I developed tough skin towards scams like this the day a stranger (scammer) sent me a private message asking for money to take my relative to the hospital immediately for he just got involved in an accident. I almost fell victim to this scam, at the end it turned out that no one was involved in an accident.

Now, I am very careful of the information I give out both online and offline. Bitcoin is supposed to protect our privacy and make it impossible for anyone to trace and steal our coins. But the kind of information we put out there will uncover us and make us vulnerable to these attacks. Sometimes we can't help it but share certain information about us online. To be on the safer side, we must avoid sending strangers bitcoins or fiat until we are strongly convinced that such a transaction is genuine.

Bitcoiners need to be extra careful because bitcoins sent to scammers are gone and gone for ever.