at your own peril though, for they are women
without honor, infamous for screwing people over, and may not even keep their
part of the bargain, or they may give you shitty “service” with no concern for
your satisfaction. And of course, in such deals it is expected that the
man do his part of the bargain first, hence he is taking more of the risk than
she is by being the first to go out on a limb.
Whatever the case, it’s best not to
hang around them too long, for these are depraved creatures without conscience,
dignity, self-respect, values, or morals, and if you hang around them too long,
you will be dragged down with them. All in all, it’s just not good for your
soul, spirit, pride, dignity, conscience, or self-respect, unless of course you
love corruption. So after the entertainment and pleasure is over, get out
while you still can. Oh and before she leaves your flat or room, don’t
unlock the door for her until you’ve made sure that none of your valuables were
stolen, for they are sometimes capable of theft too.
Conclusion
Well that’s it. Have
fun if you’re in Russia
but just stay safe and exercise good common sense. Remember that not everyone who talks to you
is your friend, so don’t trust too easily.
As a rule of thumb, if someone is too pushy about something, then that’s
a big warning sign.
In spite of all the dangers of being scammed in Russia
and other opportunistic parts of the world, some are irresistibly and morbidly
drawn to it, such as this Dutch traveler who related to me:
“I prefer the Russian jungle to the American
Disney World. I
want to live! Russian passion, intrigue, misery, hope and despair, tears
and kisses, EMOTION! I think you understand. Even though (I got) almost kicked
to death, you always feel this desire to go back, and challenge fate.“
If anyone else has any suggested strategies or experiences
to share with me about dealing with these types of scams, please let me know at
WWu777us@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading and allowing me to share
with you.
Sincerely,
Winston
Note: If you find that
you’ve benefited from my experiences here and feel that they will save you from
being a victim to such scams and thievery tactics, please consider sending me a
small 5 dollar donation by PayPal (www.paypal.com) to help me recover the huge
financial losses I incurred from Russian scams that taught me such hard
lessons. My PayPal address is WWu777us@yahoo.com. Thanks.
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