For decades, Latter-day Saints have been seen as particularly vulnerable to Ponzi schemes. A 1982 article on the subject, titled, “Mormon Utah Called a Test Market for Scams,' stated that “church affiliation” can give members a false sense of security.
Zimbelman, the BYU expert, says: “The church has tried to do things, including sponsoring fraud conferences.”
If a wealthy member in your ward is pitching you on a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Zimbelman says, “you should ask if they can make that kind of money, why do they need you?” Some Latter-day Saints also could be victims of their own spiritual optimism in the form of the “prosperity gospel,” says Latter-day Saint civil rights attorneyThere’s a strong theological message that “faithful financial support for the church will lead to greater financial blessings,” Homer says. “We’ve all heard dozens of General Conference and Sunday school stories about how God will ‘open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing’ as being literally fulfilled with increased wealth.
And yet “church doctrine promises financial security as blessings for obedience,” Homer says, “and church culture tends to promote the wealthy as role models and call the fiscally stable into leadership positions.”
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