HI GUYS, thanks for your site, if only i found it a bit earlier i wouldnt have been scammed myself, funnily enough i never thought it would happen to me, but i guess the signs were there, it started out from ninemsn personals, sveta popova contacted me, looks like she is a well known scammer

This time 'travel agency' was involved.

T R A V E L C O M P A N Y P L A N E T A T O U R

You are welcome to the travel company Planeta Tour

To comply with your request, I need to tell you that unfortunately it is impossible to make the payment with your credit card. The Ukrainian banks don't practice receiving the transfer by means of informing the essential elements of one's credit card. You can make the transfer from your credit card on to the bank account of our company. Following your request we accomplish you with all necessary information about the bank account of the travel company.

___________________________________________________________
M I K O R D T R A D I N G
Beneficiary: BALTIC INTERNATIONAL BANK LATVIA, RIGA
Swift: BLBLV 22
Acc. 0700793
Intermediary: BANKERS TRUST COMPANY
Swift BKTRUS33
Intermediary acc: 04412029
It is necessary to point out that usually it takes about 5-8 days to transfer the funds onto bank account. After executing the transaction, please send us the copy of your bank transaction via e-mail letter.
In case you decide to use the Western Union transaction system you can transfer the funds either to the name of the executive manager of the company or to your lady's name. The whole procedure looks like that: first of all, you should find the bank with Western Union department and fill the form there, indicating the full name and the full address of the receiver and your full name and make the transfer. Then you should supply the receiver with the ten-digit control number of the wire you had got while making the transfer. The receiver should go the nearest bank with the Western Union department, show the passport and indicate the ten-digit number and he or she will receive the funds.
It's the quickest and safest way of sending money from abroad. The funds will be here within the several hours after you made transaction in your country.
The trip arrangement will be started immediately after receiving the copy of your payment via the bank account.
As soon as the funds are received, we will send to you the letter of confirmation.
As for the itinerary, could you give us the exact date of Sveta's trip. There are flights to Sydney almost every day. When we know the exact dates we will be able to give you the information which concerns the Airlines.
If you have any questions, please address our travel company, all your requests will be submitted as well!
Address: 129a, Artyoma St. Donetsk Ukraine E-Mail: planeta_manager@rambler.ru Respectfully yours, Tourist Agent of the Travel Company, Irina Sushenko.

UPDATE!
2003-01-06

I thoght you should add that a girl going by the name of Tatiana (Tanya) in Irkutsk, Russia, also used photo # 5 In August 2002, she was this number on the SoulMates.Com site: MG120999. She used this e-mail: tanushka1@hotpop.com She wrote to me only briefly and never asked for money. So I guess I was a lucky one.

UPDATE!
2002-12-26

Hi Antiscam I wish I had know about your site a few months ago, though better late than never, you have given me confidence in finding my future soulmate,congratulations to you. Have again this evening contacted Friends reunited for the third time, and will again regarding Svetlana Popova, and now several other girls, all thanks to your site. This christmas day evening at 20.16 have been contacted again by this obvious scammer!!!. This is following a previous email I sent on Monday 23 December, following I smelt the final rat and so pretended I had sent another £200 sending a fake Western Union transfer control number, hence their latest email at 20.16. Will forward the latest letter from Svetlana following this email, and all her other previous letters to yourselves, they are still no wiser, as yet, that I am scammed. So I can if you advise still play them along, if not for catching them, to have them inconvenienced, it is now my turn to string them along for a while longer. Myself now acting to be really dumb. From the Friendsreunited online personals site I met Svetatheplum at the begining of October, named Svetlana Popova, the 2nd and present email address is svetixi@ua.fm , her home address is St.Dzerzhinskaya, H45, FL 39, Svetlodarsk, Donetsk, Ukraine, 84792, first telephone number 0038 623 30 33 15 then following my first contact as unable to get through again was 0038 623 30 51 29, I was never able to make contact on this number. Svetlana from Svetlodarsk is on your site page number 16!!!. On 15/11 I sent via Western Union £500 at 3.57 pm transfer control number 8259928802 for her airfare, again on 5/12 at 10.37 am via Western Union £200 transfer control number 8257151037 for her passport, visa, and notary atested papers etc. On Friday 20 December at airport at 7.55 pm Svetlana did not appear. On checking flight KLM 2171 from Amsterdam Svetlana never boarded the plane, hence final alarm bells that I had been scammed. There are a number of girls on antiscam that I recognise from the Friends reunited site, (1) page 3, Diana Ivanova from Odessa, (2) page 4, Natalie Leuhina from Syktyvkar, (3) page 5, Tamara from Saransk, (4) page 7, Anya Sich from Lugansk, same as Diana Ivanova from Odessa on page 3, (4) page 15, Elina Kulishova from Lugansk. Then as above (5) page 16, Svetlana from Svetlodarsk, (6) page 17, Svetlana Mila Popovich from Odessa.

Hello, dear Viggo ! I'm so happy to get a letter from you. I must tell you that I use Internet in search of my soul mate for the first time and I'm not experienced in this :) Your letter show so much beauty in your heart that I am overwhelmed. There is such a trueness and honesty. And it is these qualities that I am attracted to. Unfortunately I don't have a computer at home, so I have to use the help of the Internet cafe to write you. I hope it won't be an obstacle for our correspondence. And now I want to tell you more about myself. I am 22 now. I live in a nice and small town in the eastern part of Ukraine, called Svetlodarsk. I live alone and work as a shop assistant in the large department store. I am an attractive woman with the kind and generous heart , and besides, I am very optimistic, energetic and positive. I can say that I'm happy and I have everything. But there is a dream and I want it to come true. I'm dreaming about a large house in the seashore. I'd like to have at least a couple of children and a loving husband. I'll give all my heart to that man, I'll warm him with my smile and take care about him. So you have already guessed that I'm rather tender creature. I'm very sociable person and have a lot of friends, who share my interests. We often have fun together in the bar or at the disco. Frankly speaking I'm eager to have a man nearby to me who will accept and share all the contradictions of my character. Besides I like cooking very much and my friends and parents say that everything I cook is very tasty. I'm fond of inventing some new dishes and making delicious surprises for all the people around me. My heart and soul are full of passion and romantic feelings. I'm eager to meet a man who will value all my qualities. I would like to see a tenderhearted, loving, reliable and very sociable man beside me. My love does not have any sense without the man and I'm too tired of being lonely. I' sure that neither distance nor time won't be able to hamper our relations. I hope to find in you the man of my dream. I believe we'll find very much in common and walk together hand in hand on the rode of love. Dear Viggo, please send me your photos and tell more about yourself. I hope we will be able to find good sides of each other. I am anxious to get news from you soon. Take care! Sveta.

Hello, my dearest Viggo!!!! I was so happy to receive your wonderful letter today!!!! Thank you very much for your photo! I liked it very much, dear! As soon as I read your e-mail it cheered me up. I like talking to you over e-mail because it allows me to share my deepest feelings and not feel shy or embarrassed. If we had met in a bar for the first time I do not think we would have become aware of each others inner selves because we would have had only a shallow conversation. I am so happy that we can share and feel each others most secret emotions. I hope it continues... It gives me pleasure to get news from you. It's so great to have a person who is so far from you and wit the same time is so close. I appreciate in people not the appearance but the inner world. And my intuition tells me that you're honest and with me. I believe everything you tell about yourself, so I'll be frank with you as well. I think that really strong relations are based on mutual trust and respect. If there is trust, there will be love, care, attraction, passion. Dear, I'd love to know more about your interests and hobbies, your way of life, family, work and friends... I have never been married and have no children. Dear Viggo, may be you wonder why I am still lonely. The thing is that almost all men in Ukraine are selfish and even rude with women. And as for me I can't stand it, as you see, I'm a tender and loveable creature, as you can guess. And now some information about my family. I have an elder brother. He is a vet (so he cures animals). We live with our parents in a small apartment. They are both pensioners. My hobbies and interests are versatile. One of them is reading. I'm well read . In literature I prefer only classics. I've read the most popular things of every century. My favorite writers are Gugo, W. Scott, Dostoevsky, Shakespeare and many others. I wonder what you prefer in literature and what Russian writers you have read. I must confess that I have a dream. I want to travel all over the world. Unfortunately I haven't been abroad, I visited only the countries of the former USSR. I'd love to see the most wonderful, famous places of the world, but I have no opportunity to do it, so it's only my dream. If I find my soul mate and we fall in love, I'll go with him to the world's end. And, by the way Ukraine is not very good country to live in. Dear Viggo, thank you for being so frank with me, I value it very much. I'll send you more of my photos, hope you'll like them. Have a nice day. I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon, and to seeing your photos too. Always yours, Sveta.

Hello, my dearest Viggo!!! I'm so glad to receive your letter. I came to know you better and better, dear... And I'm happy about it! My sweet heart, thank you very much for your greetings, but I must tell you that I have my birthday on the 28th of November. I think it was some kind of mistake in my profile. But in any case, dear, it was really pleasant fro me to receive your greetings. Thank you again. You would love to know more about your life, and every piece of information about you and your life is very much interesting for me, Viggo... I have some questions for you, dear, I hope you won't mind answering them... What kind of music do like ? books ? movies ? Do you like sea, mountains, big cities ? What have you heard of Ukraine ? I have never been to either places you mentioned, but hope to one day soon. I'm just dreaming about it always... I like the way you share your thoughts with me, my dear Viggo. And I want to share some of them with you... My thoughts about I feel as though I'm a fairly simple person, I like some materialistic things but my life does not revolve around them. I am a very gentle,tender,affectionate, romantic,loving,caring,compassionate,giving,understanding, loyal a great sense of humor and yes, sexy too!I think I am a person who understands the dynamics of a serious friendship and relationship and is prepared to make the commitment. I am looking for my partner, my other half which would make my life and his complete. First and foremost I need my best friend. Friendship is based on is based on mutual respect and trust for each other, this mandatory because best friends tell and share everything with each other. Once you have those in common with each other unconditional love for each other should be there and that is to accept each other for who, what and how we are as people without the intention of changing that person to who,what or how we think that person should be! When 2 people fall in Love there are allot of things going on emotionally,physically and hormonally and eventually this conditions settle down and reality of real life sets in. It is easy to fall in love but it is hard work to stay in love and to keep the fires of passion burning brightly and requires both parties participation to make it work. When we fall in love, we as humans often overlook or not pay attention to qualities or traits of the other person that might be a source of concern. Now that there are mutual respect, trust and unconditional love present the most important conditions automatically there COMMUNICATION. Now there is nothing you can't talk about, work out or accomplish and there is no limit as to how far your love can be taken because there are two people living for each other and with the desire for the common goal of eternal love for each other. There is nothing more rewarding or satisfying that when 2 people from their love for each other, make love, create love and extend their love through their children. I believe this called the cycle of life. I hope my letter won't be too boring for you. So, my dear Viggo, I hope to get your reply soon and maybe another photo and I'm thinking about you every day. Your Sveta, thinking of you and waiting for your reply Hello, my dearest Viggo!!! I'm so happy to get your lovely and very sincere letter! I'm sorry for not writing you for some time, dear... Your letters always fill me with joy, dear, but these letters were like a breath of fresh air. Reading them gave me a very welcome moment of peace in a day that otherwise was very busy. Thank you very much. You are a very handsome man, I love your strong and athletic trunk, and I feel that I could fall into your lovely eyes. I hope that we can meet soon because I am anxious for us to see each other face to face... I must tell you that I'm thinking about you all the time and I can't do anything with me. You are becoming precious to me. I will enlighten you about my dreams and thoughts. Your are a special person for me, dear Viggo. I'm glad that we are becoming acquainted. You are always in my thoughts, my Prince. When I look out my window to see the sunrise each morning I will be hoping that on the other side of the world you will see that same sun as it sets, and when you see that beautiful sunset and it's wonderful colors you will then know at that same moment in time that we are together in our dreams. I will reach out to you each morning this way so that you may know I'm thinking of you. I'm very thankful to you for answering my questions. It helped me to understand you better and maybe to penetrate into your soul a bit... Dear, I'm so thankful to you for your honesty. I value it very much! Dear Viggo, I must tell you that I showed your photos to my parents and they are aware of our correspondence. So, my parents send you their best wishes. Please, tell me more about yourself, dear... Dear, tell me please, when you have your birthday. I want to know what sign you have. As for me, I have mine on the 28th of November. I would love to be with you on that day... I hope you feel the same.. I'll be keeping you in my mind all the time, dear Viggo... I send you my tender kiss... With the warmer thoughts about you, your Sveta.

Hello, my dearest Viggo!!! I'm so happy to receive your charming letter, dear! Your letters brighten my days... Now I realized that I simply can't so without your letters, they are so inspiring for me. Letter by letter we become more and more involved to each other and I'm thinking of you all the time, dear... I'm so happy that I have met you in my life, dear Viggo! I don't know what I would do either if I don't meet you. I'm certain that you and I are meant to be together. I just know that deep within my heart that this is all happening for a reason and though it may not be easy but in the end it will all be worth it and we will be happy with each other. I am so thankful that you have come into my life and one day I will be able to show you how much I appreciate you. I wish we could have met years earlier but it is meant to happen this way so I can't change destiny. In life there are up and down cycles and at certain times when you are up things don't cross your path at that time which you want, they sometimes cross your path when you are on a down cycle but if something crosses your path then, you will appreciate this more. I'm not sure I am making any sense here and I will explain this to you when we meet. When we meet I have so much to say which I don't think I could properly convey in a letter. You are my inspiration and you make me think that anything is possible and I never have felt this way before... I'm a little bit embarrassed to tell you all that, but I think we should be very honest and frank with each other and we should share al the thoughts, even those that on the back of our mind. I want you to know that you have my word that I will always be honest with you. Honesty is very important to me and I believe all good relationship must be based on honesty and trust. I hope that you will always be honest with me too. As I told you before, I have very serious intentions and I am truly hopeful that our relationship will continue to grow and grow, turning into something very beautiful and forever! Dear Viggo, I hope you are feeling the same... I'm missing you and your letters... And I will be happy to hear your voice one day! I'll be keeping you on my mind all the time, darling! Dear, to tell the truth, I was thinking of you all the time, my Viggo, but I don't know how and when we could meet. I only know that I would love to meet you and it doesn't matter where we meet. Let me know your thoughts about it, honey, and then I will talk with my boss about the possibility of taking vacations in the nearest future and I should talk to my parents as well. I send you my kiss and tight embrace.. Your Sveta, thinking of you every second...

Hello my dearest Viggo, thank you very much for your nice and warm letters and my special thanks for your pictures. I am so sorry for delay in answering your letter, my honey, I just wanted to know all the necessary information. I am dreaming about our soonest meeting and my thoughts are all about it, I am dreaming to make you coffee or tea, to meet you from work, to be near with you, to look into your eyes, to make you happy!!! My sweet heart,Viggo,I would like to hear your voice very much! Unfortunately I don't have a telephone at home, but you can call me at my work if you want. Here is the number for you: 3 8 0 - 6 2 3 - 3 0 - 3 3 - 1 5 I will be waiting for your call, my honey!!!! But, please, don't forget about the time difference, dear Viggo. My postal address is: S v e t a P o p o v a St. D z e r z h i n s k a y a, h. 4 5, f l. 3 9 S v e t l o d a r s k U k r a i n e 84792 But,dear Viggo, I have one thing to ask you for. The thing is that I think you'd better send me anything by some special post service like Federal express because the original post office service unfortunately doesn't work properly in Ukraine and I'm sure if you send me original letter or a post card I won't get it. I'm very sorry for these inconveniences, Viggo, but I want to see your letter in handwriting very much I don't want to lose it. I will be happy to send my letter to you by post! Thank you for your address. Darling, you have asked me about my passport and how can we meet. I talked to my chief and my parents. I told my parents about you, your warm letters. I told them that you are an attentive and careful and reliable person, I showed them your pictures. They liked you very much. My father was eager to help me. He is an experienced person,he suggested me going to several travel agencies. My father and me just wanted to be sure that the travel agency is reliable. We managed to find one travel company which seems to be the best one from which we have seen. We were told that a tour to England will cost me about 720$ including a tourist visa, return ticket, medical insurance, notary attested papers required for the obtaining a visa at the Embassy. It will take about 14-18 days to arrange a tour to England. Everything sounds exciting, romantic meeting with the most special one for my heart, romantic, eternal places of UK which could become watchers of our pure, elevated feelings towards each other but for one thing I cannot afford this trip. I'll try to borrow some money from my relatives and my friends, and from my neighbors. But I am not sure that it will be successful, I must tell you that Ukrainian people are very poor they don't have money. And it is very difficult to borrow money from them. So, my sweet heart, I don't know what to do. I'm at a loss. My desire to see you is growing more and more. I wish to be with you, my Viggo. I want our souls to unite together. I need you as much as you need me! I will try my best, With all my love,

Hello my sweetheart, thank you very much for your letter and for suggestion of help with my tickets, it is very kind and generous from you to help me. I was told at the travel agency that they would start the paper work as soon as I paid for my trip. My darling, it would be great present for me if we managed to meet and to be together on this day!!! I tried to borrow the money but I people here are nor rich and if they have money they never lend them. My last hope was my godmother, I thought that she would help me but she couldn't. I was at a loss, my Viggo. Everything seemed to me hopeless and now I see the sun, I can smile and I feel better, thanks to you, my sweetheart!!! Thank you for all your tender words towards me, I would be the happiest woman in the whole world when you give me your warm embrace, I want they will be endless, when you give me your sweet kisses and all you passion, I am sure that you will be the happiest man in the whole world when I be with you during the days and nights. I have so much love for you, I want to make all your dreams come true. My darling I am looking forward to come to you as soon as possible! You have captured my heart,my mind and my soul. If we will be together my life will be devoted to you. I have come to realize that I want and need you in my life. The most important thing I have to give is me and I promise to give this to you... I will be waiting for your letter and I am sending you all my love. This is truly amazing the relationship that we are going to be in. I'm sure these letters are just a preview of what's to come and meeting and being together may exceed our dreams. Each day I picture being with you, kissing you, talking to you and just having you near to me. Then I finish the day by thinking of you before I go to sleep. Our meeting and being together is all I think about. I can't imagine life without you and I know we are meant to be together. My darling, I am waiting for your call, I have given you my telephone number with the international code, I think that time difference is 2 hours between our countries, if it is 5pm here in Ukraine you have 3pm in England. My Viggo, I work five days a week, except Saturday and Sunday from 10am till 6pm. So call me what time you would like from 10am till 6pm. With all my love,

Your Sveta. Hello my honey!!!! My dearest Viggo, may be it is the last letter from me to you, I am waiting for the 20th of December impatiently! I cannot wait till our meeting! I am short of words, I have packed my clothes and I am ready to take my flight. My family is very happy for me, they send you their warmest regards and their kisses. While hearing your voice I understood that I am the happiest girl in the world that I have found you in my life. I liked everything you told me in your letters. And now I feel that we are on the same wave length with you , my dear . I want to start a family so much and I want it happen soon. I will be so glad if you will be my future partner . There is so much for us in the future. I want to be with my man, my husband, to bear our children , to cook dinners for the whole family,to have often guests in our house , to arrange family parties like birthdays ,Thanksgivings and much more . . . I want to wake up early in the morning and say hello good morning to every member of my family . I want it so much !!!! My dear, I am so excited before our meeting in person .... I had so many emotions during these days, everybody of my relatives try to give me a lot of advices for my trip to you about what I need to take, how it will be better to behave myself here and there. My dear, I packed two large bags and some packages with presents for you. I think you will be so happy to receive them. I tried to buy something special or you, that you could have something special about my country. I have got the disks with our popular music and some newspapers and books, about my town. As the closer the moment of our meeting as more I begin to be nervous about our meeting. You went to my dreams last night, It was really wonderful and amazing dream. I've seen our first meeting together. It was so unbelievable, splendid, perfect !!! I'm short of words and I don't know how to describe it. At first we were at the restaurant. It looked the way you describe it to me. We drank sweet wine, talked and then we began to dance. I was listening to you whispering into my ear, I felt your strong hand holding me tight. Our bodies were moving as the single one. We didn't hear anybody, we didn't see and notice other people at the restaurant.... Then we appeared at the beach. It was dark. There was nobody. Only you and I. There was the full moon in the sky. The waves splashed tenderly. Our clothes remained on the sand and we were in the warm water. You held me tight. We felt ourselves as Adam and Eva. Hot kisses.. your strong hands... first touches.... It was so romantic. You can't imagine. I kiss you ,please, think only about good things, in 2 days we could see......... each other ........... I am in delight, my Viggo, to imagine this seconds and minutes with you!!! Thinking about you Your forever Sveta

My dear Viggo!! I don't know how to start .. I am now in Kiev Dear Viggo, I'm very embarrassed to tell you that but I can't fly now because the custom officers won't permit me to fly as I don't have the necessary amount to show them. I understood before my trip that I need to have some money in the case of emergency during the flight, but not so much, my parents gave me only 30 EUR and that is all. At the customs office I was told that I won't be allowed to pass the border without the exact sum of money! I should show at the customs office 300 EUR at least (just as pocket money) otherwise I won't be permitted to cross the border. They have explained me that they are not going to bear the responsibility about me and this rule is very strict. You know, they told me that this rule is very strict and the state Ukraine is supposed to take care of their citizens for them not to be left to the mercy of fate without the money. So, you know, my dear that my parents and all my relatives gave me all the money they had to realize my wish into life and now.... I can't ask them for money as they simply don't have it. I called to the agency and asked them for help. And they gave me an advise to give back the tickets not to lose the money. I did it and I take some money from there to pay for the very bad hotel I had to stay for the night. Now I don't know what to do! I'm in despair... I've never traveled in my life and I didn't know that I may need some money to have with me. I'm crying and crying... You know, I was told that the money is needed to be showed to the custom officers and then as soon as fly to you , my Viggo, I'll give it back to you. But, of course, I can't insist on that... I'm so embarrassed, but I don't want everything that was done to be in vain. I want to see you,my Viggo!!! What should I do? I can't stay in Kiev for a long time as it needs too money. I'll be waiting for your reply, dear Viggo. Now everything depends upon you! Sveta in despair and in tears...

My dearest Viggo, thank you for your reply! I am so sorry to trouble you, but, my honey I will give back this money when I come to you. My Viggo, I am alone in a large city, I just want to be with you, my darling, I am so scared and I don't know what to do. If you can help me, please, send me money through the Western Union. There are a lot of banks here in Kiev, I was told that I can receive money in any bank, which works with the Western Union, I only need to show them my passport and tell them the control number. Then I will buy the tickets and inform you about my new dates. My Viggo, I am very sorry but you know that I have never travelled I didn't know that it is necessary to have such sum of money with myself. Please, don't be angry with me, I know that you were worrying but I was worrying too, I was even afraid to write to you, but who else can help me except you, my love? I hope that everything will be all right. I am terribly missing you, I cannot sleep at night.

Your Sveta, with love. Hello, my Viggo! My darling, I am OK. Please, don't worry about me. I live in a small inn. I tried to call you but unfortunately I couldn't manage to do it. Everywhere I had to pay for the call and I can not do it. You see, I tried to call to the operator but she said something in English so rapidly that I could understand nothing. I told her your telephone number but she started to say something and I didn't understand. I have paid for the inn till Wednesday and I have some money to write to you via Internet. My darling, I will buy the tickets as soon as you transfer the money for the custom's office . I have returned my previous tickets not to loose the money and now I have the money for the tickets. I need only 300 EUR. They are necessary for me to show them at the custom's office. It might be my pocket money. My honey, I will give this 300 EUR back to you when I came to you, right at the airport. My love, I am waiting for your decision and hope that we will be together on Wednesday. I love you. Your Sveta.

UPDATE!
2002-09-24

Another person's using same set of photos - some Nina Hohlova from Moscow, her profile is on Russian Match site.

She's now going by Sveta, and is operating on www.soulmates.co.uk. Her letters to me match, word for word, the examples you have posted on your site. Phil