I know it can work but I have also heard stories. My sister had a friend who fell in love with a woman in Russia with a young boy. He traveled to Russia and met her in person. I think maybe two times. They talked quite a bit. Finally, they agreed that she and her son would come to America to be with him. He bought their tickets but right before their trip here she called to say her son was very sick. He needed to be hospitalized but she did not have insurance or the money needed. He ended up sending her money for his care. After a few weeks, he was and they replanned the trip. He was waiting for them at the airport but they never showed. He never heard from her again or could reach her. In total, he had given her $50,000. Was he foolish to give so much money? I would say yes but he loved her and truly thought her son was ill. He could have flown over there to verify but I'm sure she made the need seem urgent. That's the risk in these situations. The person is too far away to easily check on the truthfulness of their stories.
Personally, I would need a gradual increase in time spent together to make that type of decision. Trying to do so over the phone and with a couple of visits would be very difficult. Part of that is me. I am not used to living with someone so gradually spending more and more time together would be needed for me to see how I felt. Many people already know they are ok with that and would not need the same build-up I would need.
