Why Canadians keep falling for the Afghan scam: we want to believe

There is a moment in a confidence swindle when the mark begins to suspect that something is amiss.

This is the pivotal juncture for the swindler. The victim's faith must be maintained long enough for the hustle to succeed.

Why do victims so often remain in the scam until the con artist has absconded with their fortune, even as their nose detects the first sharp whiffs of fraud? Because they want to believe.