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Psychics and mediums

Some very smart people can be taken in by clever scams. I don't think anyone would claim that Doug Henning was stupid. Or Peter Sellers. But they got taken.

In some cases though, I think it may be the scammee's own fault. By failing to think critically about a claim, by failing to check the facts about a claim - there have been a couple of articles recently about people falling for 419 scams, and I can't see any excuse for that.

A well-executed scam can fool the smartest of people. But the dumbest of people fall for the worst of scams.
 
The book I quote in my sig has a chapter about "the mark" (the victim of a scam) and intelligence doesn't come into it.
 
It's not entirely the fault of the connee, no. But you have to take responsibility for your own actions, and there is a wealth of information in the world that is yours for the reading, should you choose to educate yourself. If you choose not to educate yourself, then to some degrees it's your own fault.

However, there are exceptions, such as those in an emotional state of mind which is manipulated by con artists. For example the bereaved, those with missing children, etc. I don't believe those people are at fault in any way and it is those who deliberately manipulate them for fame or profit who are to blame.
 
Ersby said:
The book I quote in my sig has a chapter about "the mark" (the victim of a scam) and intelligence doesn't come into it.
Click to expand...
I was just thinking that someone on this forum had a sig that summed this thread up very well.
And then you appeared.
 
So where is the cutoff? What about the mother of a 3-year-old autistic child buying the thimerosal argument and refusing to vaccinate her newborn? Is she at fault for not educating herself? Or is she given a pass because of her crappy lot in life?

IMHO, I understand why she'd want to believe there is a link (gives her something to blame), but I almost feel like she is culpable for preventing her newborn from being inoculated.
 
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