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ORIGINAL: scarlethiney

What is really sad is that we value money and objects so much more than a human life. Thieves often get much harsher sentencing than Murderers.

I disagree HandSolo, sentencing is not a deterrent. Just as the death penalty is not a deterrent to rape and murder. If it were we wouldn't have the most over crowded prison system in the world.

While I do realize that there are many who are incapable of being rehabilitated I do wonder why some form of rehabilitation isn't the first option with young offenders in addition to sentencing. Lets face it, its easier to lock them up than to take the time and money to try and change perception and learned behaviors. Many will call that coddling criminals. I call it a less expensive(in the long run) alternative to prison big business.
And no I am not suggesting that anyone who commits a crime not suffer consequences.

scarlet

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150% agreed, Steel. Some here know that I spent a few years with a group that fights internet scams and counsels victims. One thing I cannot stand is the "blame the victim" mentality about the victims of internet scams, particularly love scams . Yes, most of us that are experienced with dating sites or are internet savvy can spot these scammers easily, but that is because we know the signs. Many people, particularly those new to the internet, have never even heard of 419 or Nigerian scammers. Take the victim in this case, for example. She's 56 years old and may or may not be very experienced in using the internet (I'm guessing the latter). She was lonely, so she joined a dating site looking for a mate, and hooked a leech who would have taken her very last penny had he not been caught. Since when is being lonely and more than a little naive a crime?

On a personal note, I once had the joy of informing a very poor single mother working 2 jobs to make ends meet that the cheque she had cashed for her "financee" was fake, putting her thousands of dollars in debt to her bank; money that she had no hope of being able to repay. Yeah, I really had the urge to call her stupid and tell her that she deserved to be scammed while I listened to her cry.   It was almost as much fun as telling the unemployed man who was counting on his "lotto win" to pay for his terminally ill son's medical expenses that he had sent every penny he had to a scammer. That was a real laugh riot. I could go on (and on), but I don't see the need. These are real people who were real victims, folks, and their stories are far from uncommon. I will say that I have also spoken to victims that are senile, mentally ill, physically ill, and the family members of people so caught up in these scams that they won't listen to their own children/ siblings/ parents. I have seen far too many ruined lives to place the blame anywhere but where it belongs.

That said, for those of you who want to blame the victim, here is some food for thought: Do you really think that these victims exist in a vacuum? If you cannot feel sympathy for the victim, maybe you can feel some for the family when their lives become "collateral damage", when there is no money for rent, food, or clothing because some scammer just bought himself a new house or car. Many modern 419s, love scams in particular, tend to involve their unwitting victims in illegal activities that can and have lead to the victim facing criminal charges. What happens to the family then? Did the kids deserve it, too?

These scammers can nearly smell desperation, and some of them are very good at what they do. In the case of love scammers, they will often spend months building a "relationship" with their victims before ever asking for a penny. They will send cards, gifts, and flowers (paid for with phished CC info) to their victims to appear more "real". There are phone calls, sometimes daily, with the scammer using a throwaway cell (also paid for with phished CC info), and pictures ripped from any unprotected site on the net. The good ones plunder family websites, not those featuring models. To their victims, they look like average people just looking for a match. Some of them even send copies of driver's licenses they have gotten from other victims. Daily contact on YIM is also very common, keeping the victim feeling like the relationship is real, and most who have "gotten to know" someone online and via phone know how real such a "relationship" can feel.

As an aside, for those who think most of the scammers who take people for money are the same as the average goofball with the unreal profile whose broken english cmail they delete, they aren't. Most of those are independents looking to get in on what they see as a gravy train. The good ones use well written scripts for the first few mails, then pass the victim up the chain (yes, they work in gangs) to a more talented and articulate scammer. Clue by Four: We're talking about a multimillion dollar per year "industry" folks, and one that involves cheque fraud, stolen CC info, receiving stolen goods, false documents, and many other things that require an extensive network to pull off.
Did you really think it was just some poor, starving guys pecking away at a keyboard? Bless your heart.

As to the sentence the scammer in the OP got, it's the legal equivalent of a publicity stunt. Law enforcement in Nigeria is hopelessly corrupt, and has come under attack repeatedly for failing to enforce the law as regards internet scammers. The result is the occasional "raid" and severe (very public) prosecution. Personally, I will be shocked if he serves 19 months before his Oga pays a bribe and he is back in the internet cafe, scamming some other lady out of her life's savings. 

Welcome to the Internet.

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What we really need to do is to cut internet comms with most African countries especially Nigeria.
Every few months after marking a bunch of those messages as "spam" I contact Yahoo and ask them why they still continue to allow comms from African countries.

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ORIGINAL: Rhodes85

Hopefully paired with a 400lb black gang member named 'cupcake' who will make his stay in prison ever so fun  

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Admit it... the idea of Nigerian prison rape gets you off, doesn't it  ?

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ORIGINAL: Rhodes85

It makes me wonder how smart some people really are that get these scams pulled on them

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ORIGINAL: Vendaval

I do feel bad for the woman and know that receiving her money back over the years will not replace the romantic dreams she had.