Manawatu mum, son lose $200k to Nigerian scam

I was just blogging about people who lack skepticism. Some people cling to lies to avoid feeling stupid after they are tricked. Right wingers who still think Iraq had something to do with 9/11 are one example. Assuming the story is true, here's another example:

... The 71-year-old woman has lost about $70,000 in retirement savings and her son, 46, owes more than $100,000 for his contribution to "a very believable" scam, which has played out during the past 18 months. ...


To add to their woes, the police cannot do anything. The pair not only voluntarily gave the money away, they continue to do so.

The pair are trusting who they believe to be the Central Bank of Nigeria to "investigate" the fraudulent email scam and have paid a further $10,000 for the privilege.

The woman fervently believes the "Nigerian bank" won't let her down "I trust them," she said and maintains some of the emails were legitimate. Meanwhile, they incurred "late fees" for not getting an application to the bank in time.

Yesterday, sitting in her living room filled with hundreds of collectible porcelain dolls, the woman spoke of her rapport with the scammers, how they often exchanged information about family members and "day-to-day banter". - stuff