Internet love & being phished: The truth is revealed

(This is the third in a six-part series that will run over the next two weeks at A ‘lil HooHaa)

Irina’s next letter made it official. Her beginning words sealed it.

Hi my lovely boyfriend

In just a few short weeks of sharing e-mails and talking about things, we were an item. Not too shabby, right? I think I did OK with this one. She’s exotic and looking for love. My future wife was taking the next steps and being assertive. I liked it!

The only issue was the nearly 5,500 miles between us, but what’s a few miles between soul mates?

And then add in her prose following that initial salutation and … who wouldn’t be all in love?

I am very happy to receive your letter. I as though to fly in heavens when I see your new letter. Your letters to give to me of forces in work and to support my fine mood all the day long. In fact our attitudes approach with each letter and develop into friendship. They become more than friendship. You agree with me? By the way you there is nothing I to name you mine boyfriend and to subscribe your girlfriend?

Pure. Freakin’. Gold.

At least she asked me about the whole girlfriend/boyfriend thing. But hey, she continues saying she’s strongly attached to me and she waits impatiently for my letters and when she can write me.

And her days are thinking about me … all day and night. You can’t make this stuff up. Well, obviously you can, but you know what I mean.

It means that I to want to be your girl and that you were mine the man. It is important for me to
know your opinion on this question? I to speak yesterday with my mum. Whether mum has asked me really I is sure, what at me with you the future is possible? And I have told, what yes I believe, I believe all Heart in successful development of our attitudes. How you think?

So I am in because her mother apparently is on board with this whole idea. But, her next line is where this gets fun. It’s almost like she is setting up for what’s coming and trying to make sure I wouldn’t believe it – when it comes. This is awesome stuff, folks.

I to hear many histories about that as women to deceive men. For many women on the Internet are necessary only money or an opportunity to come to other country and to receive citizenship. I to not want that you thought that I one of such women. I to not want any games and to want fair attitudes. I to not search for money or citizenship. I search for my love. Therefore I to want to meet you sometime and to look as to develop our attitudes.

She, too, hopes I feel the same way. After all, she wants to feel my sight, my smile and all sorts of things. She’s becoming attached to me and she is in love. She wants a family. She’s 29, after all, and needs to have that chance … and I am it. She can’t wait. And she sends me a gentle kiss.

This is when it gets real, though.

Her next letter is shorter than most – probably setting up for the haymaker. We’re becoming attached, you see. We are far apart, but we need to meet.

I hope, that we can soon meet. I to think that I to fall in love with you! Probably, I to find what to search in this life. And it you – my loved and unique. And It seems to me that I fall
in love with you with each letter more and more and more.

Well, she’s only human!

Her mother, too, is happy with her finding love, but she doesn’t like the distance. Therefore, we need to meet. Irina wants this meeting … but how? She must run for now … but is forever mine.

And then … the shoe drops.

With no response for a bit, I went fishing … I expressed my devotion and said I hadn’t heard from her and hope all was OK. Was it? Oh … yes, of course.

Here’s my thought – I was taking too long to bite the bait and she had moved to the next person. But when I went back, it brought me back up the chain.

Turns out she had met with an old girlfriend, Tanya. They studied in college together and they visited at a café and had ice cream. At that point, Irina drops the bombshell. She has a boyfriend in the US (who, for the record, is totally awesome) and she has found love.

But that distance…

Turns out Tanya is all over this. She works in tourism, you see, and she has connections with the United States embassy in Moscow. The two of them can go there and she can get all the legal papers to get a visa so she can get to the US to find me!

She trusts in God, who is the one who made this all happen.

And Tanya? She’s ready to help, too. She promised to make everything right and organize this trip But it takes some time … and money. She needs about $250 to travel and stay in Moscow, and then another $500 for something else. She doesn’t earn a lot of cash, though, and she can’t afford this. She has nowhere to get this money, either.

Remember when I said in another part of this story that you need to make sure of details? Remember her mother was a lead accountant? I’m pretty sure that in Russia, as well as the US, she’d get paid decently. And if her daughter had found love… I would hope a loan, no?

She ends her first plea with this:

I cannot ask you such money, but I to understand that to me such sum to not collect never in a life. Therefore I am compelled to address for the help to you. You can help me? If I to lose you I to not go through it. I to love you my prince. Successful to you of day. I to send to you a passionate kiss. With love your princess Irina.

Are you with me here? She’s saying she’ll never earn $750 in her life. So she needs to ask me.

From this point on, there weren’t many letters. I think when I started to balk at sending nearly $1,000, the gig was up. It’s not that she didn’t try, however. In her follow-up to asking for all that money, she responded to me (my letter back was short, basically asking how $750 would ensure we were together) after a few days.

It was also her birthday, so she turned 30. I had wished her a happy birthday as well.

I was happy to read your letter. It to please me as the little girl. I very strongly love you. Thanks for your congratulations. I to have a celebratory supper with my relatives and girlfriends. Anything especial. It is not a pity that you could come and congratulate me personally. Now to me 30 years.

That didn’t last long. Then it was time to get back into it. After all, we had a life to live together, right? So she talked to Tanya again. The best way to go is a Visa B-2, which Tanya was going to work on. It will be valid for 90 days and will only take 14-21 days to get this. Tanya, of course, can do it quickly.

Basically, according to Tanya, we’d meet and stay together for 90 days. After that, we can decide what we are going to do.

Probably we to decide to marry and I to remain with you for ever. Write to me where to be the international airport nearest to you? I shall try to learn about cost of tickets. I shall fly to you from Moscow. I now to require in 500 $ can receive my visa and the passport. If you to send me this money I can at once start to make out my visa that she was ready, when we to decide date Our meeting. I hope, that you can help me with this money. If you can send me money that bett make it through the Western Union.

She then gave me an address in Omsk at a bank, under her name. And then, of course, she puts all the pressure on me.

Our meeting depends on you, my love. My life depends on you, my love. We shall be happy only together. I to want to make that happy in the world. But I to understand, that we far apart and to meet it costs money. Without money I cannot be with you. And can expect only for your help. I to cry when to think about it. But I to trust, that I we with you to be together fast, my love. When I to think of you my heart comes to life, I wait yours kiss, your love, your touches. You my
destiny, my life. Know, that I wait only for you and your love. I to want to be with you. I shall wait for your answer. Know, I to love you and only you. I love you my Prince. Yours for ever Irina.

Talk about pressure!

So, I skirted it. At this point I knew she wasn’t going to continue with this charade for long as if I’m not sending the coin, then what’s the point of us chatting? She’s seeking somebody to scam money from and if I am not giving it to her, then she’ll work on somebody else who might. So … I bought some time.

I told her I wasn’t a rich man, but I was working to save the money. Each e-mail I sent, I upped the ante a little. The first time I had saved $50, then up to $100 and so forth. Her letters stayed short, but she remained her normal self – though she didn’t lose sight on the prize. I played off her words, noting she didn’t have the money and she couldn’t expect me to have it all right away, either.

In one letter she talked about love and how co-workers notice the difference in here. But she is also lonely because I am so far away.

Then there was a break. I thought it had passed… but I had sent an e-mail – fishing, if you will, for a response.

And I got a nice, short and to-the-point e-mail.

I cannot write to you earlier. How there are your affairs? Under the visa of the tourist I can be with you of 90 days, but we can decide to marry for this time and I shall be with you always. I to want to give birth to two children of the boy and the girl. But not at once. We all over again will need to create favorable conditions for this purpose. I so to dream about it. I very much to like to look at stars when I am warm to leave in the evening on street and we to sit with the girlfriend in park and to look at stars. When I was small, I frequently to think of desire on falling a star and sometimes they to be executed. I shall do it again and to think, that we were together and for ever.

So she’s looking for the coin, that’s for sure. After this one, I decided it was losing its fun… but about a month later, I sent one last e-mail. This was her final e-mail to me before I finally decided I needed to stop because the entertainment factor was leaving and, truthfully, I think she realized she wasn’t getting a deposit via Western Union from me.

I am happy to receive your letter. You very for a long time did not write to me. Me did not suffice your letters. I to love you, to love that you me to write. I to think, when we shall be together you will speak me tender words every day. At us it is now cold. It is raining.
I very much to not like cold weather and to want, that you to warm heat. I very strongly to want to be with you. I to love you and cannot without you, my love. When I to think of you my heart comes to life, I wait yours kiss, your love, your touches. You my destiny, my life. Know, that I wait only for you and your love. I to want to be with you. Write to me when we shall be together. I shall wait for your answer. Know I to love you and only you. I love you my Prince.

And like that, I lost my internet gal. No cookies. No milk. No nothing. No coin sent. No loving or kissing.

In a funny twist, I’ve since – more than once – Googled her name and each time come up with little scams and such. So, as originally thought, I wasn’t the only one. Apparently internet love is something else.

I even attempted to e-mail the address, but of course it no longer works.

But why – some nine years later – do I bring this up?

Well, for one, it gives me some good blog fodder. But for two … it happened again, to a friend, in a totally different way. And this was way too good to not write about. It happened in a way that can only happen as technology continues to grow – so that story will follow in upcoming posts as the second part of this series.

The lesson of all this is simple – you always have to be skeptical about things. This came to me via a pen pal site, so expressing love seemed awful crazy. As for my friend – it came on a legit dating site, and one for Christians none the less. Imaging that? Talk about testing the almighty!

But what it really shows is people are willing to go to any level to try and dupe somebody when money is on the line. If it takes professing or using love as a way to get it, so be it. But when one is found out, things can get quite testy.

So continue reading in this week of scams and love – and see the phishing as it continues.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!