@broknsymetry danf I can't speak for regular everyday folk, but I work in the senior living industry and I can promise you, it is not that simple.
When dealing with memory and dementia issues, it is extremely easy to manipulate people, and I'm not even talking about full on dementia. Throw in the element of scammers acting like a family member in peril and you have a whole other can of worms.
Ignoring seniors specifically, there are plenty of people with mental capacity issues that can also just as easily be manipulated. We look at these things as common sense, but what happens when your ability to critically think is altered?
My mother is a perfect example of this. She is 64 and has a catastrophic brain injury from being struck by a vehicle. You would never know this by just speaking with her. The other day she was ready to send someone some money because the text message said "Hi mom. My phone broke and my bank card isn't working. Can you send me your card number so I can order a new phone?". I was home so she thought it was my sister (who has 2 young children, one with a disability). But I've trained her very well. She's not to respond or answer ANYONE without asking me first. I asked her if she had called my sister's actual number and asked her if she sent the message. She said "Why would I do that? She says her phone broke, that's why she's messaging from a different number!". I asked her if that truly made any sense, a random number messaging you for your bank card information. She agreed it didn't make sense now that I point it out to her in that way.
Sorry this became so long winded. I just wanted to point out that it's unreasonable to lay the full blame on victims of these scams.