First name, Last name: Irina Pirogova
Country, City: Ukraine, Lebedyn, Sumy
Telephone: +380 99 847 82 03
Scheme fraud:
Fake trip to Warsaw and “sister’s” PayPal account
The scammer presents herself as Irina Pirogova, a young blonde woman from Lebedyn in the Sumy region, allegedly working as a cook in a café. To look like a genuine, successful girl, she uses a series of model-style photos (in a garden, in cafés, in pretty dresses) and sends a picture of a Ukrainian international passport in the name of IRINA PIROGOVA. She runs an Telegram profile under the handle @iri2806, communicates by phone and messenger, and uses the Ukrainian number +380 99 847 82 03. On calls she sounds friendly, polite and “honest”, which disarms the man and lowers his defenses. At this stage it is already important to learn how to detect lies in online dating conversations and pay attention to small inconsistencies.
After a few weeks of chatting, she suggests a meeting in Warsaw and moves the story toward money. First she asks for 300 euros for her trip, which the man sends via PayPal. During the payment he notices that the funds are not going to Irina but to another name – Nataliia Azarina. She explains this by saying it is her “sister’s account.” The PayPal address used is ppay89688@gmail.com. At the same time she mentions her “sister” Nataliia Azarina in photos and even asks to “check” her as well, creating the impression of a big, normal family and everyday life.
As the meeting date gets closer, the scammer claims she has visited a travel agency (she refuses to give its name) and was told she must have at least 200 euros in cash to cross the border into Poland. She refers to real border rules about minimum financial means so that her request sounds plausible. She insists that without this 200 euros she will not be allowed to leave Ukraine, so she asks him to send more money urgently because she is “leaving tomorrow morning.” When he asks for a picture of the ticket she allegedly bought, she answers that it is “electronic only” and that she cannot take a photo of it – a clear red flag.
This builds a classic Ukrainian romance scam: a set of professional or stolen photos, intensive chatting and calls to build trust, a photo of a “Ukrainian passport” as proof she is real, then an initial transfer to a “sister” via PayPal, followed by an urgent second payment supposedly required for crossing the border. Once the money is received, the meeting in Warsaw is very unlikely to happen and the man risks sitting in another country alone, without the girl and without his money. In similar cases a victim should involve a trusted local team such as Mission Kyiv – your trusted local partner in Ukraine to verify travel agencies, tickets and documents before paying for anything.
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