It used to be that you had to travel to explore the 'virgin' hinterlands of far off regions, where one might loose him or herself in a fantasy forbidden.  This was probably the driving force behind many of history's explorations. 

The internet is now the latest bridge between worlds.  All of a sudden, Africans from the Diaspora can reach out and virtually touch Africans on the land.  Because the propaganda machine is what it is and illusions have been created the size of craters in our brain, Africans in the Diaspora are an easy target for the seasoned 'surfer'.   In one case a man spent $17,000 in wire transfers before he became suspicious enough to investigate, by which time he was tapped financially and emotionally.  In another, a woman traveled to Russia to meet her would-be-lover, only to spend 2 weeks in the cold, alone.  Both of these cases were Africans born in the Diaspora.  For their sakes I must reveal the 'game'.

It is really quite simple.  For those seeking love on-line, especially from a place where you do not know the people, nor can you verify their stories, you subject yourself to likely disappointment, to put it lightly.  First and foremost, this 'game' is dominated by males.  The women are mainly used for pictures or brought in to sit in front of the web-cam to give their male suitors the assurance that he got a 'winner'.  But the correspondences are all done by males, in most cases, to other males, who pour out their hearts and bank accounts to a new brand of 'internet-pimps'.  Furthermore, there is no crime associated with internet love.  The only exchanges are written promises, of which we all make and break everyday, without any penalty.  The fact that some are willing to pay large sums of money to support their internet affairs is a matter of choice and not a concern of the law.  Fraud, though it is, it can be argued that those engaging in this form of socialization often bend the facts to present themselves in the  best light and thus, the seller is no more fraudulent than the buyer.  Second, due to the infiltration/imposition of Western 'norms', your chances of meeting a purer, more innocent partner from the African continent, on-line, is highly unlikely.  Africans marvel at outsiders' ignorance of Africa, but have no qualms capitalizing on it.  Innocence is masterfully feigned by conniving players willing to exploit the naïve, desperate, on-line, love-searcher. 

Internet scams coming out of Africa, in general, are not love-related and are generally  targeted towards Europeans, Lebanese, Asians, etc., who for years have exploited our resources and are thus accustomed to some of the unbelievable profit margins that are offered for little or no work.  A person, not driven by greed, is not a likely victim.  For instance, I met a guy who used this website to source accommodations and then a visa.  Upon arrival, he tried every way to avoid paying a small balance of $50, only to be found, one month later, lamenting, literally crying in his hotel room, holding a bag of dust, bronze dust, for which he paid $10,000, thinking he was getting gold.  One scammer revealed that he has no sympathy for such victims, as they swindled our forefathers for years without the least bit of conscience. My feelings exactly.  But my people, come on....please.