Snookered
Snookered… Sold a bill of goods… Tricked… Hoodwinked… Taken for a ride… Swindled… Bait-and-switch… Fraud… Con… Ponzy scheme… Flimflam… Shakedown… SCAM!
It has happened to the best of us.
Scammers appeal to our best intentions and worst fears. They use our good nature against us. They may tell heartbreaking or tragic stories to convince you to give money to help. Or they may offer an incredible deal and pressure you to act quickly so you won’t miss out on the opportunity. Or they may scare you with threats of legal action if you do not pay a bill or catch up on back taxes you don’t really owe. These lies are intended to trick you into quick action that can cost you dearly. And after the scam, many victims are too embarrassed or afraid to tell. When I hear the stories, my heart breaks for dear ones caught by lies and deceit. I want to ask the con artist, “Does you mother know what you do for a living?” Scams steal more than just money, they leave the victim stripped of their pride and dignity, with a new- found sense of vulnerability and fear. In the face of such tricky foes, we need to prepare for battle. And we need to help those we love to know the warning signs so that they will not be caught unaware. Here are some cautions.
Watch out for the ‘P’s:
In this season of Lent, we remember Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days in preparation for the beginning of his ministry. Toward the end of that wilderness time, when Jesus was physically at his weakest, the Evil One tempted him with food, power, and greatness. Jesus stood strong. Scammers- our modern-day evil ones- catch us at our weakest moments. Their lies are intended to destroy. In those moments, we need the One who is able to stand against the Evil One. May we join the Psalmist in his prayer, “Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.” (Psalm 102:2)
With you trusting our one sure defense,
Anita
It has happened to the best of us.
- You receive an urgent request from a trust friend. The email says your friend needs help with a crisis. “Could you send money NOW?” The email stresses the urgency, forcing you to act quickly. You reach out to your friend to verify the request, but when your friend does not respond immediately, you act. You purchase the gift cards requested, scratch off the bar on the back and give the numbers. Thousands of dollars later, the money is gone.
- You are on your computer answering email, scrolling through Facebook, paying a few bills, when suddenly an alarm goes off and a warning message flashes on your screen telling you that your computer has a virus. The message tells you that you must act quickly, or your computer will crash. They claim they are from Microsoft or some other trusted company that is ready to help you save your computer and all your computer files. “Just click on the link.” Someone begins to ask you questions, and before you know it that person has taken control of your computer remotely. A few quick clicks, done in the fear of the moment, and all your files and personal information are stolen.
- The offer is good… so good! Just a little investment and the return will set you up for life. You wonder briefly why others have not taken advantage of this great offer, but they tell you to ‘act fast’ before the opportunity is gone. So, you give them your hard-earned savings, only to find your investment and the ‘return of a lifetime’ gone.
- A phone call warns you that you owe income tax. They warn that if you do not pay immediately, the IRS will put a lean on your property. Your bank accounts will be seized. You may even be arrested. Do you remember the warning that the IRS never calls?
- You receive a text that you have unpaid E-z pass tolls. You are urged to visit a website to pay the toll to avoid a $50 fine. You always pay your bills. Do you click the link?
Scammers appeal to our best intentions and worst fears. They use our good nature against us. They may tell heartbreaking or tragic stories to convince you to give money to help. Or they may offer an incredible deal and pressure you to act quickly so you won’t miss out on the opportunity. Or they may scare you with threats of legal action if you do not pay a bill or catch up on back taxes you don’t really owe. These lies are intended to trick you into quick action that can cost you dearly. And after the scam, many victims are too embarrassed or afraid to tell. When I hear the stories, my heart breaks for dear ones caught by lies and deceit. I want to ask the con artist, “Does you mother know what you do for a living?” Scams steal more than just money, they leave the victim stripped of their pride and dignity, with a new- found sense of vulnerability and fear. In the face of such tricky foes, we need to prepare for battle. And we need to help those we love to know the warning signs so that they will not be caught unaware. Here are some cautions.
Watch out for the ‘P’s:
- Scammers PRETEND to be from an organization you know. Scammers often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the government- Social Security, IRS, or Medicare. They might pretend to be from a business or charity you know. They may even claim to be from a person you trust. Remember, the IRS, Social Security and Medicare will never call you on the phone.
- Scammers say there’s a PROBLEM. They might say you’re in trouble with the government. Or you owe money. Or someone in your family has an emergency. Or there’s a virus on your computer.
- Scammers say there’s a PRIZE. They may dangle the bait- usually money. Watch out for get-rich-quick schemes. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Scammers require you to PAY first to receive a prize or access a good offer.
- Scammers tell you to PAY in a specific way. They often insist that you can only pay by using cryptocurrency, wiring money through a company like MoneyGram or Western Union, using a payment app, or putting money on a gift card and then giving them the numbers on the back of the card.
- Scammers want your PERSONAL information. Do not give out your personal or financial information!
- Scammers PRESSURE you to act immediately. Scammers want you to act before you have time to think. If you feel pressured to act quickly, slow things down. Take a breath. Walk away from your phone or computer to clear your head. Call a friend. Do not allow anyone to force you to act ‘quickly’.
In this season of Lent, we remember Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days in preparation for the beginning of his ministry. Toward the end of that wilderness time, when Jesus was physically at his weakest, the Evil One tempted him with food, power, and greatness. Jesus stood strong. Scammers- our modern-day evil ones- catch us at our weakest moments. Their lies are intended to destroy. In those moments, we need the One who is able to stand against the Evil One. May we join the Psalmist in his prayer, “Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.” (Psalm 102:2)
With you trusting our one sure defense,
Anita
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1 Comment
When you read the Gospels first thing you notice was Jesus was never really alone in his public ministry. Other than the self imposed times he went away in prayer, he was always around either the Disciples or crowds of people. That was not by accident. From day one the Christian faith has been a relational, community type of faith. The Epistles make clear we are to gather with other Christians for worship and fellowship. In fact we are commanded to do so, Christian personal isolation, retreat into a home, or the detached Zoom or face-time life apart from the fellowship is not an option. Nor a substitute for it.
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n One sad side effect of the pandemic, five years ago now, was the institutional, established church became way too comfortable with technology or remote worship, or other forms of detached human contact. Churches were among the first to close and last to reopen, many times during the 2020-2022 experience. And they have been playing catch up, ever since, or trying to rebuild the pre 2019 matrix of how to do church. I don't think that's possible. Horse has left that barn. As we all learned that as kids needed to be in school, church people needed to be in church, doing churchy things. Isolation, be it through social media algorithms, or just withdrawing into our own information silos, feed back loops, echo chambers never a good thing.
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n Scammers, fraudsters, the criminal gangs working out of server farms in China and Russia know this as well. They prey on the isolationism, the polarization, the fracture of community, loss of trust, or fellowship, the loss of trust in our institutions, those who lead, our churches, to try to convince us we need to pay our Easy Pass tolls, to send money to fix this or that crises they say needs fixing. People in community, people in fellowship, people in faith communities, are far far harder to scam, harder to fall for this or that lie or latest alert in our e mails or texts. Christ made us for community, for fellowship, for mutual support and mutual help, aid and counsel. Want to become more resilient, stronger, able to resist evil. See you at church