Sample Online Scammer Email

Scammers are pretty easy to spot online but I figured I’d throw this up here just as a sample. I received this message on an ehow.com account I have.

I get scammer emails all the time all over the place. I mean the last place I would think I would get one is on ehow? But I also get them when on skype, on yahoo chat, and in my inbox.

Please don’t click on any links received by anyone claiming to be a hot Russian girl or a lonely Russian girl or whatever. Not even if you’re curious.

In the best case scenario it will be someone trying to scam you, in the worst case scenario it will be some Russian hackers trying to install some malware on your computer that could steal your information, spam your contacts, and even use your computer to attack others. As soon as you click that link, your done!

So don’t even be curious. If you’re getting emails from people you never know or contacted then you shouldn’t be opening them up at all, not even out of curiosity (did I say that enough times?).

Here is just one recent message I got on ehow:

Hello my dear.
My name is Faith i saw your profile today and i became interested so please i will like you to email me back through my email address thus:(faith_****@yahoo.com). please i will like you to send me your email address so that i will tell you more about my self and also my picture you to know who i am .hope you understand.thanks.And i will like you to contact me trough my email adress(faith_*****@yahoo.com)
Am waiting to see your lovely reply soonest..
Miss Faith

One last tip:
Because of the threat of hackers/spammers and scammers, I advise you create a separate email account for your interactions with foreign women. A new email account gives various benefits:

#1. It’s an account that isn’t tied to you personally. Your main account may be tied to your bank accounts, work etc. A new account won’t have any of your personal ties, and you can even create it under a fake name.

#2. A new account won’t be in any spammer databases. Spammers and hackers break into computer systems and steal email addresses and sell them in bundles for thousands of dollars in the black market. If you’re email address is older chances are it’s in some sort of spammer databases, which is why new email addresses generally have little to now spam. Creating a new email address will give you months of spam free communication so you don’t have to weed through this crap on a daily basis.

#3. It’s an account you can afford to loose. If you get bored, or you start getting too much spam etc, you can just delete it or not sign back in, you never have to look at it again.

#4. Once you know your dealing with a legitimate foreign girl you give her your real email address if it’s easier for you communicate with her this way. This gives you a funneling process for weeding out all the spam and malicious emails. It’s an added layer of protection.

All this stuff shouldn’t deter you from going out there and trying to meet foreign women. I’m just informing you so that you’re armed with the best information so you are prepared.

“Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory.”
– Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

If you want to get some of the best preparation for meeting foreign women online, abroad, or even on locally, you can grab my entire serious of ebooks for the cost of a good bottle of wine, just CLICK HERE to get more information.

Papaya: Eat It, Don’t Do It

If you’re like me, you probably grew up feeling relatively safe and a bit careless. Where I grew up, no one thinks twice about wearing a fancy watch, expensive chains, jewelry, or clipping the newest blackberry to the side of your belt.

But some places are different, Latin America included. In Colombia, there’s a saying that goes something like this: “No de Papaya” which translates into “Don’t give Papaya.” That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t share your papaya with anyone. It’s a saying in Colombia that basically means “Don’t be careless and attract unnecessary attention to yourself or get taken advantage of.” Basically it means to have your wits about you, and have some street smarts. Don’t get taken advantage of by women, thieves, sales people, taxi drivers etc.

I’ll give you a couple of examples of giving papaya.

Example 1: You’re in a club and you have your phone on you. You leave your phone on the table and go to the bathroom. If you were at the table alone, you’re really giving papaya, but even if you’re with a group, leaving it there would be a bit careless, it’s still giving a bit of papaya, especially if it’s an expensive phone.

Example 2: You’re paying for a taxi and you take out a wad of cash in front of the taxi driver or when you step outside to pay for the taxi. Your giving papaya because anyone passing by will see you reach into your pocket and pull out a nice big chunk of cash, and you’re attracting unneeded and unwanted attention. Chances are nothing will happen, but you’re still giving papaya.

Example 3: It’s your first night in Cali, Colombia and you don’t know the city well. You get all dressed up and wear a nice shiny, expensive gold chain. You’re going out alone you call a taxi service (not giving papaya), but you fail to take a cautionary step and leave the fancy stuff at home, because first you need to get a feel for the city and the places you’re going to frequent. Not leaving the chain at home is giving papaya. You’re compromising your chain, money, and maybe even your safety.

So what happens when you give Papaya:
Eventually if do it enough times, you’ll run into someone who’ll want to take advantage of you. Leave your cell phone on the table and someone will snatch it when no one is looking. The taxi driver that sees your wad of cash might say he doesn’t have change to give you because now he’s seen you have a lot of money. Your gold chain attracted the attention of the wrong person and as you walk from Club A to Club B a young kid runs by and snatches it, or worse threatens to attack you if you don’t give it up.

Moral of the story: Don’t give Papaya

The Safest Places On Earth Based On The Global Peace Index

I recently found another good way to judge the safety of a region or country based a new index called The Global Peace Index. This index ranks countries on how peaceful they are with a color rating system. Based on the 2009 GPI index, most of Latin America is about as safe and peaceful as The United States. Based on the GPI the safest and most peaceful countries in all of the Americas are Canada, Costa Rica, Chile and Uruguay.

The methodology for creating the global peace index is as follows: Twenty-three indicators of the existence or absence of peace were chosen by the panel of experts, which are divided into three broad categories: measures of ongoing domestic and international conflict, measures of safety and security in society and measures of militarization.

I think Ecuador should have been upgraded to Blue, but perhaps it was not due to the small conflict they had in 2009 with Colombia. I also think Colombia get’s a red rating because of the FARC presence, which is no longer a threat, unless you venture out into the jungles and mountains, and outside of the large cities.

I have to tend to agree with Venezuela’s red rating because of the deteriorating economic situation and escalating crime in Venezuela. Apart from that Venezuela is heavily militarized, and president Chavez is not afraid to stir up conflicts with Colombia. Also, Venezuela is undergoing and energy, and possibly water crisis, which will most likely increase the chances of political instability in the country.

Europe tops the list for peace and safety as a region. Eastern Europe gradually gets less peaceful and Russia gets a red rating according to the GPI index. South East Asia gets an average rating overall.

Overall I think the peace index is right on the spot. I do feel that things are getting more dangerous in the U.S. because of the economic decline. As unemployment starts to run out within the next year or two, I do feel crime will increase in the U.S as more and more people get desperate. Certain countries like Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Uruguay certainly top the list in terms of cost, safety, weather, and of course women.

Is Venezuela Too Dangerous?

Being so close to Venezuela, here in Barranquilla Colombia, I’ve thought about traveling to one of the Venezuelan cities that’s closest to the Colombian boarder. The one that made the most sense for me was Maracaibo Venezuela. From Barranquilla, Maracaibo is only about an 8 hour bus ride, but the entire time I’ve remained undecided because of safety concerns.

There are a few reasons to travel to Venezuela right now. First of all it would be a new adventure. I’ve never been to Maracaibo, and I enjoy exploring new cities and countries. The second would be the high inflation that venezuela experience (25% in 2009), which means the Venezuela is currently at a very steep discount for foreigners with foreign currencies. Finally, I can’t deny that one of the top reasons to go to Venezuela is because of the Venezuelan women.

The last time I was in Venezuela was about 3 years ago. I remember when I went to Caracas that some people had told me it was a dangerous city. I took the normal safety precautions when I traveled there, but it didn’t seem anymore dangerous than other Latin American cities I had already visited.

Since then I know for a fact the Economic situation in Venezuela has declined immensely. In 2009, the official inflation rate in Venezuela was 25 percent — the highest official inflation rate in Latin America. The economic hardship in the country has increased the crime and violence across the Capital city of Caracas, but also across other parts of the country.

One of the benefits of being here in Barranquilla is that there are a lot of people here in Barranquilla who have family in Venezuela, or who have traveled or lived in Venezuela themselves. There are also many Venezuelan people who live in Barranquilla. Anytime I come across someone with ties to Venezuela I ask them if it’s dangerous, and about 60% of the time I’ve gotten reports that it is dangerous.

However, you have to take into consideration that the majority of the Colombians who move to Venezuela move in order to find work. Most of the these Colombians are working class people, who tend to live in the poorer sections of town. These poorer sections of town are undoubtedly the more dangerous sections, but are not sections of any city which I would consider staying in.

Overall, I do think things have probably gotten more dangerous then before in Venezuela, as far as crime goes. However, looking for information on the Internet, I’ve seen that there are still many foreign travelers who venture into Venezuela without a problem. I would only consider traveling to Venezuela if you’re fluent in spanish, and are a veteran traveler. Even still, I think a trip to Venezuela should be taken with extra safety precautions and good planning and research. I still plan on doing some more research including making various online contacts before I make my final decision on traveling to Maracaibo.

Why Foreign Girls Make The Best Tour Guides

Traveling is all about immersing yourself in the culture, the people, and the way of life you experience through your trip. It’s easier to get immersed in the real culture with the help of the locals.

The locals will be able to safely guide you through your trip in a way that will allow you to more easily experience the real culture of a place. The locals know where the real parties are, they also know where some of the best food is in town, they know that Thursday night is good here, and not there, and they know how to get local bargains on just about everything from hotels, to taxis, to food, to shopping.

Whether you travel around with a local guy or girl doesn’t really make a difference. But since we’re men, our local guide might as well be a stunning foreign woman.

There’s nothing better then getting to know the real people and real culture with the help of a foreign beauty. A behind the scenes look into a different culture can be eye opening, life changing and memorable.

But it gets even better. All of these beautiful foreign women will be more then happy to show you around for free. They’ll welcome you with open arms and make sure your safe at all times. They’ll also help you with negotiating prices with the locals and if they know English, they’ll also help with the translations.

Some of you might like to rough it out on your own, and discover things for yourself, but keep in mind there’s always the option of hiring your free tour guide who can give you a behind the scenes look that you may never have seen without her.

Until Next Time,

Dan DeLa Cruz

How The Global Recession Effects Global Dating

How The Global Recession Effects Global Dating

Today I wanted to touch on a topic that has looming over our heads for a while now. It’s pretty clear we’re knee deep in a global recession and it’s not just effecting the United States. Practically ever economy in world is feeling the impact of this global economic slowdown. But what does this mean for global dating? How will this global slow down affect the men that are a part of this global dating movement?

Well, I have some good news and bad news and I’m going to lay out the pros and cons of this recession for you.

If you’ve read my book you know that I point out in one of the sections how the men from developing nations migrate to the wealthy nations in disproportionate numbers to the women. This leaves many single women back home and many single guys competing for the women in your local area.

One of the pros of this recession is that this trend is set to diminish and even reverse a bit within the next few years. As the global economies worsen the men that have migrated to will start to feel the economic pain of the recession. Many will loose their jobs, and many more will be making less money than they use to. For this reason, many of these men have already started to return to their homelands.

A recent article on newsday.com describes the fact that immigrants are now making a lot less money. You can read the article here: click here

I use to live in an immigrant community in the United States and I have a lot of personal friends that still live there and I keep in touch with them. I’ve already heard reports of vast amounts of men returning to their countries because of the economic situations in Europe, North America, and other places.

An article in networkworld.com gives us a glimpse at this trend. The article points out that:

Fewer companies filed petitions for H-1B visas this year as the economic recession continues to threaten U.S. jobs and shrink the demand for foreign talent.

U.S. companies since April 1 have filed some 42,000 petitions with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency for 65,000 H-1B Specialty Occupation Visas available for 2010, a fraction of previous years’ petitions. In 2007, the USCIS received some 150,000 petitions in a matter of days, and in 2008 the agency conducted a lottery after 163,000 petitions were filed in less than a week.

So what’s the good news about this bad news? The silver on lining on this particular cloud is that the male to female ratios in countries have experienced a lot of immigration, countries like the United States, will start to get a bit better.

The bad news is that as immigrant men move back home the ratios in developing nations such as Colombia, and Costa Rica will start to even up and won’t be as lop-sided as they use to be. In other words the rations won’t favor the men as much as they use to in places like Brazil. However in order for this to drastically effect either the ratio of men to women in the upper or lower tiers, it’s going to take a few years and by then, the global economy may recover and we will resume the trend in migration of men to more economically fertile pastures.

There’s also one very positive aspect to this global slowdown. With tough economic times ahead, many of the upper tier men who would have traveled, or who traveled in the past, will not be able to make the trip anymore due to the current economic situation. This means that the amount of upper tier men who make it down to the lower tiers will be far less during this economic slowdown.

My suggestion is to take advantage of this fact and make an extra effort to save money and slot some time. Since there are less foreigners traveling to Latin America, South East Asia, and Eastern Europe, it’s going to spell out better results for you in the end, as long as you can take your trip.

If your in a position to take a trip at this point in time, once you get to your destination it will be well worth it because now you’re competing with less foreign guys.

Many of the women I’ve met who have online profiles have told me that they talk to many guys, but for the most part it’s a waste of time because fewer men are traveling to visit them. Take this into account, when you’re saving up some time and money to travel to the lower tiers… with the current state of affairs, your trip now will mean a lot more to the women you will visit.

Finally, I’d like to add that safety may become a bigger concern as the world wide economies are impacted by the global slowdown. So be safe, no matter where you go! Although I haven’t seen too many signs of increased safety concerns in Latin America, I would advise everyone to be extra cautious due the current economic climate.

I’ll catch you later,

13 Steps To A Safe Trip

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been getting all sorts of questions by guys who are about to travel, or thinking about setting up a trip. One of the most common questions, involves safety. Everyone has heard stories about Pablo Escobar and the “guerillas” in Colombia, or the “favelas” in Brazil.

Part of the problem, is that the media only tends to cover the negatives, never giving credit to the positives. I am not sure why the negative stories always seem to reach the international news.

I’ve lived many years close to New York City and Newark NJ, and there was plenty of crime around this area. What city, does not have crime?

My father was robbed at gun point in Bergen County New Jersey. I’ve been assaulted in the streets of Bergen County as well. People get shot almost weekly in the Newark NJ. My point… Anywhere you go, even the city near where you live, has places where you are more likely to be involved in a violent crime.

Having said this, you should always prepare as much as possible for a safe trip. My rule of thumb is to keep everything low key, and try to fly under the radar, especially if you’re very new to traveling abroad. Once you get your stripes, visit a few different countries, get fluent in the customs, the currency and language, then you can start to dress a bit more flashy, but personally I never overdue it…

I’ve been traveling for years now and I’ve never had a problem. I think I can attribute this to the fact that I always like to play it safe.

So, I’ve made a short list of the top thirteen things you can do to have the safest trip possible. Some of these steps may seem a little paranoid, but I think you’ll be better off playing it safe, especially if you’re not a veteran traveler. I’d also like to say that the degree to which you need the 13 steps below really depends on where you’re headed. I haven’t made this list for any particular city, but more as an overall checklist for your safety. Some places are more dangerous then others, so the degree to which you follow these safety tips really depends on where your going. It may even vary depending on which section of a city (or country) you may be going to. Just keep in mind that I always try to error on the side of being extra safe. So here we go, and have a safe trip…

#1 – Do your research and ask questions. There are many sites you can visit that can help you learn more about the place you’re headed to. Some of these sites include, wikipedia.com, poorbuthappy.com, bootsnall.com and lonelyplanet.com. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have concerns.

#2 – Try to go with a group. I know many of you are headed out on your own. I’ve gone on many trips on my own, but there’s always safety in numbers. Try to go with one or two other people.

#3 – Try to learn the language before you go. Nothing makes you stand out more in a foreign land, then not knowing the local language. Even a little conversational knowledge will go a long way. Knowing the language makes you seem like a seasoned traveler.

#4 – Feel out your new surroundings. Remember that you are going to someplace you’ve never been before, and there may be areas that are safe, and areas that are not so safe. So always be alert and cautious while you get to know your new surroundings.

#5 – Don’t be flashy. Lave the IPODs, earrings, jewelry, fancy watches, and Iphones at home, or in the hotel room. Be cautions about where you pull these things out and what you carry on you. I try to be as low key as possible, especially when I’m in a place I’m not familiar with. I generally don’t like to be too flashy, even if I’m in a safe place.

#6 – Travel with the locals. If you’ve already made friends on the Internet, they will look out for you. No one knows the local city better then the people who live there. Try to make some friends online before you go, or meet some locals once you get there. Let the locals guide you safely through your trip.

#7 – Be cautions at night. I generally don’t like to walk around at night. For the most part I stick to taking taxis to and from wherever I’m headed if it’s already late.

#8 – Hail a taxi off the street as your last resort. Have your hotel, club, bar, or friend call you a taxi. Although the taxi’s on the street are generally
safe, you never know, so I always try to get my establishment to call me the taxi. They know who to call and who the good guys are.

#9 – Don’t cary around too much cash, and stash it in different places. In the event you do get robbed, don’t try to fight. Just give them the stash in your back pocket. Thieves will almost never hurt you if you cooperate. So, although I’ve never been robbed, if I found myself in that situation I would give them everything they wanted right away. I usually keep a little stash in my shoe or sock, or some other pocket.

#10 – Cary around a photocopy of your passport and license. Leave the real thing in the lock box at your hotel, or in a safe place along with the rest of your valuables. But always try to remember to carry the copies, in case you run into trouble with the local law enforcement.

#11 – Don’t leave drinks unattended. I’ve had instances in local bars around here in New York where my dates drinks have been roofied. Make sure you keep a close eye on your drinks, especially if your on your own. I try not to drink too much in general, especially when I’m in a place I’ve never been before.

#12 – Don’t bring too much attention to yourself. I personally like to fly under the radar as much as possible. I try not to bee to loud or make a scene.

#13 – MOST, IMPORTANTLY HAVE FUN. Remember guys, It’s better to be overly cautious until you get use to your new surroundings. But most importantly, remember that you are in an environment that favors men. These foreign women love guys like you, and they will show you a great time.

Have A Safe Trip,