Did you meet any con artist types there?

by LongHairGal 39 Replies latest jw experiences

Swan

diamondblue1974
Was she actually doing things to herself to make her appear sick? Was she injuring herself to exacerbate the symptoms?
If so, it sounds like it would be a case of Munchausen's syndrome, a psychological disorder. If she was doing it for the attention, that would be Munchausen's.
If she was only doing it for the goodies and the financial reward, then she was just a malingerer, which is a type of con.
I had a lonely great aunt who was very active, but also a hypochondriac. I don't think she ever actually self-injured, but at times it bordered on Munchausen's because of the attention she craved, and I was afraid she might hurt herself one day. I sometimes think I was the only one in the family who understood that enough to spend some extra time with her, staying overnight with her, and writing her letters. The rest of the family seem to just think she was a burden. I hope my attention helped her and I hope she knows I loved her.
Tammy
Odrade

Yep, my husband's ex-best-friend is one of the biggest cons I ever met... well, never pulls any big cons, just an endless stream of little and medium size ones.

Another one: When I was a young, single sis, I "invested" $1250 in a pyramid scheme on the advice (really more like high-pressure) of an elder's family that had taken me under their wing. I had to borrow the money from a loan agency because I was so poor. Never saw a DIME in returns, and it took me 3 years at great hardship to pay off the loan. They knew I never made any $$ back, never made good on their assurances to help me with my own business, knew that it was a tremendous strain on me to pay. Even though they personally made $800 from my "investment" they never offered to give me any portion of their profit back to help me out. They said if they did that it would "destroy my motivation to succeed."

Bastards.

oh and there were ALWAYS people who wanted to "borrow" money, then never paid it back... but they aren't really cons, they are just deadbeats.
Mulan

Okay, I have to defend myself here. I object to all the negative comments about "pyramid" schemes. In the U.S., pyramids are illegal and have been for many, many years.
I know dozens of loyal JW's, who got involved in network marketing (MLM) quite legitimately and did well, and recruited others who also did well. The ones who didn't fare so well are the ones who expected to make tons of money and not do the work. That just doesn't happen in those kinds of businesses.
I have been in MLM for about 12 years and do quite well (I won't mention the company). I was recruited by a woman at a coffee stand, because she had a product I had heard of and wanted. After a few months, I was buying so much of it for all my friends and family, that she convinced me I could be making money and could buy at wholesale. It only cost me $20 to join, so I can't imagine paying over $1000 to get into anything. Frontloading of products was not allowed (that means buying products to make your commission). Of course people do that and get stuck with a garage full of products. That's their fault, not the business.
I admit I brought in a lot of people from my congregation but they came to me for that particular product, and you know how JW's talk. Soon people from all over were calling me for my products or to sign up. I didn't like that part of the business (sponsoring). Fortunately for me, I had people in my organization who were good at it, and who made me a lot of money. Now I just rake in commissions from my websites and my organization. It is a legitimate business.
In a nearby congregation, two of the elders were right at the top of two different companies, Shaklee and Cambridge Diet (that one didn't last long, but they sure made a fortune). I know of others who were in Amway, Mary Kay (a former CO's wife went very high in that one), Avon, Beauty Control, New Vision, Melaleuca, Watkins, etc. Many were pioneers who supported themselves with that income. In our area, we were warned about expecting something for nothing, but were not warned about getting involved in these businesses. There just was not a bad view of them.
We had a CO who had to retire and he got involved in Nikken, and rose right to the top, making tons of money on magnets. He didn't recruit JW's, unless they came to him. So my point is, it isn't a scam unless you expect something for nothing.
Okay................off my soapbox now.
El Kabong

There were several in my old congregation that were involved with insurance scams. They would take money from people in the congregation who wished to purchase life insurance. Then these poor people would find out that they actually were not insured, even though they were paying the premiums.

The "Brother" who was involved in this actually was convicted and went to jail for some time.

There were also some in our congregation that were involved in several pyramid schemes. One was with some company called A L. Williams or something like that. I was actually invited to participate in this. I went to one of the sales meetings and saw right through the nonsense. I couldn't believe that "Jehovah's People" were actually involved in something so dishonest. Silly me.
Mulan

The first time I went to one of the meetings for my company, I was struck by the similarity to JW's and the Service Meeting. Same thing.
One of my associates in the company said the JW's Network Market their religion. She was so right.
Odrade

BTW, the State Attny General contacted me about this Pyramid Scheme. What Mulan says notwithstanding, there are many MANY pyramids operating in this country, and they are easy to get sucked into. I also did not receive any product of any kind with which I could have made back my "investment." I literally just handed a check over to the people and trusted that I would receive the right "training."

I did not "rat out" my "upline," but since I hadn't made any money, they did not pursue prosecution against me for being involved, but the lady from A.G. office that I talked to was really angry that I was protecting the people because it gave them less info to go after the con.

I'm racking my brain trying to think of the name of the Org, but for the life of me I cannot.

At one point I got involved in Mannatech, but they were a legitimate MLM, and even though I didn't make any $$, I didn't lose any either. No hard feelings there.
Mulan

You are right Odrade, about pyramid schemes still going on. The con artists keep trying. I remember the "gifting" parties a few years back that several people I knew were going to. Somehow it never got around to them getting the "gift". But their sponsors got them several times. I warned one that it sounded suspiciously like a pyramid scheme, but she said they had attorneys telling them they were not, and went anyhow and lost several hundred dollars in the process. It seemed to me that it took a long time for the Attorney General to crack down on these.
diamondblue1974

Swan, there are different things which might cause people to behave in these ways and I accept that those who are genuinely ill (physically and or mentally) should be treated with sympathy. As far as I am aware and I was only young so cannot be sure of all the facts but I do know she wasnt self harming; and it appeared like she was a con and was doing it for what she personally could get out of it.
She faked a terminal illness which she didnt have; in the end she admitted that she didnt have it and that she wasnt going to have a private operation like she had suggested...she admitted she had done it for her own gain, it was one great lie which she didnt believe herself in any form.
Your comments however Swan were valid, and we should never just jump to conclusions.
DB74
Golden Girl

What about Noni juice..they convince sick people it will cure them!
The witnesses were really into that when hubby was sick..we spent over $1,000. a month on that stuff!.....
We started to buy it from his JW sister in N.Y. she was buying it for the "Friends" there.
Well it was so expensive that I called the company direct and found out I could be a distributor and save a lot of money and get a check each time I ordered.
It seemed his sister was selling it to us at the original price and getting a pretty good check out of it!(And from the other witnesses purchases...she also got money if they sold some)
I never told hubby..just kept feeding him the stuff like he wanted. I even tried to get the Drs. to reason with him. He was drinking what the literature recommended and getting so full he wouldn't eat reg food!
When he passed away we still had a few cases left..my daughter sold it on the internet for me and almost got what I paid for it.
All the literature..and tapes ..I threw in the trash..where they belong.
Golden Girl

OK..that was my worst experience...
But we also had to get our insurance from "A Witness that sold car and home ins."
He later came over when I was sunbathing in the back yard and told me obscene jokes..kept touching my leg and drooling!
I learned later he was disfellowshipped.
And of course we had the usual cleaning people..hardly ever saw them at the meetings but all the witnesses used them!
We did have one brother that decided to go into business for himself and a few others helped him finance it. It was repairing leather, etc.
He even hired a few of the people in the hall. Well his business grew like crazy..he got in on it at the right time. No one was doing that. He contacted all the car dealers and soon he had more work that they could handle..Well in time he bought a huge house..and later "Gave" it to his sons and moved to another state. I later heard he was no longer attending meetings..I haven't heard any more about him.
My JW MIL wanted to have new siding put on her house (She lived in the country)..well she got quotes from different companies and from a "Brother" that did it in his spare time.(His was higher but he was a "Brother"..)
He took forever..did a lousy job..the siding looks like the siding on a trailer..and it is the most hideous shade of blue I ever saw!
Later I heard he wasn't attending the meetings and later got disfellowshipped. I think people join churches, etc. to sell their products..use the people up and move on to another church (Or K.H.)
I used to help a JW lady out that had 3 small kids and a so- called disabled soon to be JW hubby..her house was so nasty ...so I told her I would come over and clean it. No charge!
Know what she did for a living?..Cleaned houses!.. I never could believe anyone would let them clean their house!
Anyway..I felt totally used after that!
Then there was the JW that was pregnant and having problems..it was her third child. Her hubby wasn't a JW so being a good little JW offered to help her clean.(After she kept hinting about how she needed help as she was on bed rest)
Her house was already practically spotless..but she says"I want you to do the laundry and clean the kitchen floor". I tried to find some dirt but..I just looked at her...like you have to be kidding?
Then she proceedes to tell me she only uses a washrag on the floor as she wants it to be shiny..which meant getting down on your hands and knees to clean a floor that wasn't even dirty!
So being the good little JW I did it. Then I had to buff it with a clean towel.
Wash all the sheets..vaccumn..clean her refrigerator..then go home and do all my work. (I too had 3 kids)
All she could talk about was how she envied me having the perfect marriage..HA!
Her hubby refused to sleep in the same bed with her so she said.(He would sleep on the floor next to the bed to keep from being next to her).but she ended up pregnant?
Now that I look back..I think she got her revenge!..
Later her oldest son died in a drowning accident. (Long story)
Then I found out she got pregnant again and had a son that looked just like him and was saying "Jehovah" blessed her because she missed her deceased son so much.(JW reasoning)
Snoozy..sorry for rambling on!..

Did you meet any con artist types there?

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