This is something that has been going on for a long time, and personally I have listened to some of the victims narrating their ordeal. It certainly is not a pleasant experience, but an avoidable one? I believe so.
As we usually do when we feel the need to escape responsibility, some people have claimed these thieves operate via hypnosis. They are believed to weave this spell of hypnosis around their victims, which in turn leads them to follow every suggestion these tricksters make to them.
People have lost numerous valuables to these people, mostly cash, laptops, mobile phones, and even more cash.
Two ladies I know personally, both who were in my class back in school- one of whom is actually my significant other, suffered this fate. One carted her entire year’s fees off to these guys; the other lost some cash, and valuables including her ATM card which she willingly gave off plus the code.
The process is actually quite simple, and varies based on the individuals involved. One plays on your religious inclination, putting you in fear with some dreaded prophecies which you then need to forestall; the other playing on your greed with some ridiculous promises of quick cash which any right thinking person would smell as fraudulent from a mile off.