Internet Dating Fraud.

[Bigbad]

Do you think that people who get conned like this are stupid or just unlucky?

https://www.itv.com/news/2019-08-02/internet-dating-fraudsters-who-conned-women-out-of-240-000-sentenced-to-more-than-a-decade-behind-bars/

[Huderon]

It happens to men too - check out the reports on Professor Paul Frampton who was jailed in Buenos Aires for cocaine smuggling after going there to meet a model he'd been chatting to on line.

Then there was the psychologist Robert Epstein who had an on line affair lasting several months before discovering that the "woman" was in fact a chatbot.

Most people can be conned. What the conman (or woman) needs to do is find something that you want to believe and get you to the point where you do believe and trust them enough to part with your money or, as in the case Prof. Frampton, do something to help your "friend".

Young or old, it makes no difference, and if you think you wouldn't be foolish enough to fall for that, it just means that you haven't yet come across someone who has found your particular triggers and taken you for a ride.

[Bigbad]

“Young or old, it makes no difference, and if you think you wouldn't be foolish enough to fall for that, it just means that you haven't yet come across someone who has found your particular triggers and taken you for a ride.”

I disagree with you there, Huderon.
Whilst I can only speak for myself, I am absolutely certain it couldn’t happen to me.
I’m naturally cautious, and the only people I truly trust are my family. (And there aren’t many of us).
Any phone calls on a matter I haven’t instigated, (I had a call the other day from my bank inviting me in for a review) and the caller is told to send me a letter on headed notepaper. Any obvious scams, and the second word is “off.” Emails are ignored and deleted. If people chose to live their lives on social media and allow total strangers to contact them (or even contact people themselves without doing a bit of research) and some handsome man/beautiful woman claims to have fallen in love with them and then asks for money, then why alarm bells don’t go off is beyond me.
There have been enough reports and warnings of scammers over recent years, so if someone is daft enough to throw all caution to the wind for someone they have never even met, then they’ll get no sympathy from me.

[pixie374]

While most people know to be cautious and have probably heard the stories, they probably also believe it won't happen to them. There are no laws about being naive... these are the victims, not the perpetrators.

[ummmm]

It's been going on much longer than 'recent' years. Just took a bit longer.

[Bigbad]

I know, ummmm.
But because it’s been going on for so long and (some) people have finally got wise, then the reports and warnings have been more prevalent in recent years.

[pixie374]

I don't think that is completely the point though. We all have personal responsibility to protect ourselves from accidents- you wear a seatbelt in the car, look both ways before you cross the road, don't walk along a cliff edge after ten pints etc ... but when another person makes a deliberate decision to rip you off, or whatever, then the blame is entirely with them.

[Bigbad]

Of course it is, pixie, but the ability to be ripped off is the fault of the victim. And of course someone could just as easily be conned by someone they’ve met a few times.
But to be taken in by a few words and a photograph is madness.
Do people tell their family and friends “I’ve met someone online?” Do family and friends advise caution?
And if the potential victim doesn’t tell anyone, is it because they’ve got their doubts, but stick their head in the sand? I know even intelligent people fall prey, but they have to shoulder a lot of the blame.