Tetiana Dryhola

Scam Pattern: “Tetiana Dryhola”

The reported case involves a romance scam where a Russian fraudster used the false identity “Tetiana Dryhola,” pretending to be a Ukrainian woman from Poltava. She targeted men on popular dating platforms such as Match.com, quickly attempting to move communication to WhatsApp using the number +380 93 154 3977. Once emotional trust was established, she began requesting money under the pretext of travel and bureaucratic problems.

How the scam unfolded

• Initial contact: The scammer approached the victim through Match.com under a fake name (possibly “Vera”) and used stolen photos.
• Transition to private chat: She persuaded the victim to continue communication via WhatsApp, avoiding the dating platform’s security filters.
• First request: Claimed she wanted to visit the victim in Eastbourne, England, and asked for money to purchase a flight ticket.
• Payment via MoneyGram: The victim transferred £780 (≈ 43,677.90 UAH) on October 16, 2025 — which she successfully collected.
• Second request: Shortly after, she claimed she couldn’t obtain a new biometric passport because of tax debts from a bankrupt business, and demanded an additional £4,500 (≈ 251,987 UAH) to “pay off the debt” before being allowed to travel.

Tactics used

• False identity: Pretended to be Ukrainian, using a Ukrainian phone number and a fabricated backstory tied to Poltava.
• Emotional manipulation: Expressed strong affection and used romantic language to build trust and urgency.
• Pressure and excuses: Created bureaucratic obstacles (visa, passport debt) to justify repeated money requests.
• Use of alternative payment systems: Chose MoneyGram to avoid traceable international banking transactions.

Common red flags

• Requests to leave the dating platform for WhatsApp or Telegram.
• Excuses involving “tax debts” or “passport problems.”
• Repeated emotional confessions early in communication.
• Demands for transfers via MoneyGram, Western Union, or cryptocurrency.

Additional case: French victim (Meetic, alias “Bianca” from Caen)

One victim from France reported that the same scammer operated on the dating site Meetic under the first name “Bianca”, supposedly living in Caen (France). Once the contact was established, she quickly admitted that she actually lived in Ukraine and asked whether this was a problem to continue the relationship. Her script was smooth and designed to make the man feel safe and understood before any financial requests appeared.

Victim testimony (translated from French): “This person used Meetic, a dating site. She used the first name Bianca, living in Caen (France). Once the contact was established, she very quickly admitted to living in Ukraine and asked if it was a problem to continue the conversation. Her speech was very skillful and made the man trust her – that is how the scam started.”

Example of typical message she sent (originally in French)

Below is an example of the kind of emotional message she used, mixing war stories, fear and “lost tickets” to keep the victim engaged and guilty:

“Bonjour mon amour. Enfin, j’ai eu la possibilité de t’écrire. L’internet n’est apparu que maintenant. Cette nuit a été très effrayante, il y a eu énormément d’explosions. Mais maintenant, je vais bien. Malheureusement, tous les billets ont été perdus et je n’ai pas pu me faire rembourser. Comment vas-tu ? Qu’est-ce que tu fais en ce moment ? J’espère que tout va bien. Tu me manques énormément. Maintenant je vais aller chez ma tante, là-bas l’internet fonctionne. Et si l’internet marche, je t’écrirai, mon amour. Tu me manques tellement. Je t’aime et je t’envoie beaucoup de bisous.”

In English: “Hello my love. At last I managed to write to you. The internet only appeared now. Last night was very frightening, there were many explosions. But now I’m fine. Unfortunately, all the tickets were lost and I could not get a refund. How are you? What are you doing now? I hope everything is fine. I miss you terribly. Now I’m going to my aunt’s place, the internet works there. If the internet works, I will write to you, my love. I miss you so much. I love you and send you many kisses.”

Conclusion

This case clearly fits a standard romance scam pattern: establishing emotional attachment, creating urgency through fabricated problems, and exploiting the victim’s empathy for financial gain. The fraud was professionally staged with realistic documents and consistent storytelling.

Verified identity uncovered

Our investigative team confirmed that the person behind the alias “Tetiana Dryhola” is in fact a Russian national operating under multiple fake identities. For confidentiality and legal reasons, only limited details are shown below. Full verified data — including her real name, birth date, registration address, phone, and online accounts — are available through our paid Identity Verification Report.

Disclaimer: This report is based on verified investigative findings and victim testimony. Sensitive personal data is masked in accordance with data protection regulations. Full unredacted details are available only to verified clients who purchase the complete investigation report.