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A key reason why people get swindled - and how to eliminate it.
“I can’t believe I got scammed,” said John Niggeling, after being bilked of $108,000 in a Ponzi scheme.
“Hello Sucker: Think scams happen only to other people?” documents Niggeling’s error in judgment as a feature article in Money magazine this month.
The article claims that one in 10 Americans lost money in a scam last year, and “people with financial education and higher incomes are actually more likely than others to fall for investment scams.”
How do we protect ourselves from being scammed? What are the signs to watch for and avoid?
Since con artists prey upon greed and lust, the surest way to prevent getting conned is to not want what they are selling: more money or things. The more our goal in life is to grow spiritually, to live morally, and help others unselfishly, the less likely we are to get scammed.
I knew a retired woman 20 years ago who lost a major portion of her life savings because of a scam. For decades she had made responsible financial decisions, but in a moment of weakness when she wanted more funds for a pet project, she made a poor decision in hopes of rapidly multiplying her investment. Unfortunately, she learned the hard way that an unbridled desire for more money blinds reason and perspective to sound judgment.
Although my friend never did recover her lost funds, she did gain a valuable spiritual perspective that protected her from being conned in the future. She learned never to pursue financial gain purely for the sake of getting more money. By being grateful for what she already had and trusting that the Divine would supply what she needed in the future through legitimate and trustworthy means, she exempted herself from ever being tempted by the promises of the swindlers in the first place.
A teaching of Jesus Christ can serve as a strong protection from scammers,
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." The Gospel of Matthew
To me, the greatest treasures we could ever have cannot be monetized or deposited in a bank account. These treasures are spiritual riches from above that are garnered through consecrated spiritual growth and spiritual mindedness.
When our priority in life is to grow spiritually, we aren’t going to get sidetracked by vain promises of material gain. We can trust the divine Spirit to meet all our needs and in exactly the appropriate ways that bless us most at any given moment.
I love this promise from St. Paul:
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phillippians
We are already rich with eternal Life and immortal Truth. No amount of money can augment or increase these gifts from above that truly complete and enrich us.
With an understanding of divine wealth already in hand, we can declare with confidence, "Scammers, be gone! There’s no greed to prey on over here.” Read more from this blogger at SpiritView .
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