Flakes, Phonies, and Frauds: Cult Follower Edition
The popular expression “drinking the Kool-Aid” has roots in one of the most disturbing tragedies in history. It started with a charismatic preacher named Jim Jones, the 1970’s leader of “The People’s Temple” in San Francisco. Jones made grandiose claims of being a racial unifier, a faith-healer, a mind-reader, and even the “messiah.” Jones convinced his congregation of nearly 1000 members to voluntarily leave their families and homes in order to relocate to a settlement in a South American Guyanese jungle. There, Jones promised his predominately African-American followers a life of utopian abundance and racial equality. But the reality was nothing short of an unfolding human rights nightmare, with reports of starvation, rapes, psychological coercion, physical torture, forced isolation from families, and “loyalty” mind games. Once on the settlement, leaving was not an option.
Jones eventually convinced over 900 of his followers, a third of whom were children, to drink cyanide-laced fruit punch so that they could all die together. Then he shot himself. Witnesses reported use of syringes by some moms to make it easier to give the “Kool Aid” to their infants. Did the followers know that drinking the fruit punch would kill them? Yes, they absolutely knew. But by the end, Jim Jones’ dangerous command over his followers’ thoughts and actions had no bounds. Jones manipulated his followers into turning a blind eye to his sinister inclinations and blatant hypocrisies and instead cling to his cult of personality.
I was still in elementary school when I first heard about the tragedy in Guyana. I watched the made-for-tv movie about Jonestown sometime in high school. I had so many questions. Why do seemingly intelligent people support leaders who behave in ways directly in opposition to universal notions of reason? What attracts otherwise sane individuals to extreme ideologies or irrational and harmful beliefs, especially in the face of irrefutable evidence?
Years later, I unwittingly found answers to a lot of my questions while investigating white collar crimes as a career Special Agent in the FBI. Be they investment fraud schemes, pyramid schemes, or mass marketing schemes, large scale frauds and the con artists who perpetrate them have much in common with cult culture. For one, fraud victims are not necessarily foolish, naïve, irresponsible with money, or poorly educated. In fact, most are quite the opposite. The first time I was turned on my head with this realization was when I interviewed an elderly victim of a fairly large investment scam. The interview began to take a wrong turn, and in an effort to ensure the victim that my intentions were to protect him and not hurt him, I showed him documentary proof that he was being defrauded. His response will be etched in my brain forever…one that I would go on to experience many times over by people in similar circumstances as him. “Well, that is your perspective,” he said. In other words, the millions of dollars that NO LONGER existed in his bank account was a PERSPECTIVE, and not a hard truth. Again, I was not opining on the investment itself or the personal character of the con artist, which I suppose can be a “perspective.” I showed him proof on paper that a con artist had stolen his money. But somehow I was the “bad guy.”
So exactly what sophisticated level of social engineering does a con artist use to brainwash an educated, reasonable, lucid individual to look at, for example, an elephant and claim that it is a giraffe? Based on my professional experience, I believe there is an equal investment in human vulnerabilities by both the victim and the con artist. A con artist who wants your money will seduce and groom you, as needed. If you are widowed and lonely, he will give you time and companionship. If you feel persecuted or rejected by society, he will offer you justice and validation. If you have been betrayed by loved ones, he will make you feel worthy and loved. If you have strong feelings toward universal goodness and oneness, he will present himself as godly and spiritual. If you feel lost and hopeless, he will offer direction and purpose. If you are aggrieved, he will promise you justice. If you are greedy, he will offer you overnight wealth and success. In short, there is a perceived mutual commitment to factors that have nothing to do with money. The connection over time becomes incredibly visceral. Once the con artist sucks you into his orbit you are not only invested financially, but emotionally and mentally. And believe it or not, it is much easier for some to abandon their money than it is their emotional attachment to what gave them a sense of social cohesiveness and safety. So, it’s not that certain fraud victims are unable to understand dollars and cents. They hang on to the charade, despite evidence to the contrary, because admission that they’ve been defrauded financially is admission that the sanctuary offered by the con artist was a fraud too. This is simply unthinkable. The victim has confided in this scammer; they are friends; they are confidants; they are “like family.”
You may wonder if fraud victims ever become suspicious or question the con artist. Yes, they do. That’s when the “cult of personality” kicks into full force. The “look there…not here” responses designed to distort, confuse, buy time, and reassure are by far the most certain of responses. From fancy websites and brochures packed with complete falsehoods to fake financial statements, fake identities, and fake explanations…the con artist has no shame. He will use his superficial charm and mind games to reassure his victim that he knows things others don’t (sense of superiority and gross arrogance). The con artist will leverage whatever vulnerabilities that attracted the victim to him in the first place to brainwash the victim into believing that only he (the scammer) can be trusted and others (including, and especially family members) have ulterior motives.
I have seen con artists actually lash out at perceived “disloyalty” and use fear and/or intimidation to keep victims quiet while the money continues to roll in. I’ve also seen con artists effectively get their victims to take on responsibility for the fraudster’s wellbeing (as in “they’re out to get me…we have to stick together”). In reality, over time truth becomes distorted. If the con artist says that an elephant is a giraffe, why it just might be. I even had a con artist try to recruit me as an investor in the process of interviewing him regarding the same fraudulent investment. Like I said, these psychopaths have no shame.
No trusted leader, religious figure, financial advisor, or fiduciary of any kind is above accountability. Remember, con artists are counting on you to not ask legitimate questions, demand transparency, or require evidence. In their moments of psychological sobriety and honesty many victims will admit seeing “red flags,” and ignoring them. Eventually, however, the house of cards will fall and the sense of grief, shame, and anxiety at losing hard earned money becomes almost secondary to the disorientation caused by the betrayal and loss of a “dream.” Are all con artists cult leaders? No. Are all fraud victims cultists? Of course not. I have compassion and empathy for all victims. I have had very close family members fall prey to these same tactics. Haven’t we all been victims to blind reasoning at some point in our lives? But when that blind reasoning becomes radicalized to the point of no return it becomes dangerous and unsustainable. The house of cards will fall and there will be consequences. It will cost us our homes, savings, sanity, families, lives; perhaps even our democracy.
