“You can’t con an honest man.”
Fully agree with that sentiment. My problem is a naive person getting scammed. A casual friend of mine, a woman in her early fifties with three grown children, has been corresponding with someone supposedly from Ghana. He apparently has led her to believe if she goes over there, they will marry and she will be taken care of for the rest of her life. She is largely indigent, unable to work because of a disability. She talked a lot about this guy, who is half her age and supposedly non-observant Muslim. I had concerns but figured what harm could it do? I warned her about scams and let it go.
But last Sunday, when I picked her up for church, she explained what a hassle she had the day before selling off her gold jewelry and sending the funds (more than $300) to Ghana. Seems it needed to go by Western Union and, “shoot, I lost my birth certificate and passport, can you send it in the name of my uncle?” When I asked her why she sent him money, she said he was going to pay for her airline ticket to Ghana and she wanted to help out however she could. I gave her a stern warning that she was likely be scammed but I have little hope she will see it. She’s a sweet lady but lonely and desperate for someone to care for her.
Sad story really. But the fact remains, she’s not being honest with herself. Prayers for your friend.
One of my neighbors is an old lady on SS, recently widowed and left with a ton of bills. She’s doing crafts like microwave potato bakers, embroidery etc, to stay afloat. She recently made a sale for about $100 worth of stuff and got a cashier’s check for $1,000. When the buyer was contacted (via email) he said just return the overage with the goods. I did everything but jump through a flaming hoop warning her and thankfully she listened. She did return the check and said “Send the right amount and I’ll ship the same day.” Never heard from the creep again.