That was my first thought. That said, it sounds like they may be targeting first generation immigrants, and their successes come when they get through to someone who's not very familiar with US norms, and perhaps rather more familiar with the concept that problems sometimes go away after making illegitimate payments in unconventional ways to officials.

My second thought was to wonder how purchases and redemptions of thousands of dollars worth of iTunes gift cards managed not to be flagged up by Apple, bearing in my there's certainly enough money flowing through their systems for law enforcement to be very interested in monitoring their compliance with KYC/AML regulations?