So should I give them more money...?

[earl colby pottinger]

The one that got me on Judge Judy, was the woman who lied to her friend because she knew her friend would not give her money for sending away on such a scheme. She figures she would pay her back from the million dollars she would get. Even in court she thought she had a chance to get the money.

I think it is this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJEpKxzkkKQ

[MoonCat]

Almost makes you long for the old days when the scammer would knock on your door, and he'd be all nice and neat in a suit and tie, selling magazines for college money. You'd give him $20 and never see him, or the magazines, again.

Yep, my mom fell for one of those (I think it was $10) and I still remember her saying "And he looked like such a nice young man!"

[manybellsdown]

419 scammers are some of the lowest of the low. I had a client whose uncle (I believe he was in his 70's) had sent thousands of dollars in the sincere belief that he would be getting a million dollars back

I've been getting one along the lines of "This is the government of Nigeria. We're so very sorry that people from our country have been scamming you, so we're going to send you $10,000,000 to reimburse you."

It's pretty funny to read some of the websites that bait these guys back, though.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Almost makes you long for the old days when the scammer would knock on your door, and he'd be all nice and neat in a suit and tie, selling magazines for college money. You'd give him $20 and never see him, or the magazines, again.

I had the opposite happen a long time ago. A kid came to the door selling local newspaper subscriptions, and giving away a set of glasses as a bonus. I signed up, got the glasses, and never got the newspapers or a bill.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Almost makes you long for the old days when the scammer would knock on your door, and he'd be all nice and neat in a suit and tie, selling magazines for college money. You'd give him $20 and never see him, or the magazines, again.

Yep, my mom fell for one of those (I think it was $10) and I still remember her saying "And he looked like such a nice young man!"

Just dropping this here:

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I AGREE

[raudf]

I have apparently won a lot of overseas lotteries that I have never entered. I have also be approached by so many people fleeing their countries and wanting to get their fortunes out. I have had many dirt cheap cruises offered... or won.

If I had a penny for every one of the scams, I'd be legitimately rich.

My late mother-in-law fell for some idiot who said he'd cut the grass in her yard and cut down the tree in her yard and that she owed him $150. She fell for it... of course she was middle stages Alzheimer's. We'd had a friend cut her grass and the tree had been down for years. *sigh* Needless to say, that was a cluster f@ck.

[CarcinogenCrunchies]

A similar thing happened to me once. First I got a call from a man with a very thick accent asking if we sold GreenDot cards. Awhile later an older gentleman came in to get a GreenDot card for $300. At this point I still didn't think much of it.

An hour or so later, the same guy came in to get another $300 card. He said he had gotten a telephone call offering him a large loan for a small processing fee, and now they needed another fee for insurance. I told the customer that it was very likely a scam, but he still wanted to do it. Nothing I said could convince him that he was being robbed of his money and would never see the loan. I even called the police and had them talk to the guy. They advised him to come to the station and file a report.

The guy's response? "Yeah, you're probably right. I should go down there and talk to the police. But can I just buy that card first so I don't have to get a ride back here?" I finally just refused. I may have been a little pushy about telling him that I wasn't selling him anything, so he needed to leave. Rude, maybe, but I just didn't feel right about it.

Then the phone calls started. The customer must have told the scammer that I refused to sell him the card, because the man with the accent called and started cussing me out. I hung up and he called right back again, at least half a dozen times, just to say, "Fook you. You are a sohnofabeetch. Fook you!" He was clearly NOT happy that I'd interrupted his cash flow.

In conclusion, yes, people DO fall for it. Amazing but true.

[Mr Hero]

Almost makes you long for the old days when the scammer would knock on your door, and he'd be all nice and neat in a suit and tie, selling magazines for college money. You'd give him $20 and never see him, or the magazines, again.

I had a reply to this, but Irv beat me to it.

A similar thing happened to me once. First I got a call from a man with a very thick accent asking if we sold GreenDot cards. Awhile later an older gentleman came in to get a GreenDot card for $300. At this point I still didn't think much of it.

Rude? Possibly, but there are worse things to have happen than someone being impolite to you. I don't think anyone (besides the scammers) would object to what you had to do.

[otakuneko]

I think it is this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJEpKxzkkKQ

There must be a special place in hell for people who not only record TV with a video camera, but record it on a cell phone WHILE HOLDING IT VERTICALLY.

[BlaqueKatt]

This sort of naiivete is pretty understandable<snip>
18 y/o me was not very smart...
And it really hurts to hear how much the SC gave away to these folks. T-T

My partner's sister is currently being scammed by a "revolutionary" new <product based pyramid scheme>, and refuses to believe it-so far $700 and an upcoming $5000.00 seminar(she's on unemployment and certain she'll be making 6 figures in mere weeks) (they use tactics right out of cult brainwashing manuals)

They're deliberately targeting MINORS and college age, so if anyone knows anyone in that age group and wants to know about the company-pm me I won't publicly post the name because they do "vanity searches" and group spam any negative information about their "CULTure*", and I don't want to bring that down here.

*yes they use the phrase "it's not a cult it's a culture" to deflect.

[Captain Trips]

My partner's sister is currently being scammed by a "revolutionary" new <product based pyramid scheme>, and refuses to believe it-so far $700 and an upcoming $5000.00 seminar(she's on unemployment and certain she'll be making 6 figures in mere weeks) (they use tactics right out of cult brainwashing manuals)

They're deliberately targeting MINORS and college age, so if anyone knows anyone in that age group and wants to know about the company-pm me I won't publicly post the name because they do "vanity searches" and group spam any negative information about their "CULTure*", and I don't want to bring that down here.

*yes they use the phrase "it's not a cult it's a culture" to deflect.

Did a Google search on the slogan. Company name starts with the letter between u and w? Tell her to Google it for herself. Doesn't look good.

[BlaqueKatt]

Did a Google search on the slogan. Company name starts with the letter between u and w? Tell her to Google it for herself. Doesn't look good.

yup, unfortunately their "mentors"(who want their cash), instruct the "newbies" to cut out all "negative" people as "haters" or "dream crushing sellouts"(and that is "anyone saying anything negative about <scammer company>), and give them pre-scripted "replies" to any criticism of <scammer company limited>

She barely speaks to her own family because we told her the truth, and for the time being, she lives with her mom and brother(and me), and derides us for having jobs that keep a roof over her head.

[manybellsdown]

yup, unfortunately their "mentors"(who want their cash), instruct the "newbies" to cut out all "negative" people as "haters" or "dream crushing sellouts"(and that is "anyone saying anything negative about <scammer company>), and give them pre-scripted "replies" to any criticism of <scammer company limited>

She barely speaks to her own family because we told her the truth, and for the time being, she lives with her mom and brother(and me), and derides us for having jobs that keep a roof over her head.

Ugh that cognitive dissonance. It's one hell of a drug.

[Jay 2K Winger]

*yes they use the phrase "it's not a cult it's a culture" to deflect.

A culture is also something in which you grow fungus and single-celled organisms.

[otakuneko]

She barely speaks to her own family because we told her the truth, and for the time being, she lives with her mom and brother(and me), and derides us for having jobs that keep a roof over her head.

Sounds like it's time for an intervention.