England fans at World Cup 2018 in Russia face being drugged and ripped off by beautiful women in marriage scams and crooks posing as cops
Typically, the Russian scammers send a picture of a beautiful woman and ask for postage money, eventually conning victims out of thousands of pounds
THREE Lions fans could face being ripped off by crooks posing as cops and jaw-droppingly beautiful women in marriage scams when they travel to Russia for the World Cup.
Crooks are also known to spike tourists' drinks with drugs so they can be robbed or even sexually abused and pickpockets are rife.
The Foreign Office has now launched its "Be on the Ball" campaign, aimed at informing supporters how to keep safe.
It comes amid fears fake marriage fraudsters may try and seduce travelling fans via dating sites prior to their arrival.
Previous cases show scammers work these sites, and bleed the trusting blokes dry.
Typically, the woman sends a picture of themselves and then begin asking for small amounts of cash for postage and for a friend with good English to write letters or for computer software to chat online.
And they increase the requests for cash - with some men handing over thousands of pounds without ever meeting the women.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice adds: "Take care if you are using a dating service.
"A number of British nationals have been the victims of fraud. Be wary of sending money via untraceable transfer services.
"There have been instances where British nationals have lost money by sending money to an unknown recipient without checking they were genuine."
And Tony Neate, CEO at Get Safe Online, said: "The minute someone you’ve met online asks you for money, alarm bells should start ringing.
"Sadly, these types of 'romance' scams happen all the time; the fraudsters story might be different but it always involves them asking for cash so we urge football fans to keep their wits about them.
"You wouldn’t hand over cash to someone you’d never met in real life so why would you do it to someone you’ve just started talking to online."
The UK government is also warning that St Petersburg - where England fans are expected to base themselves - is one of the country’s crime capitals.
Travel advice states: "In St Petersburg there have been reports of street crime where tourists have been specifically targeted.
"These crimes are carried out by well organised gangs. Be aware of pickpockets in the main tourist areas and around the main railway concourses.
"Bogus police officers have harassed and robbed tourists. If you are stopped always insist on seeing identification.
"The spiking of drinks does happen and can lead to robbery, violence and/or abuse.
"Unconscious victims are often left outside, which can be life threatening in the winter months. Buy your own drinks and keep sight of them at all times."
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