Why is there so many greedy people out there falling for all the Nigerian Get -Rich -Scam and Lottery Scams ?

1. Ignorance-many elderly people get sucked into these things (especially the lottery stuff) because they just don't know any better.

2. Greed-they want so badly for it to be true, because they want the money so badly, that they don't think things through well enough.

I've been dealing with scam victims for many years and they are NOT (usually!) greedy.

Yes, there are a few genuinely greedy scam victims, but at best they are naive, usually elderly and getting on-line for the first time and therefore have not seen these scams before.

In fact the majority of scams rely on the victims honesty!

The trouble is that when anyone mentions "Nigerian Scams" most people tend to think of the dead account holder with $$$millions scam - which is the most prolific, has been around a very long time and so is easily recognised.

But there are many other different types of scams - overpaid cheque when selling items online, dying widow (religious angle gets a lot of the 'Bible belt' from the US), orphans in some war-torn country wanting a better life (and who doesn't want that?).

Job scams can hit those looking for work, loans can hit those on low wages and in need of money.

With the Internet becoming cheaper and access becoming easier it is reaching those who are perhaps in the 'poorly educated/low paid' part of society - perfect scammer material.

As for Internet Lottery scams - the victims are greedy? I do the UK lottery every week in the hope that I will win a life changing amount - by definition I am therefore greedy :D

To call all victims of scams 'greedy and stupid' is too simple and really doesn't help matters - few victims of scams report the crime as they are afraid of being labelled 'greedy / stupid' by smug knowalls.

If someone knows the answer to a (e.g.) quiz question and you do not, do you feel 'stupid'? No, you don't.

The same principle applies here to 'knowing it's a scam'

If more sympathy was given to scam victims, then the more would be reported and the true size of the problem would be revealed.

I can't find the link in my PC, but the FBI have estimated that $100 million a year disappears into West Africa through scams.

Additionally, scammers will often re-target paying victims with a 'recovery scam' where (in the guise of some 'official') they will tell the vic that their scammer has been caught and they can recover the money - the victim may well be desperate enough to believe this ruse and if they have not reported their original scam, they will not have been warned about the recovery scam.

Please direct your contempt towards the scammers - taking rent money of a struggling mother (one I know of who eventually lost her home), scamming the deaf and disabled, ripping off those who are selling items (usually cars) online and are in need of a 'quick sell', those with rooms for hire and are just trying to make a few £££ - the scammers will stoop as low as they can and use any selfish ruse (using pictures of genuine cancer victims), in order to get a few £/$/€ from a victim - they are truly the scum of the earth.

...and in the interest of fairness (my ex gf was Nigerian!) no, not all Nigerians are scammers :-)

This isn't being greedy - who wouldn't want Idi Amin's millions that he buried in the back yard and now his widow has picked you from all the billions of people in the world to split it with and all you have to do is send her your bank account information? :)

They send these out to a ton of people in the hope that there's someone that clueless to do this and I assume they do find a few victims :)

KIng Cobra Poker

I'd say because they are

(1) dishonest

and/or

(2) stupid,

with a slight excuse for very naive people who have little experience in the world and think fuzzily.

Some people are either really naive or just plain desperate.