How To Avoid Mail Order Bride Scam?

Irene Stevens

August 31, 2023

2471

10 min read

Online dating is very popular. However, not everyone who creates a profile on a dating site has serious intentions. Victims of scam can spend up to several thousands of dollars trying to win the heart of a liar and never see him or her in real life! The best way to counter mail order bride scam is to be aware that it exists on online dating websites and to know how to spot and report it on time. Or, as an alternative, you can take a look at ratings on best mail order bride sites and find out the most reliable platforms with a high level of safety.

It might happen that you face a scam at the selected mail order bride website because nobody’s protected from it. The number of online scams has increased by 25% since 2019, and people affected by them lost about $547 million in 2021. The average individual loss from communication with a mail order bride scammer was $2,400. Meanwhile, romance scams got a third place among the highest internet crime losses.  

Some of the most popular red flags to watch out for at mail order brides platforms that will help you detect scammers are the following:

• The bride comes up with different reasons explaining why you can’t meet offline
• The profile seems too good to be true and doesn’t have enough photos
• The woman offers to take the relationship to another level too soon
• The lady asks for money by telling teary stories

These are some of the most popular schemes you can face on scam dating sites. You have to keep your emotions to yourself and analyze everything before making serious decisions. If the woman’s profile matches your interests and hobbies almost exactly, this might be too good to be true, especially if you can’t find any links to personal accounts on Instagram or Facebook.

Don’t forget to pay attention to the messages because they might seem copy-pasted or include grammar mistakes. If the conversation doesn’t make sense, you’re likely communicating with a scammer who simply sends ready-made messages out of context. 

Trusted mail order bride platforms you should check out

When it comes to credible mail order bride services, you can expect them to have many positive reviews on various platforms, a convenient interface, and affordable prices. Usually, users share their feedback about using sites to let others know whether they’re worth their attention. So, you can scroll through some of them to see what platform you should opt for. 

Also, trusting mail order brides sites have a number of services to choose from that help to advance communication with ladies. One of the apparent signs of a reliable dating platform is well-thought-out profiles. If the lady has several photos from different locations, puts effort into creating an engaging description that tells you about her interests, background, and expectations, and points out her intentions, you can confidently use this platform. 

Trusted mail order bride sites take their users seriously and emphasize the importance of having detailed profiles. They also implement verification procedures to increase security. 

You can confidently select one of the sites above because they proved to provide reliable services and pay attention to their users’ safety by introducing various security measures. 

What is a mail order green card scam?

Love or romance scamming is particularly treacherous and often associated with high emotional stress for the victims. On online dating sites, scammers are searching for potential victims. Once they successfully started communication with a person, they shower him/her plenty of attention – with the sole aim of pulling the money out of their pockets. Unreal mail order brides may ask for money for heart surgery for their child or a relative; for helping them to survive in a foreign country after losing their luggage and passport; for supporting them in grave financial circumstances – they use everything to convince unsuspecting victims to send money to their bank accounts. And many people agree to do this because of kindness and attraction they may already feel toward their potential partners.

Examples of Mail Order Bride Scam

Understanding the myriad tactics employed by romance scammers in the mail-order bride industry is crucial to safeguard your personal information and emotions. These con artists operate under the guise of a potential bride, often from popular mail order bride regions such as Russia or Asia, offering you the dream of a foreign woman who’s eager to marry and start a life with you. Here’s an overview of prevalent mail-order bride scam strategies to help you avoid scams and recognize a genuine mail order bride.

One notorious tactic involves an international marriage broker or agency manipulating the truth about mail order brides. For instance, they may portray an ‘every mail order bride’ scenario where women are desperate to leave their countries and would agree to marry anyone who extends an invitation. This is far from reality as real mail order brides, much like anyone, are seeking genuine connections and meaningful relationships.

Next, an all-too-common online dating scam involves a potential bride insisting on staying within the site’s messaging system for all communication, never agreeing to a video call or to meet in person. This refusal should serve as a warning. A real mail order bride interested in mail order marriage would likely want to meet or at least have a video call, to establish a deeper connection.

Many scams on mail order bride sites also exploit the site’s lack of proper regulation. Sites that don’t adhere to the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act or fail to provide reliable customer support often become a breeding ground for fraud. You may encounter fake profiles, also known as ‘internet brides’, or individuals posing as mail-order bride agencies. These scams primarily aim to extract money or personal data from the victims. An alarming sign is when your mail bride starts asking for money or gifts, or becomes too eager to share personal information.

If you’re keen on finding a foreign bride, it’s vital to find a reputable mail order bride site. Read the reviews, research their adherence to law and regulations, check out how the site handles personal data, and contact customer support to gauge their responsiveness. Keep in mind that real brides online would be just as eager to establish a genuine connection as you are. Also, many sites offer a romance tour, a service you can use to meet brides in their home country under safe conditions.

The reality is that every user of mail order bride sites could potentially be a victim of a scammer. However, being well-informed about these scams and how to avoid them will allow you to find a suitable match and perhaps find the love of your life without falling prey to scams. Always remember to stay vigilant and keep your safety as a priority during your search for love in the international marriage realm.

Нow to protect your heart (and your wallet) from scammers on mail order bride websites?

You can come across fraudsters on online dating sites a few times, as scammers may appear even on the best dating platforms. We will share with you some things you should pay attention to when communicating online on mail order bride websites: they may help you to recognize a scammer and protect from dating scam.

• Check the site’s safety measures. Mail order bride websites should implement at least basic scam and fraud prevention and detection measures. Such measures include using the SSL-encryption that protects the users’ transactions, getting any security certificates, and offering members the possibility to check their identity to show everyone on the site that they are real people. Moreover, the best international dating sites should check the ID of each new user to provide people with the highest possible safety level. If you see a website without any of the mentioned things, leave that site and seek another place to search for a bride.
• No/Bad/Suspicious profile photos. One of the easiest ways to attract the attention of people on dating sites is to pretend to be a stunning girl who is in need of “such a strong and supportive guy like you.” Google her photos: if you see these pics on a stock website, stop communicating with that person. Pay attention to the match of profile information with the photos – if a lady you’re talking with is 40+, but her photos show a young lady in bloom, you should think about her honesty and intentions.
• Copy-and-paste messages. If messages from mail order brides look weird and you see the same texts or phrases each day, you should think about stopping the communication with that user. Often, fraudsters don’t fill out their profiles themselves but simply copy it from other mail order brides sites and dating profiles. Some of them neglect communication at all and tend to send the same messages again and again. If you understand that your interlocutor behaves like a bot or a person who is getting excited only when you talk about money, forget about him/her and report that user.
• Rushing things. Of course, the romantic feelings are particularly strong in the first few weeks of a relationship, but fraudsters often try to accelerate this process. To do this, they send tons of compliments and reveal intimate details that “they have never shared with anyone.” After just a few conversations via chat on mail order bride service or email, they then ask for small sums of money for strange expenses that the victim should send as quickly as possible. If your match asks for financial help or for particular sums, report that user and never contact him/her again.

Closing thoughts

Mail order bride scams often target vulnerable users who are looking for the human touch in the virtual world. However, you must not let love blind you. But with our guide on common mail order bride scams and tips on how to avoid them, you can leave fake romances behind and find true love instead.

Irene Stevens

Writer

Irene is a writer with a degree and plenty of experience in psychology, which allows her to write deep, informative guides to international dating based on her personal expertise. Irene specializes in relationships between people from other countries.