The “sameness” of so many stories surprises me - they aren’t very original, and once you’ve seen a couple there aren’t many surprises or even interesting stories. Why would that be? It wouldn’t be very hard to make different stories, even if the formula is still preying on victims in the same way. (Street people asking for $$ in Cambridge seem far more original to me!)

Does the distance and anonymity of the internet change the sort of people who prey on individuals? Do societal ethics change - is it “less bad” to bilk a single person intentionally than to participate in unsafe schemes (like risky mortgages) that end up bilking hundreds of thousands of people?

Does the data “match up” with other kinds of activities that are not illegal - such as marketing by appealing to or relying on people’s loneliness, lack of sophistication, pleasure at feeling special, willingness to help, etc.