Catastrophic gullibility

Sometimes you come across a level of naïveté that can only be described as "catastrophic gullibility" such as in this story from Mmegi.

"Conmen on the rampage in Gantsi

GANTSI: Station Commander Superintendent Chris Molobe, says conmen are roaming the village, with an average of four cases a month being recorded. In the latest incident, a 71-year-old woman of Bosele ward was swindled of P51,000."

“The woman met her fate at her home in Bosele when two men approached her and convinced her that they were able to increase her money,” the Station Commander told Mmegi.

“She agreed to give them P3,000 and they asked her to put the money in a small trunk and remain with the key.” He said the two men left and came back the following day and when the trunk was opened, the original P3,000 was found.

“The men told the woman that she should increase the money if she really wants it to double and they even claimed that in their prayers, they had seen that the funds need to be increased,” Molobe said.

“The woman went to the bank, withdrew P48,000 and gave it to the two fraudsters.

“They locked the trunk and told her that they would go with it for safekeeping. That was the last time she saw them.” Molobe urged the public to understand that money can only generate interest in the bank and not by miraculous means. He added that their investigations indicate that some Gantsi residents are conniving with outsiders to con people.

“We are working around the clock to arrest the situation before it gets out of hand,” he said.