I am a single male, 26 years old and living in the upper Midwest, USA. I was contacted twice from an ad placed on Craigslist. Both e-mails contained the same brief message and picture but from different e-mail accounts: and . "Elvira" contacted me after I replied to one of the e-mails and requested more information. Correspondence began on 11/15/08 and lasted until 11/24/08. During this time, she went from telling me all about herself to dropping everything to come to the United States just to work and be with me. She never answered any of my questions or requested any pictures which leads me to believe she was using form letters with my name sprinkled in for emphasis. On a whim she left her home city for Moscow and got paperwork through an agency to come to the United States. Apparently she only had enough money for one-way fare and since she was traveling with a work visa, one of the requirements was round-trip fare. She asked for 950 USD to buy the new ticket and needed it quickly through Western Union. I did not send the money after reading about similar scams on websites such as this. Thank You!



Letters:



From Sonja Nicholson, 11/15/08:



Good Day,

I was looking at your profile and I think that we match. Take a look at my picture and reply to me so I could give you more information about me. Best Regards,



From Elvira Kashapova 11/18/08:



Hey ,hey,hey! Thank's a lot for your answer!Only too short one. I'm not sure what could I write for the first time, I'm sending my photos... I have photos, sorry I don't have any professional ones, just usual photos. I'm looking forward to visiting your beautiful country and I would like to find a man over there who will be interested in meeting me!I've never been abroad before and I would like to visit there so much! I'm looking for a friend, lover or maybe even something serious... I'm a free bird now, I don't have a boyfriend and I'm open to anything!!! Pls write me about yourself!!!! I am looking just for a good man who can show me over there and....... we will see!!!!!!!! I hope you like my pics! I`m 27 years old, I hope my age is ok for you?? My height is 5.6 May I hope that you will write me back? I hope so much! Also I hope I'm your type of girl, I'm not sure you like Slavicappearance!!OK, I will wait for your answer. When I hear back from you I will write more things about myself and send more pics!

Elvira (this is my real name).



From Elvira Kashapova 11/19/08:



Hello ,hello,hello!!! This is me again! I decided to send you more info about me.

Sorry I don't have much time to write now, my sisters are waiting for me. We will go home together. It is my first time I try to correspondence with man in internet world. I do hope you will be enough patient to understand my writing. I want you to know that I have only good intentions and I don`t have big secrets. The thing is that I will work abroad for six months or so and I would like to meet a nice man to be my guide or just be good friend to spend time with.I think that it is hard enough to live in foreign town withoutfriends and also I have never been abroad. I am from small town here in Russia,I am afraid to be lost. I want to see the real life and it is impossible to see without person who knows all sides of the life. It doesn`t matter what age is he or what is his eyes color, I just want to know that he is kind and open-hearted inside. Last time many girls all over the world also want to start a new life abroad, so many of themused a special program for young people who wants to work abroad. I also decided to do so and to use it. This program just helps to register documents and gives suitable work in your area. I already started to register documents and now I need to decide in which city I want to work. I`m 27 years old and I`m not afraid of work (I will work as a waitress in any cafe or restaruant). You know, I`m a professional cook, but it is not possible to get this work because of too many documents and permissions I need and to work as waitress is much more easy .and I am not afraid any work. I will arrive (I will travel alone) and I can choice any cafe or restaruant. I think it is the right way for me, I am not afraid to work hard! I never been abroad so I decided to find a friend abroad and make his city to be my destination. I think it is my only chance to change my life. I am full of plans and different dreams. My hair is blonde and I have mixed colors eyes. I think I'm somewhat pretty, but first of all I want to be beautiful inside. I do hope that you will be not disappointed to meet me in the real life if we meet. I will leave my town in a few days or so (I can't tell you everything exactly right now) and I would like to be sure that I have a man who is waiting for me there. I will work all days and I would like to find a man to spend all free time together to get to know each other better. if you have any interest to meet me I will be more then happy to meet you too. Sorry I really have to go now. I will write more comments next time, Bye-bye!!!!Elvira!!and you can call me Ely,my friends call me so.



XXX my dear,Ely here I have got info from agency and resend to you.I am so happy to meet you just in a few days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just have not any words and a little tired of so many troubles here.

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TRAVEL INFO : Elvira Kashapova.

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Travel Agency - "TourExpressRussia"

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TRAVEL INFO : Elvira Kashapova. - private tour.(work visa) Russian-English variants.ENGLISH SPEAKING GUIDE.

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Travel dates for: Ms. Elvira Kashapova.

Please label the inside and outside of each piece of baggage to be checked in with your name and where possible your address. Suitable baggage labels and stickers are available free of charge. In advance of your journey. please note the current free baggage allowance included in your ticket price. You can find this information in the internet or via your Airline contact person. In case you booked a special fare please note that it can be subject to restrictions. Travel Abroad: When preparing to travel abroad for less than 5 months, it is important to ensure entry to another country . Depending on the country to be visited and the student's nationality, it may be necessary to apply for a visitor visa.The person must have: a valid passport or travel document, valid visa . No special permission is needed, but it is important to have a valid passport,valid visa and all travel documents.



Thank you for your booking and have a pleasant journey. Kind regards.Travel Agency - "TourExpressRussia" is a licensed and officially registered travel agency.



Our goal is to provide quality services for group and individual travelers.



Please use our service .Managers: Ms.Gurchenko Irina. Ms.Sorokina Natalia.

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The nearest possible flight is - Friday 28,November 2008.From Sheremetyevo Airport Int., Moscow,Russia.



Price: foreign passport,visa,tax,consulate fee,ticket Eco.class.USD 1290.00+



Passport :Rusian Federation.Passport No.50N.8565321.Kashapova -Last name. Elvira - First name.Date of birth-30.07.1981.PLace of birth-Seversk.sex-F.Authority-Guvd-297.

--This reservation will be automatically cancelled if the order is not purchased until Friday 28,November 2008.



XXX hello again my love,I've got all the information and I'm resending it for you!! I am here after my visit to the consulate and to the agency I am so happy to say we will meet in few days!!!! I am really lucky girl to meet you. Honey the thing is that I booked the nearest possible flight. I need some of your help.there is one small problem but I am sure we will be able to solve it. I wanted to ask you to help me to pay for my tickets directly but they tell I can't use your help or ask you about sending me tickets or ordering electronic ones because I have a permission to use the help of the travel agency only because they do all travel things and it is their business to arrange all travel things for my trip, such is the law. It is not possible to get a work visa without the help of the agency, they have too strict rules of getting visas. I was sure my mom will help me because she promised but now she sent a letter explaining it is possible only in few months or so because of our family problems. She can't send a transfer now. I was in the bank to try to ask them a loan but they said I need to have a registration in Moscow to get a loan from their bank and I don't have it! I think it is not great problem for you to help me. I even hope maybe it will be pleasure to help me because you are my knight,right? after all payments here and my flight from Irkutsk I have about 400 dollars of my own money and I need about 950 US dollars from your side because I have to pay for my tickets and few more things,and I have to pay in advance about 1290 dollars. The tickets are roundtrip and this price includes all arrangements of documents and everything. And I must have roundtrip tickets it is the law they want to be sure that I will be able to return home and not going to stay there inlegally. with one way ticket I can't get permission to travel. Honey everything became more expensive and I didn't expect it............XXX as I mentioned I will have 6 months visa. I have to be sure that I will be able to take my tickets or I will lose all the money I gave them in advance..I'm not going to ask one more time for your help,you see I am in such situation... I will be waiting for your answer .I know it sounds like I am a poor outsider but you see I don't have enough time to find the money I need and find somebody to help me, you know my mom gave me all she could collect for my travel. I hate to ask but now I don't have any other choice.I need some help from you,please help me to leave Moscow and it is all I ask now and you know I am full of the love to share with you. Kiss you, counting days and minutes before our meeting. You know it is only money, and I think it is not too hard for you to help me, you see I have such chance only once in my life. I know you are a kind man and I hope you will be able to help me. I promise I will return all the money and I will earn money because I am ready to work as hard as I can!Million of Kisses,

Your poor Ely!



you know my rent address here is Russia, Moscow, Vrachebnuy perulok 36, flat - 34. Remember my full name is Elvira - (first name) Kashapova -(last name). It is right writing in English, and you should put it on western union list and you can choose any bank in moscow,they tell it is international service and I can pick up the money at any bank of moscow. They said I can get only western union transfer because I have not any bank accounts in moscow and I have only passport and it is enough to get it! And please after you complete a transfer write me the number of your transfer, I'm not sure how it's call but they will give you a number of your transfer.



P.S. I am not sure I should tell this but I want to let you know if you don't like me when I come I will not bother you and it is only your choice to spend time with me or not. I know you may be too busy, and in any case I will return the money back. I can have a room for rent if I want, a job and I want to say please don't worry I don't want to use you just to reach my goal. I am sure when we meet we will have no regrets about it, I promise. I dream about our first meeting, our first night and I have some sexy lingerie with me! I think everything depends on you! I will keep checking my mailbox I have to be sure everything is allright and you can help, please, honey, don't leave me alone I've done so much to start this trip and I don't want to give up. And I can stay more than six months, I can stay longer and I can prolong my visa. I want to get to know you better..... to learn more things about you, to touch your hand.. look in your eyes... I am sending all the pictures I have with me,I took disk with pictures!