The Counter-deception Blog

Putin Busts Fake Bride Scammers
November 11, 2004
Copyright 2004. The Sydney Morning Herald.

The story of how an Australian suitor blew the lid on a fake internet bride scam is making news again. In January The Sun-Herald wrote: "Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the arrest of two alleged marriage agency fraudsters after a Sydney man wrote to him, saying he had been conned by a sexy young Russian brunette offering marriage over the internet.

"Terry McCarthy, from Epping, was so outraged after allegedly being ripped off that he wrote directly to Mr Putin, declaring it was a matter of "Russian honour" that she be brought to justice. "So touched was the Kremlin leader by the carefully crafted letter, he ordered police to track down the criminals, regardless of time or cost.

"Investigations later revealed that the woman, part of a gang run by her Russian husband, had allegedly extracted $US1.5 million ($2 million) from as many as 1500 foreign men. "Not only have the couple since been caught, they face between five and 10 years in prison if convicted on all charges."

"Moscow police sources have confirmed that, on the basis of Mr McCarthy's letter, Mr Putin personally ordered them to find the woman and her associates."

It seems the news didn't travel that fast as on Thursday, reports AAP and AFP, the Russian press has finally picked up the story. It led to the uncovering of the syndicate led by Yury Lazarev, 34. An English translator from the Urals, Lazarev netted $394,500 in two years by faking emails from internet brides to about 3000 unsuspecting foreigners.

Lazarev was caught by police in December 2001 and received a one-year suspended sentence.

He employed women to write flowery romantic messages signed with real names picked off web dating sites, the Gazeta daily said. The photographs of seductive women that accompanied the text caught the attention of about 3000 men from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and other Western countries.

Once the victim got interested and wanted to meet his potential fiance, the fictitious woman would ask for financial help to pay for visas and airline tickets.
Once the payments had been made, ranging from $131 to $1970, the woman of his dreams would vanish into thin air. The authors of the enticing correspondence got $78 for each successful scam.

Russian women are seen as attractive partners by foreigners, psychologists say, explaining a rise in mixed marriages, many of them arranged by bride agencies.