So, I was in the bank today...

[Easto]

I was getting some documents notarized and since it was all pretty casual I asked the bank supervisor if they ever get customers coming up to the teller windows requesting cashier's checks and things like that where you could definitely tell that they have fallen prey to a internet scam. I was totally surprised that she said it happens all the time. She had even taken a customer's phone away from them while they were talking to the scammer and let them know that they weren't going to give to money to their customer. She said I would be surprised how often it happens.

[Humboldt]

Sad, but I'm not surprised.

Even if 1 in 1,000 fall for it, whatever the rate is among elderly who I assume are most heavily targeted, that's still a lot of easy money.

[Easto]

She did say that it appeared to be older, lonelier people. She said she'd see the scam where someone calls the mark and says that they are their grandchildren and they're in jail "and to please not tell their parents" and they were trying to get bail money. Or people telling her that it couldn't be a scam "because he seems like such a nice person". She seemed to have seen all of 'em.

[MadDoctor]

May scammers burn in hell.