Ahh..So you found the love of your life? You rush home from work everyday so that you can spend hours talking to her online. You even run into the local Wal-Mart to purchase calling cards in bulk of 10’s. She’s perfect for you; beautiful, naïve yet witty, great smile and she is there only FOR YOU.

Reality Check! Due to the invention of the internet (you know, that thing you are using to read THIS article) girls are using computers in the Philippines at a neck-breaking pace. Hell, I couldn’t even TELL YOU where an Internet café was back in my old hometown! Yet, here in the Philippines they seem to be EVERYWHERE. Additionally, you have sites like Filipinahearts (http://www.filipinahearts.com) and 2MatchU (www.2matchu.com) and even Yahoo! Personals that EASILY put you in contact with these girls. It’s SUPER-easy for you…aaaaaaand it’s super-easy for the thousands of guys like you. Keep that fact in mind because it’s important.

This is not a “Don’t ever send money!” guide, but more of a “Be Cautious of Sending Money” guide. No matter how many times other people may try to BEAT into your head that sending money is a bad idea, we will all eventually succumb to the notion that it is the “right thing to do”. I would be the pot calling the kettle black if I told you not to send money, I was lucky though and know for a fact that it went to the right place AND that the amount I sent was correct (by pure luck).

OK, so you have decided that you will send “your girl” money for whatever reason. You should first and foremost understand exactly what things cost out here. Your average college graduate will start out at an entry-level position (referred to as a “good job”) at around 8,000 to 15,000 Pesos per month. They make enough money to buy some clothes, have their own place (typically a dorm-style setup) buy food and have enough money to occasionally go out with friend. It absolutely KILLS me when I find out that guys are sending their “girl” 40,000 Pesos a month! Your average apartment for a local is anywhere from P2,500-P3,500. Most do not have Air Conditioning (they have a fan) and electricity is minimal. For arguments sake, I am going to say P1,000/month (I am being very liberal). Now, add onto that some food (My friend Arnel told me that most can get by on P100/day and be comfortable) and transportation (P7.50 one-way) and you can see that it’s much cheaper then one realizes. Let’s just assume 30 days with four one-way trips per day (P30) and you get a monthly total of P8,400. Again, this is a girl with her own apartment and living rather comfortably by “local” standards.

Basically what I am saying is this: If the girl REALLY loves you and only you, keeping this pricing in mind would be beneficial as a “test”. I have met quite a few that had obligations to their family (we are talking bargirls now) that was anywhere from P5,000-P7,000. You should treat this as a WARNING SIGN then and there because trust me that obligation WILL NOT go away. The girl may or may not get pleasure out of helping her family but YOU will likely not get her to reverse that decision.

I can tell you from personal experience that I have been in Internet cafes locally and am SEVERLY impressed with these girls’ abilities to work an instant messenger program. I’ve see girls have FIVE conversations going at once without missing a single beat. I’ve read their declarations of love to all 5, hell I maybe even saw YOU on the webcam without you realizing it. To some of these girls (and the number IS growing) their job/way of living is to meet guys online and get money sent to them. I know of one girl in Sabang that was clearing P100,000/month! So how can you spot these girls? It’s relatively easy since almost ALL of them will turn on their webcam for you to see them. Sit back and watch her on the cam. They are not the greatest typing artists in the world and will often times forget that you can see when they laugh at something you didn’t say (meaning someone else wrote it) and/or type with their heads down and you can see that the text is NOT to you. Be weary at this point and I can almost assure you that if you question her on it she will reply that she is talking to her cousin or other family member.

I hate to discourage someone from finding that special someone, but quite frankly this is too dominant of a problem to let it go unmentioned. If you do send money, listen to the “little voice” in your head that I now implanted. Again, I am guilty of sending money but I was lucky in that I sent approx P12,000/month and she insisted I go to her place and never had any “emergencies” come up. I realize some of you can’t fathom living on $400USD/month, but realize that it’s living quite large out here.