Did you meet any con artist types there?

LongHairGal

It seemed to me that there were a number of con artist types of personalities I came across during my years there. I am not referring to people who were actually doing anything illegal. What I am referring to are people who were very adept at getting things out of other people. These things could be money, material things and/or favors.

There were several that I saw but three individuals in particular come to mind. One was a man and two were women. The man did things I consider to be so shameful even by "worldly" standards. No self-respecting masculine man would do what he did. Always trying to get-over on everybody. His modus operandi was getting sympathy from the elderly and it is rumored they would give him money.

Of the two women, one was a single who hopped from place to place. I guess she had to. Once the jig is up you usually have to move on.

The other was a more respectable but cukoo type who was very clever in getting people to do for her.

It made me sick to see these things.

avishai

Oh, man, tons. Pyramid schemes, with one elder at the top, raking in all the cash, etc. I know of at least two elders who went to prison for fleecing several folks, in and out of the cong.s.

Chia

There was this Bethelite who stole from us. He got kicked out of Bethel for stealing but we never got our stuff back.

upside/down

Too many to list.

For a supposed self-sacrificing, "God" relying people,,, I never met so many lazy, scam and con artists.

And it starts at the TOP!

u/d

LongHairGal

Upside/down:

Good points. The things I saw were the opposite of self-sacrificing!
Yeah! They wanted the other guy to be self-sacrificing and benefit from HIS self-sacrifice.

What always got me was how they were telling us to widen-out. But you never knew who or what you were widening out to until it was too late.

This may not be foolproof here is something to look out for in detecting a person who might fall in to this category:

BEWARE: whenever you see an excess of humor - like a comedian/comedienne OR
whenever you see an excess of "spirituality" - be on guard!

an alarm should go off in your head!

bikerchic

Oh yeah saw lots of that kind of thing going on, periodically we would get an announcement from the platform to make us aware that some people might try to play on our sympathies for money and such and not to give into it but to inform the Elders.

We were warned many times not to enlist sells from our outside endeavors like Amway, Avon, Meleuca and such to the brothers and sisters in the Congo.......and of course we were always admonished for not having worldly friendships. Who else did most JW's know if not those in the congo? LOL

More than once I was at my BIL an Elder who screened his phone calls when the phone rang he saw who was calling and didn't answer, said she can go elsewhere (another Elder) for "comfort". I told him that didn't seem very loving for an Elder and he said people like "her" wear out the Elder body with all their endless needs and said there is a whole list of such like ones in the Congregation whom they ignore. Wow, loving Shepperd's!

LongHairGal

Bikerchic:

Interesting about the elder who screened his calls and didn't pick up for certain people!

I wouldn't ask them for the right time!

I'll never forget years ago when I needed help for something serious I approached an elder in my hall. In retrospect, he was piss-poor in ability but what did I know? I couldn't get five minutes of his undivided attention.

I walked away in tears.

144001

Avi, I forgot all about those pyramid schemes that were all the rage in our congregation. Everyone was getting very rich, then a few got the shaft. I guess it's ok to do that sort of thing, as long as you're an elder.

bikerchic

LongHairGal:

I'll never forget years ago when I needed help for something serious I approached an elder in my hall. In retrospect, he was piss-poor in ability but what did I know? I couldn't get five minutes of his undivided attention.

I walked away in tears.

That is so sad and exactly why I questioned my BIL about what he does. Of course that went over like a lead balloon.......he very much didn't like my questioning his lack of love attitude and subtlety put me in my place, or so he thought!

My opinion of him went way down after those events and I told my sister how I felt but she tried to convince me he was just under so much stress at the time he didn't need to deal with certain people who could go to another Elder on the list and get help. I asked her "what if all the other Elders did the same thing, who would help them?" Good grief!

Like I was told by an Elder, what goes on with the Elders and what the WTS says in the magazines (about love) are two different things! D'oh!

Emma

About ten years ago there was some sort of scheme related to selling "air space" for stuff like cell phone usage. It was a big con; a rather nice brother got sucked into it and tried to involve other brothers because there was a lot of money to be made for those who got in early. It was revealed as a scam and he moved his family far away because of the shame.

For people with no means of a good living, it's easy to fall into something like this. The couldn't see that if it was too good to be true, it really was to good to be true.

Emma

Did you meet any con artist types there?

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