No, you absolutely can, and I have. However many times a trick like this will have a completely unbelievable story. The point isn't to get you to believe the story, it's to distract/amuse you.
Think of it like a ghost story. In general you know it's not true but it gets your mind going.
So a scam is the only thing a person can "fall for". You can't fall for an interesting trick, eh?