> The thing that pained her the most was the shame of having been scammed.
I've fallen victim to a scammer as well (paid rent to a "landlord" who it turns out didn't actually own the place). It sucks, but I don't think it's something to be ashamed of. Our society is built on trust, and some people exploit that.
It can also go the other way. I was once asked to wire money to a person I had never met in a country I had never been to. They said I needed to pre-pay my holiday rental. It totally felt like a scam, but it turned out to be legit and the apartment was lovely.
I almost got scammed by this as well. But it felt strange to me that there was no actual person I needed to meet to complete the rental agreement. And then when they asked me to wire the money I knew it was a scam.
I've fallen victim to a scammer as well (paid rent to a "landlord" who it turns out didn't actually own the place). It sucks, but I don't think it's something to be ashamed of. Our society is built on trust, and some people exploit that.