In the delicate dance of deception, the swindler and the swindled move to the beat of a bitter melody. The swindler, with his charming smile and golden promises, weaves a web of illusions, while the swindled, blinded by the glitter of hope (gold), falls into the trap. But in this game of shadows, the balance hangs in the balance; for every lie uncovered weighs on the conscience of the trickster, and every truth revealed strengthens the deceived. In the end, the trickster may win the battle, but he faces eternal war against his own reflection, and the conned, though wounded, may find strength in the scar of betrayal. It's simply a never-ending tale, don't you think?
It still comes down to incentive and also the way people view their actions. Let's assume the swindler isn't one of the human trafficked ones, and doing it at their own volition.
What I have seen, is that they are able to justify their actions by reframing them as a need, or a must. It is like many of the "scammers" here who have partaken in various direct scams, as well as voting on alt accounts, self-voting comments in the background etcetera - they always have an excuse as to why they do it, and should be able to do it. There is a narcissism in it, and narcissists tend to see what they want to see in the mirror, not what is actually there. We are very good at lying to ourselves.
Aye, initially I thought of the process of pigifying ourselves without the help of a second party. More common, even. And pretty hard to avoid all the aspects of it.
My primitive brain (meaning the subconscious), for instance, has always made me feel as if scarcity is always around the corner so hoarding is a matter of survival. It works in passive mode while control requires energy, so it's set to win.