K-1 denied :(

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Now that is something I didn't know, I thought the more visits to the country would help bolster the change of it being real, but you learn something new all the time.

I think that's what I was trying to say..........

[Teddy B 17,251]

If the above statement were true, then no one would get scammed. You used the shell game as an example, think about it. You have to bait the person first before you pull the wool over the eyes. No one is going to try and rip you off on the first try, they have to suck you in to make the real money, the first one is free then it gets harder as you keep playing. Same thing with romance scams, these guys don't email women asking for money right off the bat, they lure them in with sweet talk and other things, and most of the time it's a small amount first just to get them comfortable first. I dated a Japanese woman whose ex-husband was from Camaroon, she showed me the emails he sent while they courted. Now I could see why she fell in love, he tailored them to her writing style and talked to her in the manner that she wanted to hear. Once he got to Japan, it was a wrap, he is now over there without her and its sad becasue she has a kid with him he never sees or take care of.

I agree that it should be easy to see it coming when it comes to love but let's be real. Everyone has been heartbroken at some point in their lives, it happens. Your gut takes a back seat when the heart is driving the bus, or even worse, when your libido is in charge, then it's cruise control until you crash into a wall. If a man or woman is looking for companionship and next thing you know someone is online or IRL in your face fufilling your every wish and desire, it's hard not to fall completely and not see clearly.

I guess I can see the travel aspect of it better because I travelled so much and got to see first hand how the cultures intertwined. How would you know what is right in wrong in a country you have no knowledge about? I had no idea how bad the Nigeria scammers were until I spend the night in Tokyo and saw how they conducted business. And with the compliments from pretty ladies? If I stayed in St. Louis my whole life and then got hit up on the internet by some woman I might be leary, but if she were really good, then I might get taken, it's all in perspective. That is what they mean about cultural norms. You wouldn't know it unless you studied up on it or saw it for yourself.

I fully understand what you are saying, but I disagree with the premise that most people are not aware that they are being scammed even while it is happening. I used the shell game as an example because it is one of the oldest scams in the world, it's been around for centuries and everyone knows about it, yet people still line up to be play it. Why do they do that? What allows people to put themselves in situations where they know they are vulnerable? I believe it's a feeling of false hope. Hope that maybe today is "my day" where things go right for me and I can beat that scammer at the shell game and win some money, even though I know it's a scam and my gut instinct tells me not to, I'm going to do it anyway because I'm feeling empowered today.

Everyone in the world is also aware about the romance scams from countries such as Nigeria, but we see people everyday falling victim to this same scam over and over. Why? Because that feeling of false hope has creeped in and "this guy just might be real", even though the feeling inside is telling me something is just not right. "I've been down on my luck lately and have had a string of bad relationships and I know that this is probably too good to be true, but he said he loves me". And another scam is hatched, not because of the victim's lack of knowledge of Nigerian culture, but because of the victim's vulnerability and sense of false hope.

Scammers prey on the weak and vulnerable, most of the time the signs are there, but unfortunately people choose to ignore them. No amount of wordly travel will change that.

[pushbrk 12,598]

I fully understand what you are saying, but I disagree with the premise that most people are not aware that they are being scammed even while it is happening. I used the shell game as an example because it is one of the oldest scams in the world, it's been around for centuries and everyone knows about it, yet people still line up to be play it. Why do they do that? What allows people to put themselves in situations where they know they are vulnerable? I believe it's a feeling of false hope. Hope that maybe today is "my day" where things go right for me and I can beat that scammer at the shell game and win some money, even though I know it's a scam and my gut instinct tells me not to, I'm going to do it anyway because I'm feeling empowered today.

Everyone in the world is also aware about the romance scams from countries such as Nigeria, but we see people everyday falling victim to this same scam over and over. Why? Because that feeling of false hope has creeped in and "this guy just might be real", even though the feeling inside is telling me something is just not right. "I've been down on my luck lately and have had a string of bad relationships and I know that this is probably too good to be true, but he said he loves me". And another scam is hatched, not because of the victim's lack of knowledge of Nigerian culture, but because of the victim's vulnerability and sense of false hope.

Scammers prey on the weak and vulnerable, most of the time the signs are there, but unfortunately people choose to ignore them. No amount of wordly travel will change that.

Maybe stop with the absolutes like "everyone in the world" etc. and your ideas will have more credibility. No, not everybody in the world knows about the romance scams. THAT is WHY people fall victim to the scam on a regular basis. I actually hear of more romance scams from Ghana than Nigeria but those generally never get to the petition filing stage because they never meet. They are just about stringing the sucker along for as much money as possible.

It might be time to start considering you don't have as broad a frame of reference or experience in these matters as some of the rest of us here. Did you ever consider that for even just a second or two?

Please get off the worldly travel issue. It was put to bed pages ago. In and of itself it is an extremely minor issue but a red FLAG, that will bring additional scrutiny to a case. Lots of cases with MANY red "flags" pass scrutiny.

[NY_BX 397]

Interpreted Literally, The Bibleis saying that the Man must come to the Woman. There's a journey involved, for the man . The woman is not to facilitate that journey, for the man.

Please get to 3 other biblical scholars in your area, not associated with your church, and ask for another interpretation, soonish.

Sorry, out of topic, but I couldn't stop laughing out loud when I read the trademark symbol right beside The Bible. We make the book our, we always forget it is a TM of someone else's work.

[pushbrk 12,598]

Sorry, out of topic, but I couldn't stop laughing out loud when I read the trademark symbol right beside The Bible. We make the book our, we always forget it is a TM of someone else's work.

I see the humor but I think the minister was simply saying it would be nice if the man came to the USA, so they could meet and have a courtship. He simply didn't understand anything about how that is accomplished.

[C-ma'am 684]

Are we still talking about this?

[Penguin_ie 5,992]

*** one post removed for personal attack. Let's get back on topic please- post constructive advice for the OP, or do not post ***

[Penguin_ie 5,992]

*** More posts removed. Thread bans and further admin action may be taken if anymore off topic posts occur in this thread ****

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I'll give you an example. In Greece, more than half of the single guys in the street complimented me in some way. Now, should I meed a Greek guy, I will know what's the face value of a compliment of his because I can see it in the right context.

In Greece.

Wonder what your score would be on Kreshatik Street in Kiev. Try it on a warm Saturday evening.