[infotapeworm]

If you read the story, he was caught off guard. The fraudster dropped information on him while vulnerable, perhaps acting off a tip. They capitalize on lapses of reason and judgement.

I would call myself an expert in scams / cons with online activity, however I myself was recently scammed during the holiday season. Physically rather than digitally though with one of those fake gold cons employing a variety of different tactics. They caught me off guard in a variety of ways by being parked off a rural Country highway early in the morning (6 am). I pulled over to see if they needed any help and the guy instantly approached my car where I was even more flustered. Point is, scams all seem ridiculous after the fact, but these people are not fools when it comes to social engineering, applying pressure, and taking advantage of the holes in the swiss cheese.

Many variables would've had me on high alert in my situation, but even being the "expert" I am, I fell victim. It's always easy to look back after the fact, or even after you have a few seconds to breathe. They play on immediacy / urgency often, and intentionally try to paralyze you in a sense.