Avoiding Mail Order Bride Scams

Increasing numbers of American and Canadian men are seeking brides from overseas. The internet makes it easier than ever to find a foreign bride. There are large numbers of mail order bride websites aimed at men seeking ladies from overseas for marriage.

Sadly large numbers of men fall victim to scams, causing them a lot of stress and in many cases financial losses. Here are some ways of making sure you avoid the worst of the internet scammers on mail order bride websites.

First all all it's worth bearing in mind that it's very difficult to find a website that doesn't have scammers on it. The most trustworthy sites are those with small numbers of hand picked women. These sites are normally operated more on an introduction agency basis than a dating site. So if you want to avoid scam ladies then it can be a good idea to use one of these sites. Sites with a good reputation include A Belarus Bride (for Russian mail order brides) and Thai Professional (Thai brides).

If you must use a dating service then always remember that there are scammers on ALL dating services, even the big well known ones like Plenty of Fish and Match.com.

When you sign up to a dating site, remember always to guard your privacy. Don't post too many details about yourself.

The first possible scammers to look out for are members who contact you first. Be especially suspicious if they don't have a photo uploaded, or they are brand new members or they give you their email address in the first email they send to you. If somebody professes their undying love to you in their first email then this is a huge red flag and you should run a mile!

Mail order bride scammers are often young and beautiful, so if something looks too good to be true it probably is. While there are plenty of 20 year old Thai or Filipina girls who will happily marry 50 year old (or older men), the honest girls are usually outnumbered by the scammers. If you want more luck it's usually best to stick to ladies who are over the age of 30, and if you're not fussed about starting a family then the 35+ women are worth a look. These ladies usually get a lot less interest on dating sites, so they'll really appreciate your interest in them.

A huge thing you must understand is that you must not send money to women you meet on dating sites. In fact I know plenty of men who don't even send gifts to them. Spoil your woman once you've married her - not before! If you must send something to a lady you've met on a mail order bride type of dating site, then send her chocolates or a small teddy bear or something. Send the parcel yourself, don't rely on the expensive gift services offered by some Russian and Asian dating sites.

Actually sending a gift to somebody is often a good idea. This does at least allow you to verify that the girl in question does exist. It also gives you an excuse to request her postal address. At least by sending a small gift you can then verify she's a Russian or Asian lady, and not some African man pretending to be a woman on one of these sites.

Other common scams are when a lady makes plans to visit your country, but then her travel plans go wrong and she'll ask for money to sort them out. These scams are incredibly easy to avoid. All you need to do is remember that women from developing countries cannot usually get visas to travel to your country. If you want to meet her you'll have to travel to her country, simple as that.

Some dating sites are often suspicious as well. Be wary of translator letter writing sites like Chnlove. Although this site is legitimate (and there are plenty of real ladies on it), writing letters to mail order brides can become extremely expensive on pay per letter sites.

One final scam to be wary of are ladies trying to sell you things, or get you to sign up to other (more expensive) dating sites. Protect yourself by only chatting to ladies on the site on which you made contact with them in the first place.

Follow these tips closely and you'll protect yourself from most mail order bride scams out there. Visit the mail order brides site to find out how much mail order brides cost as well as the best foreign dating sites to use.