How Could She Be So Gullible?

[piggynose]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-54613937

[andy-hughes]

Never underestimate the power of isolation.

[Bobbisox1]

Everyone at sometime has fallen into the gullible-trap, I'd defy most to say otherwise but it serves to make you stronger and more aware

[Prudie]

And never underestimate the power of charm, especially in the wrong hands. I remember lots of regulars were charmed by LCG's maggot, he was very popular.

[LadyCG]

//no not unmindful. Hurt, lonely, vulnerable.//

Yes, hurt, lonely and vulnerable ... and totally unmindful ...

[Boto]

Yes she was vulnerable but really £320000! It’s the amount I find unbelievable, that anyone would give away that sort of money to someone they didn’t (or even did) know. We are warned all the time about this sort of thing.

[Jackdaw33]

I have just searched bobjugs12. I see what you mean by 'charmer'. I believe he was ex-RAF - a disgrace to the service.

[Cloverjo]

They start with small requests and you trust them. They gradually ramp it up until you’ve lost the lot.

When I younger I was daft enough to go off on my bike at night to fetch my “boyfriend” £100 from the cash machine because it was ‘my fault’ he was upset and spent his mum’s bill money in the bookies. He promised to pay it back but there was always an excuse. His wages hadn’t come through, his daughter was in hospital so he had to buy her flowers etc.
Thankfully I saw sense before it went further than £100.
It’s loneliness and vulnerability.

[Old_Geezer]

I accept that one can be caught off guard in certain circumstances, but some things are such a massive red flag that it beggars belief it ever comes off.

But in fairness, no one asks to be gullible. And as one ages it seems some just get more trusting. Some at an earlier age than others, apparently. We are all victims to what our brains tell us to do.

[rowanwitch]

I tried a find an older person dating site, within hours I was inundated with profiles of people who would never in a million years look to date an over weight ,overage woman. A standard response of just to let you know I haven't inherited a lot of money from my late husband had them blocking further correspondence within the hour. I recommend this as a scum filter

[Bobbisox1]

I remember 'bobjugs' if you're out there looking in , you're scum!!

[Samuraisan]

Funny how it is inherited money, not hard earned. I think if you have worked for it, it's harder to part with.

[Jackdaw33]

His AB account is still active, although he hasn't posted for eight years.

[AuntPollyGrey]

I'd go further and say not gullible but mentally unstable. No one in their right mind hands over that amount of money.

[Cloverjo]

APG, £320,000 in one go would be mad, but these men know how to start low, gain trust and gradually turn the screw.

[Old_Geezer]

So... plenty of time to cotton on then.

[Cloverjo]

There are so many stories like this. You’d think people would cotton on, but ...

[alavahalf]

My last job involved me being asked by the Police to go out to victims of crime and improve their security after they had been scammed and robbed. Many of these crimes made the National News.
Most people will have no idea of what it is liked to be duped on your own doorstep .. and I can still hear those imortal words .. "I never thought it could happen to me."
All of these victims were retired, some were vulnerable and most were just ordinary people.
They had random callers turn up on their doorstep, who had every excuse for being there .. 'you have water running out of your roof' .. 'is Bob in'.. I am collecting the bag for the charity.. I collect knapkin rings, do you have any odd ones... we are from the water board... I just seen someone climb over your fence .. I am so sorry but my daughter needs to use the toilet. He had lovely pictures of his children .. He was a very nice man and wore a blazer.. You have a very nice garden. The list of excuses goes on and on, you can't blame the victim, someone has set out to perform a scam and as a rule it wont be their first offence. Nobody is sacred and they will use any means to get your cash.
This crime is only getting exposure because of the amount of money involved .. the vast majority, you will never hear about. The Police do not record many of these crimes, as it wouldn't be good for crime reduction figures. These will be the crimes that are going to happen in your neighbourhood everyday of the week, you will never be aware of them unless you have a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme !
Honest .. when a handbag had been snatched, the Police often sent me to break into a house and change the locks !
If there was any issues, I would phone the Police station to confirm details .. most times they had no records of the crime in the day book !

[Barmaid]

The problem is, to the victims, these people are NOT strangers. They talk every day, they email every day, flowers and small gifts will undoubtedly be sent, photos, love poems, constant messages etc. The victims end up believing that they are in a full time serious relationship with this person. They become all consumed with them. They fall in love. They are not thinking because their will is completely overborne. They trust this person and have every confidence in a happy future together. They feel loved, happy, confident, respected, cherished, listened to. That niggling little doubt in the back of their mind is so easily dismissed when he or she calls again and gives words or gestures of reassurance - which in turn leaves the victim feeling guilty about their thoughts!

They start off with small amounts and then it ramps up. The victim (instead of calling a halt) goes through all sorts of emotions and pays up more money because that is the only way they can see to protect their future and the investment they have already made. The psychological tricks these people use to then extract more money are similar to the psychological tricks a perpetrator of abuse uses in order to ensure his or her victim does not leave.

It is classic boiling frog. You put a frog in a pan of water and turn on the heat. By the time the frog realises it is boiling, it is too late.

Yes, I see why some might call it madness or a lack of mindfulness, off their trolley etc. But that is the point - they have been completely overcome and they have been persuaded to believe.

[AuntPollyGrey]

alavahalf You are giving totally different scenarios as your defence. However unfortunate, an old lady being duped into letting someone into her house for a child to go to the toilet and then being robbed is totally different from a woman handing over £320K to someone she has never met. She must be mentally unstable.

[Cloverjo]

Aunt Polly, did you read Barmaid’s post? That’s how it happens. The woman needn’t be mentally unstable, just lonely and vulnerable.