In this latest case, a British woman called Kate Roberts was deceived into thinking she was being wooed by a handsome and charming American soldier. The ruse was very involved. It went on for quite some time and involved the use of many photos of the man, which clearly made it all the more convincing.
The fact that it was so effective reveals the powerful influence that sexual archetypes have in people's hearts and minds. There's that cliche about women loving men in uniform, after all.
As much as we like to think otherwise, these beliefs still have great emotional power. Ruthless people know this very well, which is why they keep using them in their scams.