Wilkinson sounds similar to many gambling addiction stories....

Wilkinson sounds similar to many gambling addiction stories. Very sad, but not unusual. Its not so much about greed but the thrill brought on by the promise huge returns, irrational belief in the certainty of the outcome, and willingness to throw good money after bad - even while his world is crumbling around him. This extreme cognitive bias is similar to that exhibited by cult members.

Its not unique to Nigerian scams either, I have seen it also with many ASX listed spec stocks...

"[He] was very convincing. "There were projects that were up and running and needed financing to complete,"... There would be guarantees and official correspondence right up until the moment the money was supposed to be repaid - then he would come up with another excuse. "All the time you'd be putting money in trying to recover the original investment."

Sound familiar...?