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Nigerian Scammers Claim Another Victim
A Florida newspaper ran a story yesterday about a local retiree who fell hard for a 419 scam. The story goes into depth on the methods used to play on the target's beliefs and gain his confidence - in this case, the target (who lost $320,000) is still having a hard time accepting that they were thieves. Truly remarkable.
This is just simply greed run amuck. Not by the scammer - but by the idiot who fell for it.
I can't feel sorry for this guy in the slightest. This guy was a whole lot of stupid. Just insane to fall for something like that and need to spend $320K to get it.
There is a certain personaility type that has to fall for this no matter where it was from. It's not the internet that has caused this, it's just helped people find more idiots to suck in.
As a rock-in-roll Physicist once said, No matter where you go, there you are.
If it sounds to good to be true it most probably is. period.
I dont know who came up with that line but it holds true time and again.
I can see why he won't admit to having been scammed, and keeps denying that those people were scammers.
At that age and point in my life, if I were to admit that I were completely scammed out of everything I had worked for my entire life because of a scam that has been around for decades, it would probably make me a broken man.
How long can someone that age live with a broken heart?
It's right up there with the lottery.
Pretty Pictures!
I completely agree. While the scammers should not have tried it to start with, anyone stupid enough to be taken in by something so well documented after being warned by the police deserves to loose anything they put in. Why does nobody ever point out this side of the story? It's always like the victim was an innocent bystander, not a greedy moron.
"I think the Lord uses people to do his work," Sessions said. "With that money, we'd be comfortable, and we could do some good things."
This statement is another way to pc package the concept of greed. If only God would let me win the loto I promise I will use it to do the Lords work - after of course making myself "comfortable".
This is exactly why SPAM is thriving and so widespread. Someone, somewhere will fall for anything, no matter how propostrous. A million may complain about SPAM, but it only takes one to buy into the scam. I mean, this one he should have seen a mile away and yet he lost a ton of money. Sad.
"The guy deserved to get scammed! Stupid people should suffer."
Ah, the spirit of Christmas on Slashdot.
He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.
We should be careful when we attack people like this. Did he make a huge mistake? Yes. Was the mistake a result of caving into greed? Yes. However, millions of Americans are currently putting themselves into similar situations by getting deeper and deeper into debt by taking loans to buy luxury items: a new yacht, a larger house, a fancy new car, etc. The evils of debt and the mounting interest costs is well documented, but it happens time and time again.
While you may not have fallen victim to this particular scheme, are you certain that you have not fallen victim to the "must-have" commercialization scheme so prevalent (and legal) today? Yes, this was a very stupid mistake, but we are all just as capable of making equally stupid mistakes (an investment in the next Enron perhaps).
Do not be so quick to judge and save a little room for compassion. If nothing else, think of his wife who has lost so much and may have had little to say in the decision. Consider the difficulties that they will both face in their marriage as they approach their final years in poverty. This is a heartbreaking story. Do not become so cynical that we lose sight of this.
I believe in de-evolution. God made the world perfect, man fell, and its been going downhill ever since!
However, millions of Americans are currently putting themselves into similar situations by getting deeper and deeper into debt by taking loans to buy luxury items: a new yacht, a larger house, a fancy new car, etc. The evils of debt and the mounting interest costs is well documented, but it happens time and time again.
We're not laughing at this dumbass for getting into debt. We're laughing at him for spending three times his monetary worth on something that police had already told him was fake.
While you may not have fallen victim to this particular scheme, are you certain that you have not fallen victim to the "must-have" commercialization scheme so prevalent (and legal) today?
Not to the tune of a third of a million dollars, not once the police had told me not to, and certainly not to sixteen credit cards, two sold cars and a doubly mortgaged house.
I do feel a bit dumb about my $50 electric razor. That's maybe a different caliber of dumb.
but we are all just as capable of making equally stupid mistakes (an investment in the next Enron perhaps).
Did the police tell you not to invest in Enron? Did you hear about Enron via email? Did you invest triple the amount of money you actually had, risking corporate funds loaned to you, on Enron?
If nothing else, think of his wife who has lost so much and may have had little to say in the decision.
I'm not laughing at her. I feel awful for her.
This is a heartbreaking story. Do not become so cynical that we lose sight of this.
Heartbreaking, yes. Uproariously funny, yes. I wouldn't think it was funny if he hadn't been specifically told by the fucking authorities.
StoneCypher is Full of BS
Uh, it is the creditors responsibility to only grant credit to those that can afford it. The fact that they gave a guy the ability to borrow 320,000 without the chance to repay it is what makes me think about who the true dumbass is in this story: the bank. The guy will file for bankruptcy next week, and they'll (the banks) will be the ones paying for thier greed.