Nigerian Scammer Raid

[M-26-7]

It's not always just stupid people who get ripped off it's also old, stupid people.
"Oh that poor Nigerian, better get out the ol' penny purse....and give him my SS number."
Old people are easily scammed and think about how many old people in the US there are.
Old people are scammers target demographic; seniors often have lots of money and are willing to give it away to anyone who they think care about them.

[Seal]

Well since this thread has been bumped, my 2 cents.

No crime should be justifiable on the basis of their success. Period. We should feel empathy for those victimized, not apathy. That these people were naive to begin with just makes the situation a sad and pathetic one.

My mom almost fell for a phishing scam once. She literally was about to /register/ with this bank that had "lost" her information, because she didn't have an account with them. My mom is not a stupid person. But she is technically challenged (she thinks that turning off the monitor means shutting down the computer, she can't tell the difference between a URL and email address, etc.), but she is by no means a stupid person. Nor is she rich by any stretch. So maybe until you realize how people close to you can be victims do you not see how no one deserves to lose their money to what amounts to professional con artists.

[Jordan]

I'm 18 and still don't know where I've been sending the money or what it is being used for. 

[.]

I'm 18 and still don't know where I've been sending the money or what it is being used for. 

Isn't that Hustler.com?

[MattGSX]

I think another part of the reason that people fall for phishing scams is that it plays to people's sense of importance. Even if they are attracted to the money, they're also attracted to the idea of playing key man/woman in some Hollywood-style heist that goes against a corrupt 3rd-word government.

My two cents.

[Koschei]

Well since this thread has been bumped, my 2 cents.

No crime should be justifiable on the basis of their success. Period. We should feel empathy for those victimized, not apathy. That these people were naive to begin with just makes the situation a sad and pathetic one.

My mom almost fell for a phishing scam once. She literally was about to /register/ with this bank that had "lost" her information, because she didn't have an account with them. My mom is not a stupid person. But she is technically challenged (she thinks that turning off the monitor means shutting down the computer, she can't tell the difference between a URL and email address, etc.), but she is by no means a stupid person. Nor is she rich by any stretch. So maybe until you realize how people close to you can be victims do you not see how no one deserves to lose their money to what amounts to professional con artists.

seal, you describe an idea that david wong writes about here

here's an excerpt:

"4. The Monkeysphere?

Yes, the Monkeysphere. That's the group of people who each of us, using our monkeyish brains, are able to conceptualize as people. If the monkey scientists are monkey right, it's physically impossible for this to be a number larger than 150. Most of us do not have room in our Monkeysphere for our friendly neighborhood Sanitation Worker. So, we don't think of him as a person. We think of him The Thing That Makes The Trash Go Away."