Sorry to hear about your sad tell.
My son also fell but for a Hungarian girl, this was around 7 years ago.
I actually liked her but my Hungarian husband and mother-in-law thought something wasn't right about her or her family.My son wouldn't listen to his father and was taken in by her for around 3 years.
He met her in Hungary and was introduced by a older retired American man that lived in Hungary.i made many excuses for her strange behavior because being a typical American myself, we always feel for the stray puppies and underdogs.
My son supported her and her mother for over three years by sending hundreds of dollars every month to her while they were engaged.
he finally was able to spend a year with her and her mom in Hungary before their wedding. He actually got cold feet on their first wedding day and almost got away from her spell.
unfortuantly, he didn't leave her and got married in Hungary a few months later, he just wouldn't listen to his father about her bad charactor and bad mood swings. She actually hit my son on the head so hard that she broke her own hand! Very bad tempered and pushy with him.
After they came to the US from Hun gary, they were divorced within 2 months time. She was running around with everyone in Las Vegas while my son was working and then she had the nerve to call the police on him and have him thrown into jail when he slapped her face, that's all he did when he caught her kissing another man right in front of him.
She went out the same day he was arrested and changed the locks on their apt. and stole his car, a car he bought long before he met her.
We are so glad to have her out of our lives, she was a nightmare.
As you say, it isn't every women that is only looking for a free ride out of a bad situation but there are many that are seeking out a poor sucker to use up.
We still love Hungary and plan on living there permenatly but our son now has a sour taste in his mouth about the women of Hungary,next time he comes to visit Hungary to see us, we will be keeping our eyes out for a nice girl and not a user for him.
EDIT: When we were at the courthouse here in Las Vegas getting the charges against our son straightened out, the court baylif said to me that it was a shame, she saw this happening just about everyday, American men being arrested on BS spouse abuse charges so that the women could get support form women groups and the laws to be able to stay in the states and not be sent home because of a "fake" marriage.It is almost like they take a course on American law before they seek out their victim.
At the time of his marriage disastor, our son was a nice looking 24 year old kid and his wife was 23.He was not experienced much with women at that time and was an easy target.It isn't only old men that can make fools of themselves.