Throughout my time playing Second Life I have realised that the majority of people on the game are simply after money. For example, when talking to a new person, you do not have to wait long before the M word comes up in conversation.
In a way this is quite similar to real life, even if it is exaggerated a bit, as money is very much a part or our world.
Despite this I have managed to con a few people into giving me things such as cars and clothes, which was nice.