You almost have to admire the cleverness of a British con man who, according to a recent report, made up to $20,000 a month for 15 years. His trick was hanging around airports, and when spotting a well-dressed, mature woman, acted out a very convincing scam on her.

He said he was due to take a flight within a few minutes for a family emergency, but lost his ticket, wallet and credit cards. He didn’t have any money on him for a new one. If the woman gave him the cash, he promised to reimburse her in a few days. He’d then offer a phony home address.

The crook worked his scam at airports throughout Europe. He had been reported many times over the years, and it finally took a policewoman to induce him to approach her and be caught in his criminal act.

Moral to the tale: Sob stories are great in movies and on TV. However, in real life, senior travelers who are too kindhearted to scam artists end up doing all the sobbing.