Simon Birch asked:


Investigations and Philippine Relationships

The Philippines is a beautiful country with no shortage of good, honest people. Beyond the beautiful beaches and resort hotels, however, there is widespread poverty and corruption. The Philippines is a place increasingly fraudulent when it comes to relationships, and relationship scammers have now created a million dollar industry, targeting Western victims.

Internet dating websites have brought together many Western men and Filipinas. Many Philippine relationships begun over the Internet have even blossomed into successful marriages. Due to the high occurance of relationship fraud and dating scams, verifying your potential spouse is more important than ever. In short, a background check is the only way to go.

Suveillance services and background checks available in the Philippines can be fraudulent themselves. When choosing a background check or investigative firm, we highly recommend choosing a foreign company with a Philippine presence, such as Wymoo International or Philippine PI. Foriegn firms such as these can provide you with American or European style management and customer service, quality that simply hasn’t arrived yet in the local Philippine market. The costs and turnaround times are often competitive or even better.

Getting a background check prior to engaging in a serious relationship in the Philippines is essential. Many Filipinas marry strictly for immigration purposes, while others have no intention to marry. They seek to slowly drain their mate financially. An average background check service in the Philippines can run between $400 and $600 USD. Simply hoping for the best can be far more costly, not to mention all the heartache…

All the Best,

S. Birch

© 2006-2008 S. Birch

Proceed With Caution A word of caution about the growing popularity of dating websites and marriage match-making sites catering to the Philippines. During the past 10 years, with the rapid growth and increased access to the Internet, the websites have boomed in number, offering relationships and dating opportunities with beautiful women from the Philippines. The number of sites offering single Philippine women seeking marriage is in the 1000′s, with some of the most popular being those like Cherry Blossoms and many others. Please be aware that NO website, no matter its reputation or claim, is immune from relationship fraud or scams. Relationship fraud can come in the form of advance fee fraud (need help with visa, family emergency, etc) and many others – with the underlying factor always being money in advance. There are many decent women in the Philippines who are honestly seeking a life change, an opportunity to marry a Western man and leave the Philippines. Others, however, are out purely for the monetary gain and recent estimates (U.S. losses alone) are well over $5M USD annual that is going directly to scammers in the Philippines. Many of these fraud operations are ran from Internet cafes and are often managed by men, or committed by men portraying themselves as women. With that said, finding a decent bride or meaningful relationship in the Philippines is certainly possible. However, a professional background check is not only a wise investment financially, but the information uncovered can often bring peace of mind, and save one from a whole lot of heartache. Get her checked out early whenever possible! Some firms, such as Wymoo International, can bring criminal operations to justice in the event that fraud is uncovered. This cannot be overlooked, as many victims (between 80 and 90%) do not report these crimes to the appropriate authorities due to embarrassment or lack of know how to report the crime. Lastly, these scam operations are growing, so please use caution!! If she asks for money and falls in love fast, watch out!! Best of luck as always, A. Hathaway