Ok, I met this girl on excite.com and having done some research on "scammers" and "red flags" to look out for for the most part there haven't been any that I've acknowledge yet. I've been corresponding with her now for almost two months now. Not once has she asked for money stating "real Russian women do not ask!!!".

Now here's where the problem occurs...From this message board, I found a link to here
http://www.ecosmosingles.com/scam_article01.htm

And on this board I see "one picture" of "Vasilisa" whom I've been corresponding with. She answers all my questions for the most part. So far, doesn't seem to have a problem with me visiting her in her city of Chelynabrinsk. However....the above link does confirm that her name Vasilisa is "one of her names" as are the following which I will paste...

"MARINA CHUMACHENKO OR ALFIA MAGDEEVA OR VASILISA SCHELKONOGOVA"

Now here's where the "detective" story gets interesting...She wrote to me in one of her first emails (when I saw this, I quickly started reading the "early emails" to see if I could gather up any clues) the following email...


>Subject: till next time
>Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 15:36:28 +0500 (YEKT)
>
>Well, my friend Ron from very far if you are still interested - I will
>be waiting for your mail next time!!! Marina is a friend of mine - but not
>that very good friend I can trust 100%. She lives with her husband. Well -
>I think I will write you more next time if you reply - okay? Bye till next
>time
>
>Vasilisa
>


I noticed the "but not that very good friend" part. Because if you go to the "scammer" link...the pictures look different from one another, and from the pictures that I was given by her. Scroll down to the bottom of the link, as that's where she's "on the list".

I'm thinking of the possibility that yes she could be a "scammer"...but at the same time, maybe her "friend" Marina used the "real Vasilisa's" photos to scam guys. This computer was being used at "Marina's" house. Anyhow...now I'm even more skeptical then before LOL...

That's too bad though, because if the scenario I've just given is true...I may be in a huge way not being fair to Vasilisa.

Hmmm...and NO I'm not hard-up on dates contrary to what I've noticed some people accuse men who correspond with RW LOL Now, it's like a good detective mystery...

What I'll probably do is "beg" for her to send me more pictures as I'd "love to see more of her"...Then...if she sends me any of the pics I've seen on the scammers list...maybe then there is some truth to it....But then again....eeeccksss who knows!!!

Shep

Never mind, I just found the other parts of that link I provided that I didn't see before. She is a total scammer! LOL....but wasn't thinking with that brain, so I was able to root this one out. Cheers!

Shep

I acutally ran into WARNING-024
ANGELA,
but she went by the name of Maria, and her father was into a travel agency. She went so far as give a number 07-812-2453356.
She mentioned how her father could get a tourist visa in a matter of days and she could be her in two weeks. But I would have to send money for the airfare and visas.
She says she and her father are from St. Petersburg.
I am lucky that I have friends there and in other parts of Russia and Ukraine. They checked on her and found that this was all a lie.
This site is great to list those items.
Better still if we could list sites that are good though. I have been seeing a girl in the Ukraine and visited her several times, at no time had she asked for money. After 3 trips and my friends helping, I have decided she is the girl.
Their are honest ones, but too bad so many bad ones.
Michael

I have been corresponding with Oksana who said her next door neighbor is Maria and gave the same phone number 007-812-2453356. "Her mother is a travel agency director". She also asked for money for a visa and plane tickets. She asked that the money be sent Western Union to NATALIA KOVALEVA Russia, St Petersburg 194100 B. Sampsonievski pr.80-3, "her mother". Not everything adds up so I was wondering if anyone else knows about this

D

Great story? So what was the scam about if she didn't ask you for money? Would she ask for money afterwards, or would she wait untill you arrive in that city and then really hit you with a high bill?

Hi Shep,

I read your article and description on Vasilisa Schelkonogova. The images and e-mail letters that are in the scam girl 005 are accurate. I have received all of those letter formats and images myself. There is one image of her in a bra and panty. I located that particular image and sent it to that site myself. As long as you realize she is a con artist then you have no worry and can avoid her. I personally write back to her just to burn up her time on the net. She is NO good and a con artist in my opinion.

Take care,

Sab

Yes, I agree...I still write to her to use her time up as well. Although, I pretty sure she's a bit "gun shy" now, because I think alot of guys all within a couple of weeks found her out. All around Christmas time lol. So, needless to say...some have told her they knew, others like myself are just stringing her along. lol.

Shep

Another name I ran across - she got me on Excite.

Elena Plusnina.. Claims to work with Vasilisa...

They share the same address, story and modus operandi

Got any emails from Vasilisa still around? I am looking for the SMTP routing info..

Scam sites listing Vasilisa are at:

http://www.firstdream.com/scammers/knownscammers.htm
http://www.ecosmosingles.com/scam_article01.htm

I have also met 2 other men - one who was conversing with Elena/Alyona Plusnina and the other with Vasilisa...

I have myself a small marriage agency on the internet.
It's a non profit organization and I start with it because I am married with an Ukrainian woman myself, I know what prices they ask in Chernivtsy just to put a woman on internet and I didn't like that so I did it for nothing. My wife was also in an agency in Chernivtsy, Love from Bucovina, but she did a lot of translationwork for this couple and also they were good friends so we could email for nothing. But once I was married in Chernivtsy they also wanted 200$. I am from Belgium and I am not a fool ( also fools in Belgium -:) so I didn't pay anything. But now I see agencies like econosingles who advertise women as scammers, they have at least 3 women taken from my website and I know that because I have the original photos and also one of the woman is a very good friend from me and my wife. So how I can believe what they tell is true, I wrote them but didn't get any reply what I think is very strange. I have also women on my website who I don't know and they also can scam men, but who am I to play the police or like they say in Ukraine Milicia?? It was just a thought that came up with me when I wrote this all, Best Greetings from Belgium.

Hello Belgium,

I agree with you, they advertice only for their own commercial purpose ( to make money ) and to be recognized, I also know they have stolen many pictures from now not available woman, and many woman from Chernovtsy ( members and ex, of Baranovas Club )
What can we say, this is internet, anything is possible, and they use it to gain money, simple as that, Baranova does the same.
I know your site and there you can have their addresses for free if i remember right? so it's not so much to gain from you or the woman joining, at least that's serious and not out for the bucks from selling addresses to non avilable woman and Yuriscammers.

I received a number of messages from "Mrs. Baranova’s Club" in response to a profile I posted for free. I of course have expressed interest in communication with several of them.

Does anyone know whether this Agency is legitimate, or can I expect "scammers"

Thanks, from Dallas, Texas

Simple as "major scam" move on ... leave herscamgang be and you'll be fine.

man i read these stories about scammers and start to believe all these women are scammers or working for buzineesman who drive bmw's in moscow etc??.

how do you know what these women are really like from their e_mail or picture - trouble also is that these women are also on quite a number of other sites so who know's how many men are corresponding with them or worse how many scams are being run??

I corresponded a few years back with a very lovely ukranian women from lugansk and we got on really well and i rang her and she me quite a number of times as she spoke perfect english.we exchanges loads of pictures/ e_mails etc and i sent flowers etc to her as well on her birthday and a christmas present too.

I read about scams in relation to these women : stringing men along and then asking for money to wired to them via western union etc for a range of reasons - she asked for some money for her phone calls and e_mail connection as they are rather expensive - $2000 US at first and possible more as were to meet in lugansk later that year- about 9 months away

I thought hello what's going on here and told her about these scams and questioned her about this money she wanted me to send etc- she didn't reply as i thought she realised i was onto her.

A year amd 1/2 later i was on holidays in the states - i am from australia and i was in a mcdonalds and as i walked away from the counter who did i see this woman with what she told me later on was her husband.

She recognised me straight away and i her and by a stroke of luck her husband left the table to do what ever and i spoke to her - she of course was still pissed of about my accussations and my lack of trust in her and she was glad that i had actually seen her and now realise that she was for real.

Man how do you know though.- i really liked her too and felt so bad about it all but what can you do it was too late.

Now i am correspoding by e_mail and by telephone with a women from the ukraine and will be visiting her in mid january(been corresponding for 6 months) - she has arranged for a car(which she will also travel in) to pick me up from kiev to go to where she lives (about 6 hours from kiev)as she says trains and buses are frequented by thiefs and a very dangerous for tourists and she will also be putting me up in her apartment as she say;s hotels etc are very bad lot's of prostitutes frequent these places.

she is great and has never asked for any money at all.

I suppose it is gut feeling that one needs to use and boards such as this to alert others to possible scammers.