Telephone scams. What's the big deal?

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

So I’m watchin’ a program last night on Discovery Channel about Scams. They had a segment about criminals who rip people off over the phone and some guy said that the perps are the "same as bank robbers. I don’t see it that way. Yes, I do think it should be against the law to call people up and lie to them to get money. They are not the same as bank robbers, however. No one is threatening the lives of the people who will happily part with their life savings after 5 minutes on the phone.

How stupid does someone have to be to send a large sum of money to a stranger? Geez. I say misdemeanor at best.

#2

Wait until your grandmother has been defrauded then see how charitable you feel toward the perp. Perhaps telephone fraud isn’t the same as armed bank robbery but it deserves to be a felony crime. Money robbed from a bank is insured. The taxpayers share the burden but no single person is out the cash. Folks who are defrauded almost never get their money back.