Scammers can only take your money if you let them. Governments take your money by threat of force. Taxes are theft even if the money is ostensibly spent for our benefit because it's involuntary. I prefer dealing with scammers.
Thanks for the reply. Well, I am surprised.
I would never deal with someone if I know that he has scammed someone else, I would not think that I am smart enough to outsmart him. I guess it is a matter of temperament, like aversion to risk.
It's simple to deal with scammers. You just make sure they have more to lose than you do if they don't pull through and you make sure they know that. If you are not in a position to use that kind of leverage, don't do business with them. You have to manage your own reputation more so than theirs because the threat of imposing opportunity costs must be credible. You miss too many opportunities with excessive risk aversion.