The fact that someone is gulible or too stupid to see it coming does not diminish the fact that it is a scam. That is a non debateable issue. There are no degrees of scam. they are or are not.
You have about a 1 in 10 chance of getting a good Filipina girl, even less via chat or mail order brides. I do know one lucky guy on this forum who is a rare exception to the online approach.