Elena Pismena (Poltava, Ukraine)

I am a 53 yrs old Norwegian widower residing in Spain. I contacted Elena through an English catalogue-in-the-mail agency, whose ad I found in The Times around new year. I bought her address, including phone and E-mail for five Pounds, sent a comprehensive letter + photos, and waited. After two weeks I phoned her, and we hit it off right away. Although she is only 32 she was looking for men up into the 50s, and had no problems with my looks, rather the opposite. Her English is quite good when spoken, not so good when written ... which is exceptional. We mailed and talked on the phone for three months. She was enthusiastic about coming to Spain, told me that she worked in a Poltava bank, and could supply  Russian / Ucrainian customers if we were to set up a real estate business (which I am into to some extent). This woman sounded so resourceful and creative that I did not suspect her of anything. In fact I am still at a loss to understand why she decided to screw it all up like this ... she did not have to resort to criminality to get by in the world, she would do all right in any environment. What a waste! Anyway I sent her €1000 for air fare and other expenses. She told me she booked a tourist trip at Intourist, and had to wait for the Visa application to get through, having an interview at the Spanish embassy in Kiew in three weeks' time. Then she suddenly told me that she had lost her job at the bank because the manager was furious with her plans to go to Spain and disapproved at her having put some real estate magazines on display there (I had never told her to do such a thing). So all of a sudden she was jobless and pennyless. She was still going to come to Spain, and moved to Kiew (she said) in order to make the  final arrangements. I sent her €500 more for contigencies. Then she dropped contact. After a while I contacted a detective agency in Lugansk. They informed me that Elena had indeed lived at the Poltava address, but had disappeared when the detectives began sniffing around. The money had been partly used for refitting doors and windows in the flat. She never went to Kiew, never booked with Intourist, never had an appointment with the Spanish embassy. Her mother, the owner of the Poltava flat, was evidently an accessory to this, along with an elusive person by the name of Sergej. Elena seems to have played this game for at least three years. The oldest pictures I found of her date from March 2000. I am now, with the aid of the detective agency, preparing a formal complaint.

Letter:

Our investigators provided a background check in Poltava, Ukraine due to your order and found out the following information:  1) Elena Pismenna was a  customer of www.pi.net.ua (an Internet provider in Poltava called POLTAVAINFOCOM). After getting a dial-up connection this Internet provide  offers its clients to use: a mail server (SMTP, POP3, IMAP) with address @pi.net.ua it means that Elena Pismenna has a dial-up Internet connection (Internet access) at her apartment because she could get an e-mail box yelena@pi.net.ua only in case when she was a client of this Internet provider. We are sorry to  inform you, but she didn't use any Internet cafe to write you because she had an Internet access at home.  2) Elena Pismenna resides at : per. Horolskiy, 12-103, Poltava, 36034 Ukraine phone number 00380-532 666493. This apartment belongs to her mother as well as a phone number.  3) Elena Pismenna was in Poltava at the time of accepting your order (Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18), but she suddenly left for Kiev, Ukraine having told not a single word to anyone. As her mother told our investigators, Elena left for Kiev for 2 or 3 weeks.  4) We don't know for sure yet if Elena has worked for Privatbank, Poltava, Ukraine. We have unofficial evidences that Elena didn't work at Privatbank, Poltava. But UaDetective agency is waiting for a Privatbank answer for our official request about it.  5) It's become known that Elena is communicating with men; people who know her told our investigators about a man called Sergei.  We enclose photos of a house where Elena's apartment is. As far as our investigators could see, Elena's apartment is under repair now: the front door and windows were changed for more modern and safer ones. We can suppose that changing the door and window sets cost owners about $700-$750. Financial source of this repair is unknown: Elena's mother doesn't work, Elena seems not to work too, because she can easily leave for Kiev for 2 or 3 weeks which can never be a business trip (a common business trip in Ukraine is about 3-9 days), bank accountants can have business trips only in the case when they have a seminar or a conference for a day or two. IIDear Mr. WIGGEN: Subject: Second report  The Embassy of Spain in Ukraine didn't confirm the fact of applying for a visa and getting visa by Elena Pismenna.  The travel agency Intourist Kiev had never had a client named Elena Pismenna from Poltava, Ukraine within the period from February till April.  Elena Pismenna wasn't an  official worker (accountant) for Privatbank, Poltava due to staff register. Privatbank takes active steps for broading its activity that's why there were any staff shortening. On the contrary they are hiring new people. Elena Pismenna's mother hide information about the place where her daughter stayed at. Our investigators checked all the state and private hotels, and rentals. No person named Elena Pismenna stayed there since the period since May 19, 2003 to May 30, 2003. Respectfully yours, Svetlana Ivanova Chief Consultant  UaDetective Agency TSV