Potential to be exploited if empathy rolls into sympathy and you are a people pleaser. It is possible to be empathetic without being exploited.
From a psychoanlytic point of view, there are neurotic or masochistic people (and other conditions like narcissism, personality disorders) who are obsessed with their own suffering and want continual validation about their victimhood. This can cause them to be experts at emotional blackmail.
So excessively needy people may to gravitate to kind, patient people to be looked after.
Only thing is, they never stand on their own two feet, get better, they continue to be 'career' unlucky. They will suck the life out of those around them.