There is no doubt about it – the Internet can be a very dangerous place. Just like being a stranger in a foreign country, if you don't know your way around and aren't familiar with the possible dangers, it is very easy to fall victim to all sorts of scams. Particularly in the rapidly growing area of meeting, dating and potentially marrying Russian women using online services, it is important to know what to look out for.

There are dozens of agencies and services on the Internet for dating Russian women, and tens of thousands of potential matches out there for virtually any sort of man who is looking for a mate. The problem is, not only aren't all of the agencies above board but, even within some of the “legitimate” agencies, not all of the women are who they present themselves to be.

As with any other sort of scam – internet or otherwise – the end goal of the scammers is to separate you from your money. We're not talking about the legitimate charges that any reputable online dating service needs to charge to stay in business, but rather money that either goes directly to the scammers or which is actually stolen from you by a disreputable agency. Let's start off with a couple of things that you can do to protect yourself from choosing a disreputable agency.

1. Check the site for Security Certifications – This is one of the simplest and most important ways you can protect yourself from a site that is looking to rip you off. Many trusted internet provider and security agencies (such as McAfee and GoDaddy) provide security certificates for websites which request them. In most cases, these companies independently scan websites to ensure that they are secure, and that there are no Trojans, viruses, or spyware programs on them that can be transferred to your computer for the purpose of identity theft. Sites that have requested (and pay dearly for) these daily scans will certainly advertise the fact, usually right on their welcome page. By using a site that is not scanned daily by one or more independent agency, a user can open himself up to all sorts of Internet trouble.

2. Make certain the site uses a verified, encrypted and secured payment method – It continually amazes me that after all these years of internet commerce, people are still willing to enter credit card and even debit card information to unsecured websites – but it happens, and it happens often. Again, this is basically a matter of making certain that the website you are doing business with has taken the time to ensure that all transactions are secure. If they have, the odds are that you will be getting what you pay for. If they haven't – make certain to check your credit card activity on a daily basis – because the odds are very good that you are being scammed

3. Look for sites that offer a chance to sample for free – It is no secret that any online dating site makes its money from acting as “brokers” between people. These services cost money, and what they charge and collect from their customers is what allows them to stay in business. However, just as you wouldn't buy a car without test driving it or a house without walking through it, you should avoid using any site for dating Russian women that doesn't allow you at least some access to their content for free. Sites that offer a free trial tend to be the best, as in the vast majority of cases, these are the ones that have absolutely nothing to hide.

Now that you have scoped out the service that you want to use, and have explored their free offer sufficiently to believe that they are on the up and up, you are safe right? Well, for the most part – if you follow the rules of the agency and the terms of service you agreed to when you signed up. The problems that most often occur within legitimate agencies for dating Russian women happen when people decide to bend the rules – particularly when corresponding with women directly, outside of the agency provided email addresses.

As soon as a woman that you have been corresponding with through an agency suggests that you by-pass the agency approved modes of communication, an alarm should go off in your head and you should report the woman to the agency immediately. The odds are that you are being set up. Nine times out ten, after a few emails or Instant Message sessions outside of the agency you have been working with, one of the following two requests will come:

• Can you lend me some money? Even though I talk to you directly, I must pay my agency membership or I will lose my Internet! – Well, aside from the fact that she is already breaking agency rules, she is also lying to you. In the first place, no legitimate agency provides internet service for the women on their site. As is true of the rest of Europe, Internet access in former Soviet republics is very affordable, and almost everyone has it. In the second place, no legitimate agency charges the women members of their site a fee at all. This is simply a scam to get money added to her PayPal or some other account and – quite frankly – the real reason she probably choose to ask you to go outside the agency with her in the first place.

• I really want to meet you! If you will send me the money for plane fare …-- This is perhaps the most common scam, and unfortunately, the one that most people fall for. Scammers are all about building trust, and selling dreams – but what they are REALLY all about is separating you from your money. If you are with a legitimate agency, they will have a travel agency they either own or work closely with – and they will be upfront in telling you that due to visa and travel restrictions it is very difficult for these women to come to you “just for a visit”. All that falling for this scam will do is cost you a couple of thousand dollars and half a day waiting at the airport for plane that will never come.

Even if you have made the mistake of going outside the agency you are working with, you should still report anyone who does this sort of thing to them immediately. Legitimate agencies hate scammers even more than you do, and don't want them anywhere near their customers.

The world of dating, meeting and possibly marrying beautiful Russian women online is one that literally thousands of men all over the world have found to be fun, rewarding and which can, in some cases, yield the life partner that we all seek. But while it most certainly deals with matters of the heart, it is important that you use your head as well. The most important thing is that you find an agency that you can trust, and then stick with that agency. The young women who are serious about finding their perfect match will play by the rules – and you should to!

Tim Zelmer is the Public Relations Manager for Dream-Marriage.com, one of the largest marriage and dating services for men seeking relationships with Russian women on the internet. The company has offices in the USA, Russia, Ukraine, and other former USSR republics, and currently has over 120 partners throughout the former USSR. Dream-Marriage.com has developed innovative security and verification strategies to ensure that their site maintains 100% anti-scam activity.