Quote Originally Posted by IainBusby View Post
There are no questions you can ask outright that will catch out a scammer. The really good ones will just tell you sob stories or even stories about life and death (someone needs an operation and they'll die soon if they don't have it) matters and hope you will offer to help, these are very deliberate tactics and they quite often work with people who are unwary of how these online scammers get them hooked and reel them in.

I don't want to appear skeptical about your girl or her intentions, but so far she has laid it on a bit thick about her hardships to you already. Until you actually meet her you must always take everything you are told with a large pinch of salt no matter how genuine you may think she appears on the surface.

Iain.
Thanks Iain.
I just posed the question for the sceptics but didn't really expect any that I had not previously considered and already asked.
I'm not surprised by hardships in a 3rd world country and to hear that being posited as something to beware of doesn't quite 'gel' with me.

I live in Gloucester and my first summer here was invaded by floods.
If I tell my friends about that it doesn't mean I'm fishing for 'support', does it?
Natural disasters affect all of us at some time.

I haven't even yet told the whole story here.
How could I, in a sprinkle of posts?
(Forget the thread hijackers and well intentioned sceptics for now)
The scammer issue is well past its sell by date with her and myself.
I'm simply looking for advice, and hopefully, hearing others experiences about correctly applying for visas in the current climate.

My problem is not that she might be a scammer, but rather how to negotiate the minefield of visa applications, etc.
I can use one of the agencies that facilitate these things, but don't see why I should go down that road before checking other peoples real experiences first.
That's what forums are for, I thought?

I may be on the wrong forum here, in which case I retire and pursue other avenues, but I sense a certain amount of goodwill here and I will persevere for a while.
Thanks again.
John.