Online dating fraud
Part of the scam is usually based on the myth that the Russian woman needs to carry an amount of money through the customs that corresponds to what is needed as financial means of support when applying for a visa. They use this confusion among other "sweet stories" to trick their victims into transferring them money.
The criminals operate both on Danish dating websites as well as on International websites and we often hear that they use up to 2-3 months of correspondence or even longer to gain the trust from the victims.
Scammers often use falsified documents such as a fake photos, fake passport, fake visas, fake flight tickets and falsified official documents to cheat their victims.
Once the scammers have succeded with their first attempt, they will often try for more using fake stories such as a sudden imprisonment (asking the victim for help to pay big fines), sudden illness (big medical expenses) and other similar stories.
It is strongly advised NOT to transfer any money to strangers!
Disclaimer:
The embassy is not responsible for any decisions and/or financial or emotional losses encountered due to the above warning.
The warning is intended for the sole purpose of protecting Danish and other citizens against online theft and online fraud.
Links to relevant websites
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/actionfraud/ http://romancescams.org/ http://www.romancescam.com/forum/portal.phpIf you have any doubts about being a victim of online scams we are ready to assist you at the embassy. We can help to check if a visa application was lodged at the embassy. Any further assistance will usually involve a consular fee of 915 Danish Kroner per hour.
Please write to: [email protected]
If you want to report the case you should contact your local police and not the embassy.