As the title says, greetings to all the current forum dwellers! I have decided to sign up here as I am looking for your advice on meeting and dating a Filipino girl that I have met through an online dating site.

Being completely new to this, my head is a bit of a whirl trying to absorb all the facts and advice that is out there regarding this subject!!

In summary though, the girl I am speaking to seems genuine as far as I can tell and is very keen to come and visit me. She has sent me pictures of herself (not rude, before you ask!) and of her with her family, as well as what appears to be a genuine scan of her passport.

She has told me that she can sort out the ticket for a visit to the UK (apparently she can get this free), but she needs financial assistance from me to pay for the fees for her Visa. She says that she would come and stay with me for a month, so we can get to know each other properly.

Given she sent me the scan of her passport, I am wanting to believe that she's genuine. Also I asked her for another picture yesterday, where I asked her to write down my name draw a heart round it and write the date - which she did and sent through to me within a matter of minutes.

Is this a case of me allowing my heart to rule my head on the subject? Can you suggest any ways for me to verify that this girl is a safe investment, both emotionally and financially?

Thanks in advance for your responses.