Most people are susceptible to scams like MLMs otherwise they wouldn’t keep running the same scam. It doesn’t mean you’re smart or dumb, you just may not be aware of the social engineering and manipulation tactics they use or lack an effective skeptical epistemology to avoid accepting claims without good justification. Most people who are in a cult don’t realize the organization they are in is a cult. I have an otherwise very intelligent sibling who fell for the essential oils MLM scam. They often use tactics and language similar to cults: in group/out group tribalism, indoctrination, isolation, love bombing, fear and hate mongering, etc.
It really is hard. A guy I used to work with is in one DEEP. He hits up former coworkers and even their friends on Facebook trying to lure them in. I had a few conversations and genuinely tried to reach him but it’s just impossible. It eventually came to the point that, when he was talking about all the money he made (2k in a few hours work (this one time)), I told him to send his 1099 and if it beat my W-2 I would join him.
Most people are susceptible to scams like MLMs otherwise they wouldn’t keep running the same scam. It doesn’t mean you’re smart or dumb, you just may not be aware of the social engineering and manipulation tactics they use or lack an effective skeptical epistemology to avoid accepting claims without good justification. Most people who are in a cult don’t realize the organization they are in is a cult. I have an otherwise very intelligent sibling who fell for the essential oils MLM scam. They often use tactics and language similar to cults: in group/out group tribalism, indoctrination, isolation, love bombing, fear and hate mongering, etc.
It really is hard. A guy I used to work with is in one DEEP. He hits up former coworkers and even their friends on Facebook trying to lure them in. I had a few conversations and genuinely tried to reach him but it’s just impossible. It eventually came to the point that, when he was talking about all the money he made (2k in a few hours work (this one time)), I told him to send his 1099 and if it beat my W-2 I would join him.
Spoiler alert: he never sent it.
This was early on in our convos. I could’ve opened a little softer but I took a more probing stance after.
folded because huge