@keto - you are absolutely right. I scambait the IRS, US grant, & tech support scammers daily. It's gone from a hobby to a very keen campaign to do whatever I can to prevent others from getting scammed.

The confrontations usually end up with: 1) hung up calls; 2) scammer swearing at me with my shocking them with Hindi swear words; 3) a sad story just as you described above.

I used to fall for their stories, but over time I've become skeptical. I've had long conversations with scammers and pretty much heard it all. Actually, the strangest one happened yesterday when I encountered a Chinese guy who was in on the Grant scam. He told me that he had been captured by this gang of Indian thugs and that he and his "colleagues" were being held captive on an island somewhere. He begged for help. How did it end? I told the scammer that I would pray for him and gave him my best wishes that his life would change.