Don writes in my comments:
“No, spammers ARE stupid. Its just that some people are MORE stupid (or at least naive). Considering the majority of people were still raised in the pre main stream internet age where they were taught that documented proof meant that it was published in writing from a source that could be cited. People inherently believe what they read.“
I see.
Well, if Don wrote it here on the Internet, it must be true. Not only that, but the use of CAPITALIZATION to make the POINT pretty much clinches it. No FACTS are required here. One thing you're forgetting is that the scammers pre-date the Internet. Mail and wire fraud have been around since the early days of the twentieth century in the United States. [1]
Could someone explain to me why people that make millions of dollars and are virtually untouchable are stupid? I'm not even talking about the spammers that use outright fraud to make their money. They're not stupid. They're criminals. A very large percentage of con artists are of above average intelligence. This is fact.
The people that are taken in are not stupid or naive. They're human. In fact:
"All con artists know that anyone, and I do mean anyone, can be a victim. This is especially true if the target is convinced that he or she is too smart to be conned, and that only other people get swindled." [2]
It is responses like yours, Don, that are likely the reason that the rules of SPAM have not progressed beyond the "I know you are but what am I" type of rhetoric espoused in "The Rules"
Pundits: “Spammers are stupid“
Spammers: “We're not stupid. You're stupid“
Pundits: “Spammers ARE stupid“
<sigh>
Dave
Just because I can...