Oh man, if we've exhausted the pool of people willing to work for scammers so much that you can't pay people to scam any more, that's the best news I've heard this year.
It is a "stick and carrot" situation, that is the way I read the article. The higher the moral and emotional barriers there are, the more furniture and vegetables are required.
To your comment, that stick is required at all is kinda +1 for humanity.