Dear Editor,

I watched the Dan Rather report on the lotto scam featuring Jamaica and listened to the many online criticism of the cruel and heartless nature of these scammers, preying on senior citizens of the United States and the snide comments about the ineffectiveness of our law enforcements not doing much about it.

I’m very sympathetic to those who have lost money to these scammers, as most Jamaicans know too well the loss of hard earned money due to schemes such as Olint and Cash Plus among others.

While I’m in support of most of the views about these scammers I must admit that the reports, the comments and the overall conversations are too emphatically focused on the criminals and their deeds, one should also look at the victims, not only in a pitiful gesture but also in a culpable manner.

“If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.” Too often this saying is ignored and you have heard of these things time and again to be caught up in it.

How can someone lose up to $400,000 in such a scam? Let’s face the facts, if you live in the United States and have savings amounting to $200,000 or more, it could be easily said that you are among some of the richest in the country. To get a phone call advising you of becoming an instant millionaire when you did not even buy a lotto ticket, and to be grabbing after it amounting to loss of so much of your savings plus your house, is downright greedy.

Whilst this story can be described as criminality to one extreme, it can also be described as “the greedy dog that lost his bone.”

I however, do hope that the new legislation will bring to justice to those who are committing acts of fraud by way of scamming.

Melvin Pennant (MAP)

warriorsunleashed@gmail.com