Shopping spree scammer is a variety of a scammer-loner who will go through the trouble of letting you visit her in her home town, and will spend time with you as if she was for real. Her goal is to make you spend as much money on her as possible. Such scammers often have men lined up for several months ahead: one victim leaves, and another arrives. They will have you buy them expensive gifts, take them to nice places, etc., etc. They will do all they can to keep you interested without making any commitments. They might even talk about engagement and marriage, but will never go so far as to begin the fiancée visa paperwork – after all, they are not interested in marrying you. If they can get you to go back home in the happy delusion of having found your love and possibly come to visit them again, they will. If not, they will find an excuse and break the “relationship.”
The only way to protect yourself from such scammers is to keep your eyes open and try to get to know the woman you are writing to as best as you can. An honest Russian woman will be very careful with your money. She will make sure you don’t overspend, she won’t take you to the most expensive shops and restaurants. Even as you are planning your trip, you will notice whether she is trying to keep your expenses down or not.
Another thing you can try is running her full name through anti-scam websites (you can find a list of them at www.rwguide.com), but if she has not yet been caught or reported, that will do nothing.