Generally speaking, the only money I sent was to people who didn't ask for it. My future wife wrote to me, after several months of correspondence, that she was having a terrible time.

The company she was working for had not paid her for several months. There was no heat in the building at the end of winter. Her mother was in the hospital. She was upset and depressed.

I sent her two hundred dollars. She wrote back saying she was upset with me. She said she did not write these things to get money from me ? only so that I would understand about her life.

I told her I sent the money to her because I wanted to help her. She said she was going to put the money in the bank for when I arrived.

When I arrived she had the money, but she had used a little of it to buy a nice outfit. Every Russian woman I know, who had money sent to them, spent at least some of it for nice clothes.

You may be sending money for her to take English lessons, but I guarantee some of that money will end up hanging in her closet. Don't fret about it. You have made her very happy. She is only doing it to feel good about herself and to make herself attractive for you.

In short, if you like her and have established a relationship with her, show her you care. Send her presents. Buy her things she can use. Every woman wants you to show her she is special. Don't be a miser or a fool. Use your judgment.

If you are sending money, send it Western Union.
Do not send money in the mail. It won't get there. I guarantee it. Send the money to be paid in U.S. currency. U.S. currency is more valuable than local currency and she can convert it into local currency at a better rate than Western Union will give her.

Take care in spelling her name exactly. The Western Union bureaucrats in Russia love to send people away for the slightest reason. You will need to send her the identification number on the wire transfer for her to claim the money.

She will also need to know the exact amount you are sending. Make sure the person receiving the money has proper identification or they won't give it to them.

One distressing piece of information is that Belarus was ?taxing? wire transfers at a rate of 9.5% prior to January 1, 2005. As of January 1, 2005, they are now taxing 100%. What this means is none of the money you wire transfer to a person in Belarus will get to them.

My recommendation is to ask the women you are sending money to for the best way for you to get it to her. She may not know. Talk to the company that is handling your email forwarding for you. They most likely will know what the situation is in that country.