Assuming this all took place in the US, the American justice system is pretty horrific. I wouldn't want to call the cops on anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. It's not an action to take lightly.
On the other hand, what if the scammer just keeps scamming? 99% of the population won't be able to do the investigative work Christian did and will just lose their money for good. I wouldn't be able to accept letting a definitely not innocent scammer off free to go scam other innocent people who can't fight back. That is not justice.
I think that if someone wants to avoid interacting with the police, step 1 is not to scam people.
Also, while the police do deserve much of their reputation, it's worth remembering that citizens and police interact frequently, all day every day, across the country, and mostly nothing newsworthy happens.
