Satan and Scammers Have Much in Common

The voice mail on my phone was robotic:

You and your Social Security number have been suspectedof fraudulent activities, so once you get this message kindly call us back assoon as possible on our number before we begin with the legal proceedingsagainst you. That is XXX-XXX-XXXX. I repeat XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thank you.

I wasn’t fooled; I knew about such scams. But it did causeme to ponder the people behind such atrocious acts – evil at its worst –andwhy our government, created to protect us, could not stop them.

The Federal Trade Commission has documented the growth ofthis con and hasn’t been able to slow it, much less stop it. In 2017, The FTCheard from 3,200 people about SSA imposter calls such as the above. Accordingto Jennifer Leach, Associate Director, Division of Consumer and BusinessEducation, the victims reported losing $210,000. That number skyrocketed to35,000 people claiming a total loss of $10 million by the end of 2018!

You’ve probably heard how this happens. When folks returnthe call, they are asked to confirm their Social Security number to reactivateit. Hello Identity Theft. Sometimes the scammers tell callers their bankaccount is about to be seized because of fraudulent activity. However, if theyput their money on gift cards and pass along the codes, the rip-off artists promiseto keep their funds safe for them. Goodbye money.

The technology used has grown so sophisticated that thenumber showing in caller ID for some of these calls is the actual number of theSocial Security Administration.

Scammers and Satan have a lot in common besides being evilto the core. The tactics scammers use to steal our money are similar to thoseused by the Enemy to snatch our peace, joy, and hope. Here are a few majorones, although there are probably more.

Four Strategies forSuccess

1. Satan and Scammers Work to Create Fear inUs

Before my rational mind took over, my heart skipped a beat ortwo when I first listened to the message. Did someone steal my identity anduse my SSN to collect benefits or to obtain a loan?  That’s happened to people I know. And Irecalled my recent visit to the SSA website to review earnings the way theysuggest you do every so often. Did this open the window for potentialthieves?

The attempt to create fear in me was successful for a few seconds.When we’re fearful, we don’t make the best decisions. In fact, fear causes usto question what we know as the truth or to lose our faith altogether.

In everyday life, many of our fears and doubts are caused bySatan rather than the circumstances. God does not create fear in us: “Godhas not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a soundmind” (2 Tim. 1:7).

When we let Satan seep in, we start to believe his lies and play the What If game, imagining the worse-case scenario. That’s when we’re prone to returning his call. The Bible warns us to be on guard for his deceits “in order that Satan might not outwit us.” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

• Satan and Scammers Prey on Our Weaknesses

“Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaringlion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

Scientists tell us mountain lions seek out the weakest—thesick, the young, and the injured. He follows the scent of fragility and attacksthe frailest in the land. It’s called instinctive cruelty. The Thief of our joyhunts with the same goal. He stalks the suffering, hoping to take advantage oftheir weakness. He preys on the fragile just as the lion does.

Senior citizens are often targeted in financial abuse consin general because they’re a large demographic with assets. They’re also one ofthe most vulnerable populations among us, and scammers prey on the socialisolation and loneliness many face. Many of them have no one to turn to foradvice or to check on their finances. Further, the fraudsters know some seniorshave memory loss or impaired cognitive function, making them easier to trickinto sharing financial details.

• Satan and Scammers are Cloaked in Lightand Righteousness

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 that “Even Satandisguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his servantsalso disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.”

Notice the polite words, kindly and thank you,in the voice mail. More striking is the underlying message offering hope, a wayout of a terrible situation. Scammers portray themselves as our friend andadvocate in order to separate us from our financial security.

Likewise, Satan tempts us with lies in order to separate usfrom our eternal security. When we listen to him instead of God, not only do wedeprive ourselves of peace on earth, but we also run the risk of missing out onheaven’s riches.

• Satan and Scammers are Persistent

We knowthe social security scammers are persistent because of their growing success.When I didn’t respond to the first call made from a New York area code, anotherone followed two days later. After a week, I received the same message but froma Florida number. Although I stopped getting calls after I reported them to theFTC, I’m sure it didn’t curb their activity one bit.

Neitherdoes Satan give up easily. In Luke 4, we learn that Satan aggressively temptedJesus three times. The devil then departed from Him, but “only for a season”(14). Although he failed three times with Jesus, he still came back. Mostassuredly, Satan is not any less aggressive in his pursuit of us than he waswith our High Priest. This makes it supremely important that we “put on thefull armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes”(Ephesians 6:11).

FightEvil in All Its Forms

Many formsof evil exist in the world, but none is worse than scams designed to takeadvantage of one of our most valuable and vulnerable populations. Let’s take astand to help protect them.

In TheParable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-40), Jesus separates thesheep—a metaphor for God’s people— from the goats, telling the sheep they areblessed by the Father because “whatever you did for the one of the least ofthese brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (40).

By getting involved with helping senior citizens who are susceptible to financial abuse, perhaps we wage a larger war against Satan.

Many forms of evil exist in the world, but none is worse than scams designed to take advantage of one of our most valuable and vulnerable populations—senior citizens. Share on X