I wonder how persuasive this "Ancel Mali" can be. I guess with a known weakness (desire for connection) the scammer can game the victim by emotionally manipulating them, e.g. maybe he told her he gets an x% refer-a-friend bonus if she "invested" on this seemingly 3rd party site, "Why haven't you done it yet? It's not you giving me money, it's this site! Besides you'll get a high ROI quickly! Don't you love me?!", and playing a hot and cold game of being nice some days and then ignoring her other days, because "you still haven't invested!".

I suppose a lot of people are good at this kind of manipulation, e.g. members of cults like Scientology...

The scammers play into longing for easy money and a fantasy of jet-setting life.

I got contacted by a scammer via text message and trolled them for many days before tipping my hand. It was a very slick and sophisticated soft sell, a continuous invitation to ask the scammer about the opportunity to get in on their supposed inside tips and big wins.

It never ceases to amaze me how callous people can be. Do you also blame rape victims because they were asking for it?

I keep a fair amount of cash in a bank account whose managers I've never met, and I'm not even lonely!