We may not hear it every day, but we often come across stories like this. It’s not new, so the question is: why can’t we seem to stop these scams? Do we really lack the ability to block these attempts, even when we know we could get robbed? We might not realize it, but many people have already fallen victim before law enforcement catches on to the latest tricks of scammers.
It’s unfortunate, but hopefully, the government will step up with aggressive awareness campaigns and information sharing. We can’t deny that a lot of people still lack knowledge about these issues, thinking they’re genuine when, in fact, they’re just scams.
Because most of these scams originate from third-world countries, rendering them almost impossible to track down. Even if the police do, they would need to cooperate with the law enforcement of the other country to catch them, and they don't always take action. I'm guessing you've seen the known call centers from India; even though there really has been a crackdown in operation, thanks to some Youtubers such as Pleasant Green, it's impossible to shut them down altogether.
Unfortunately, no matter how much the media points out to never trust someone who's threatening for money, there are still some people who will fall for it. These scammers are completely remorseless; they'll scam anyone regardless of age or financial situation and are usually covering sensitive topics, from fake IRS claims to sextortion (a known scam claiming they have video evidence of you in private moments) and many others.