If you’re considering finding love with a Russian or Ukrainian woman online, you’ve likely heard the horror stories about dating scams. The truth is, online dating scams remain a significant issue in 2025, with scammers pocketing millions of dollars each year, leaving countless men heartbroken and out of pocket.
These scams often involve elaborate tales spun by people who excel at manipulating emotions and creating convincing fantasies. Many victims end up not only losing money but also feeling betrayed and foolish for believing in a connection that never existed.
In this article, we’ll dive into the world of Russian and Ukrainian dating scams, exposing the common tactics used by scammers and, more importantly, providing practical advice on how to protect yourself.
Whether you’re new to international dating or a seasoned veteran, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to spot red flags, avoid falling for scams, and focus your energy on finding a genuine connection. Keep reading to ensure your journey to love is safe and successful!
TOP3 Sites For Russian & Ukraine Dating
One of the most frequent questions my readers ask me is if there is a real chance to find a genuine woman through an online dating site or marriage agency. I would answer, yes there is; but not a huge chance.
But then my idea has been to find a really professional scammer who could share her/his insights of this business with me and my readers. After a long search, I finally was able to take an interview with a woman who earns her money by cheating Western men. I highly advise you to read this interview that will help you become smarter in the hard Ukrainian and Russian dating world. Enjoy!
Krystyna:
Hello Marina (*note: the name has been changed at the request of the woman)! Thank you very much for taking time to answer my questions. Let’s start as usual! Tell briefly about yourself.
Marina:
Hi Krystyna. It is my pleasure to answer your questions. Well, my name is Marina. I’m 34 years old and I live in a small town near Saratov (Saratov is a city and the administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River.
Population: 837,900 (2010). Source: Wikipedia.org. Krystyna). I would add that I am divorced and am a single mom of two daughters. I graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Saratov State University (German and English).
Krystyna:
Hello Marina (*note: the name has been changed at the request of the woman)! Thank you very much for taking time to answer my questions. Let’s start as usual! Tell briefly about yourself.
Marina:
Life made me become a scammer, namely: poverty of life in the Russian provinces and the inability to properly earn money on a full-time basis. I was actively looking for a job as a translator or copy writer. So I found a local dating agency which was in search of writers and translators. I briefly thought about it. And then I accepted the job offer.
Krystyna:
What are your duties at this dating agency?
Marina:
The duties are very common. I have to write romantic messages to male customers, tell them how I am in love with them and describe our future together. I am writing this on behalf of the agency’s female customers. But most frequently, I have to create fake profiles of Russian brides and write messages on behalf of these fake brides.
Krystyna:
And how do you create these profiles?
Marina:
Very simple. I use social networks such as VK.com or Odnoklassniki.ru for searching fake brides. There are many photos of girls who live in small towns and villages in Russia and they have no idea that their pics and information can be used to scam Western men. It is not difficult to create such profiles.
Krystyna:
Do you have a fixed salary? Or do you get a percentage of the communication with Western men?
Marina:
I have a very small fixed salary (only about $300 per month). Basically, I make money on a percentage base. The more guys respond to my messages and buy credits to communicate, the more I earn. It’s simple math.
I have another job, as well. Sometimes I create my own profile on any online dating site and try to wangle out of Western men hoping to find the perfect partner in Russia. But this business is very time-consuming and hard.
How Russian romance scam works: a "Russian bride" confession
Russian and Ukrainian dating scams take in tens of millions of dollars each year and most of the victims are men.
Krystyna:
How do you do this business?
Marina:
First of all, you need to wait until YOU get a message from a man who is interested in. It is better not to start communicating first because once you sent a nice message to a man, you may be suspected of dishonesty and scam. Then I need to slowly develop our communication and relationship and fall in love in him.
Well, then I go with the turned scheme. I write to the man that I need to learn English, but I have no money. It was just one example of my stories… There are really a plenty number of good stories…
But as I said already, this business is hard and takes a lot of time to do. The men become really cautious and I must give my best and make any effort to get money from them. Often, I get nothing despite of a few months of intensive communication.
Krystyna:
Why are you doing this? You know exactly that you’re playing with other people’s feelings and emotions. You use their thirst of love and tired of being alone for your own purposes. Honestly, I cannot imagine that I’m doing this kind of work!
Marina:
Dear Krystyna, you are not me! You live in Western Europe and have a regular job. You have a husband who cares for you and your child. I live in Russia, not in Moscow or Saint-Petersburg but in a small awful town!
There are no jobs, no perspectives, and no motivation. Just nothing! I have two kids who want to eat and drink! I have to care for them. You say that I am scamming men. No, I am trying to survive there.
Krystyna:
I got it… Thank you for your honest responses! Do you want to add anything at the end of our interview?
Marina:
In most cases, the men are to blame of becoming victims of online dating fraud. No one is forcing them to buy credits to communicate with women or to send money to the women they hardly know or have never met offline. I just use this stupidity and naivety to survive…
Last Updated & Reviewed: March 07, 2025
The scammers logic is faulty nobody forced anyone to get raped murdered robbed etc.
All blame always on the scammers victims always innocent!
Nobody forced this evil wicked date scammer to get pregnant unless she was raped that I highly doubt she were.
I know many people from Ukraine and Russia it is possible to make a honest living there is really never any excuse to scam western men that seek love wife from Ukraine or Russia cos of lesser feminism and more family values.
Scam agencies would not exist unless scam girls like her joined their scam agency to work…
All blame on her no she is scamming western men not surviving. There is always an honest way of living always with Gods help even in very poor places.
Hope she repents repay all western guys money she scammed them of and live up to the hype all promises and take accountability for her action of else she will end up in Hell.
most Western guys never send money to people they not know buy advanced date agencies that uses credits to use their services is not easy for Western guys to know if its true or not as not all agency credits date sites is scams but most are.
She should be ashamed of herself and stop blame others all blame and responsibility are always on the scammers also according to the honest Police Law, Victims always innocent .
To confess is not enough she needs to stoop making excuses and repent stop what she is doing and work to expose this evil industry and repay all money back she scammed Western guys of Worldwide and live up to all her promises.