Victims of "Ponzi" schemes....

[LazarusShort]

http://news.sky.com/s...-majorca-ponzi-scheme
Ok the bad guys are in the slammer but are the victims not also a little bit responsible, for being greedy and stupid?

[HowardKennitby]

I agree up to a point. If there were no greedy stupid people this sort of crime could not exist.

[jno]

the law is to protect the stupid as well as the smart.

[emmie]

perhaps, but did you read the whole piece, about one of them having served prison time for fraud, they obviously were not aware of that. I feel sympathy for anyone who loses their money to fraudsters.

[ummmm]

No, you'd think nothing of someone moving their money to different bank that has higher interest.

[LazarusShort]

yes em10 but you don't need to know about form when it's this obvious. If someone offered me a safe 18% there'd be klaxons going off in my head! This isn't the same ummm, no bank is offering 18%, why do they think some ex pat neighbour can offer it?

[VHG]

>>>I feel sympathy for anyone who loses their money to fraudsters.

Many people are far too gullible and can get taken in far too easily.

Some of these scams are just so obviosuly scams, but people just charge headlong into them.

People need to "toughen up" (particualrly in this electronic age) and realise that there are hundreds of people out there waiting to scam you.

No longer can we trust the person who phones us up out the blue with some great sounding scheme, or trust the person who knocks on our door, or who sends us an email or a text message.

Sad to say, but people need to be much tougher on who they trust and who they listen too.

[emmie]

if some are elderly, not suggesting they are all dotty, but they can be persuaded by glib individuals in parting with money, doesn't the same thing happen here. You and I may well have alarm bells ringing, however some people are far too trusting.

[ummmm]

I know it's not the same but people move their money around to make more money on it. These fraudsters wouldn't make any money if there wasn't gullible people about. A good conman is very convincing.

[emmie]

they may have considered these vile people as friends, and friends don't do this sort of thing to you do they???

[Old_Geezer]

Thr trouble with judging others by one's own abilities is that not being in their shoes one can not understand how they get taken in. Not everyone is bright enough not to be gullible.

[emmie]

OG, agree.

[rojash]

How many people have fallen for the "Hello, I'm from Microsoft" scam?

How many on here have had a problem with malware (it nearly always requires your permission to install itself)?

How many people voted for Tony Blair? (He fooled me for about 3 years).

We all make mistakes from time to time, it doesn't mean we are all stupid.

[emmie]

Rojash, never Blair, i thought he looked like someone who would sell you some dodgy time shares on the Costa del sol.

[wolf63]

There are many intelligent people who are gullible.

I tend to by overly suspicious and distrustful - it shouldn't be necessary but there are a lot of dishonest people out there, in the big bad world, who seem to want to part me from my money.

[emmie]

wolf, i am the same, suggest that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

[hc4361]

I have a true story of greedy people falling for the simplest of scams.

A few years ago, one Sunday, a chap was selling bottles of whiskey in a Sainsbury's car park well below the proper price. He told some people he needed money to buy for food for the family, at one point he was brazenly selling bottles from his boot.

It was cold tea. One person who complained to the police thought 'it had fell off the back of a lorry'. Only the greedy and crooked buy stolen goods.

[Le Chat]

I agree with you Nigel in that everyone knows that the interest rate is very low and has been for a good few years, so alarm bells and the phrase 'if something seems to good to be true, it normally is!' I am sympathetic though all the same, especially with elderly 'investors' who grew up in different times to these.