More info on the scammers would be good.

One other point, it would be good to see pics of criminals with such reports.

1. Your nice little barmaid asked you for an extra couple of thousand as a loan or gift;
2. After handing her that, she asked for another $10K because she needed to fly somewhere “really urgently”;
3. After handing her that she disappears, and you sit and wait. After a period she calls on your cellphone and asks you to transfer another $50K into her bank account because she “really needs it”;
4. After transferring the money (and you’re still sitting around waiting) she text’s to say she can’t make it back today, but she’ll be in touch;
5. A week later she calls and needs another $200K, really urgently (and ps, she really, really, loves you), and arranges to meet back at the “love nest” next week;
6. Back at the love nest next week, she’s not there, but after a couple of days you get a text (as chance would have it, while you’re out getting a bite to eat as you got hungry hanging around outside here dingy little flat), which explains that she’s been called away to a sick relative’s bedside, and she needs another $100K to buy medical treatment for said relative;
7. After that transfer, you’re nearly cleaned out, but still keen on this lovely person, but as you wait a large man comes up and threatens you for harassing his girlfriend, beats you up, etc,….

So you go to the police and you wonder why they laugh at you ? Oh, and they will at least attempt to prosecute the basher, but the monetary transactions were voluntary ones, were they not ? Where’s the crime ? Misrepresentation perhaps, but if she claims she really meant it at the time, but changed her mind…?

I imagine it is rather a sad situation, and after a possibly traumatic event in the death of his wife he may have been in a vulnerable state. But it took a while to fleece him, and how many warning signs should a person need ? I think he’s now a probably wiser but definitely a poorer person. But if he voluntarily gave the money, proiong a criminal offense might be not simple. The details given though do suggest that there was criminal intent, but the police (here and Australia) are frequently averse to prosecuting fraud as it can be a very difficult area to show much success. Personally, I’d be in favour of almost draconian enforcement against fraud, at be prepared to pay more to do so as I believe that fraud is a serious problem that undermines trust in a community.

Everyone knows there are thieves, fraudsters, and nasty people all around us. Nigerian scams abound, love scams are constantly reported in the media.

If you left your keys in the ignition and your car is stolen will your insurance company blame you and deny your claim? Sure, the car thief is ultimately to blame but they are a constant and known threat to any normal person. But knowing that thieves exist then leaving your keys in the ignition surely means you are at fault by assisting a known ‘threat’ to steal your car.

Gump is wholly correct too — these fraudsters should be in jail.

Their company was brought before the NSW Fair Trading Commission, who ordered them to repay the money, but the Directors have declared bankruptcy and are unlikely to repay any of the stolen money.

It always amazes have leniently we treat white collar criminals.

It is difficult to see how he could be so gullible though….I mean, there’s sheltered and there’s sheltered, obviously the late wife controlled the purse strings for him to spread his dosh so liberally without getting a clue pretty early in the game.

Nothing to do about it now….except suck it up.

If he wanted to meet someone why not go down the pub or join a club? Works for lots of people.

I agree Rex he probably did have a nice wife and didn’t realise how conniving some people are.
I didn’t read the whole story, did he actually get to meet the woman or was it men conning him.

I can see why. And I can certainly agree with those above who cast doubt on his ability to manage the finances of a council given his lack of worldliness.

But that oughtn’t to affect our sympathy for his current plight. I’d even feel a pang of sympathy were the victim Winston

@Pauleastbay

As a caution against a repeat performance I can understand saying something like that. Though I do think a lot of the problem was that he clearly had a lovely wife, and thus had none of the armour of cynicism about women which protects some of the rest of us!

from paul scott
you filthy disgusting arrogant piece of shit sky river I hope you die, and I hope you die soon.
from Paul Scott r

+1

Rex, I guess some Kiwibloggers become a tad exercised when crooks finally get some kind of meaningful punishment, because we live in New Zealand – spiritual home, supporter of and sanctuary to the criminal.

I know I do!

Also we (well I speak for myself only here) have only a modicum of sympathy for this gentleman from the good old faceless, sometimes useless, often completely unaccountable local government system – who clearly only has enough brains to avoid eating himself. Poor old digger but really. He was in charge of money once? Aaaargh!

No,no Rex the police would investigate it professionally BUT if you are anything like me and sagging in all the wrong places hopefully someone at some stage will have the heart to say to you ” Oi Romeo what the fuck were you thinking, pissed or not seriously did you really think etc etc..” at the very least it might stop you doing it again!

its harsh but you’re never too old to learn

So I break up with my partner and go on a bit of a bender. In a bar I get chatted up by a woman considerably younger than me who nonetheless says she likes older men etc. She invites me back to her place (which in reality is a place that’s been broken into). We’ve talked all night and seem to be hitting it off, so I follow. I get there and her male accomplice jumps me, kicks the shit out of me, extracts my PIN numbers from me and then keeps me there while she goes down the road and cleans out my accounts.

They give me a few kicks for good measure and take off in my car, having also taken my keys. You’re one of the first officers to respond to my 111 call.

Clearly, I’ve been a naive old fool. Do you tell me “hey, you’re never too old to learn”?

If Brendan Horan is found to have misappropriated his mother’s money, would that be the appropriate response to her, were she still alive? After all, the silly old woman seems to have let her love for her children blind her to their shortcomings.

It would be great if we could legislate away stupidity, but to do that we’d have to eliminate emotion. Because when you get down to it, the law in fact exists to curtail the outcome of a range of emotions – jealousy, anger, lust, greed, cruelty etc – and to protect people from having other emtions – grief, loneliness etc – exploited.

You drew on the analogy of the victim in this case falling for Roxy from the local knock shop. If he had, he wouldn’t be the first fool to believe the “prostitute with a heart of gold” myth. If that belief had been callously engendered and then exploited then yes, I believe he would be due a measure of sympathy.

But he’s from a generation that still believed most women – with the probable exception of Roxy – are feminine creatures without a nasty thought in their heads. Most likely that’s an accurate description of his late wife, who clearly left an enormous hole in his life.

He was robbed – using psychological rather than physical duress – but robbed nonetheless. We ought not to start blaming the victims and mitigating the crime according to their role in it.

I just googled “Has it ever rained in Port Elizabeth for 5 days?’” The reply: Don’t be fucking stupid

Crap! Kiwiblog is full of caring emphatic people…..it’s just that you, as a left wing socialist, don’t get the vibes.