It's really dishearting to imagine how the victims feel after this. Being so vulnerable to someone you trust only to learn it was a ruse all along to scam you is probably one of the most awful feelings I can imagine, on top of the missing money.

It can take quite a bit of effort to convince them they've been scammed. The usual reaction is "You did what?! I was sending money to a loved one. How dare you!" They then have to give the sender a sense of the evidence they have, etc.

And some percentage never believe it and remain upset. And will then resend the money through other channels.

(My mother who is 88 years old has been so indoctrinated in scam avoidance that she refuses to set up an online password for her bank, and totters to the branch every two weeks to do her banking, where they plead with her to do it online. But she's not gonna get scammed. Also she finds the idea of a new romance at 88 "repulsive".)