Stolen Property

One day my wife came home with a pile of paper bags and, with great enthusiasm, began telling me what useful things she had purchased that day. A friend had invited her to attend a “free” presentation at a beauty salon, where foreign specialists “just like that” performed all kinds of procedures and let people try various creams and skin-care products, explaining the healing and magical properties of these ointments. And my dear other half decided to gift herself, me, and all her friends with these wonder-working preparations, whose price, though high, was, in her words, justified by their originality and uniqueness.

I watched her enthusiasm and did not understand what was happening. She was advertising her purchases with such rapture that it gave the impression she was the seller and I the buyer. But the most interesting part came at the end of her story. She announced to me that, since she had not had that much money with her, they had offered to arrange a loan and have her pay a fixed monthly amount for two years. I quickly added it all up and was surprised at the result. It turned out that all this time we would have to labor to cover the interest and the payment for who knows what.

I had no words to comment on what I had heard. I was silent and thought about what we had gotten ourselves into again. Sensing something was wrong, my wife grew quiet and also began to ponder. Then she asked me, “Dear, did I do something wrong?” What could I answer?

After a long pause my wife began to sob, and then she cried so hard that she frightened me. I began to comfort her and tell her not to grieve—“let’s first sort everything out.” And while she tried to compose herself, I took her receipts and signed documents and began to study them carefully.

I knew that there are consumer protection rights, and that we possibly had a chance to calmly get to the bottom of things and fix something.

Carefully reviewing the names of the various creams and other purchases, I decided to look up information and comments on this topic on the internet. It turned out that this had been a well-organized campaign by which trusting clients were found in this way and sold pretty packages with ordinary contents at astronomical prices.

I carefully read the terms of the bank’s loan agreement and realized that things were not simple there either, and even if it were possible to annul it, we would still lose something, since the money had already been transferred to the sellers’ account.

It was very sad to lose our hard-earned savings so quickly and easily, and I wished first to give this problem to GOD.

I began to pray quietly, and when my wife had calmed down a little, I decided to discuss everything with her and find out the details of what had happened. From her story I understood that there had been some kind of hypnotic power in all of this that had convinced my wife to take such a step and then had tried through her to tempt me as well.

I did not accuse my spouse of anything, understanding how hard this was for her now, and I assured her that I would not abandon her, that I loved and valued her, and that together we would cope with this too.

We prayed and cast all our care upon JESUS according to the Promise, because He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7). My wife finally calmed down and declared that she would throw all the purchases into the trash so as not to be upset anymore. I objected, saying that we would first try to return them to the sellers.

On a forum where other victims of deception shared their indignation, grief, and thirst for retribution, I found the phone number of a lawyer who, for a certain fee, was ready to help resolve this issue. First I wanted to verify this person’s data, and it turned out that he had an entire firm that successfully handled such cases and had very many grateful clients who had turned to them for help.

We consulted together and decided to contact this lawyer at once. They turned out to be professionals in their field and immediately took up our case. And since the scammers knew this firm, we were unconditionally refunded all the money for the purchases, and they took their goods back. But it was more difficult with the bank, since the payout had already been made, and they wanted to keep all their interest even with early repayment of the loan. But we bore that as well.

I understood that in such a trial love is also needed in all its fullness, just as in favorable times.

After some time I received a call from “bank employees” where my account was opened, and they stated that scammers had hacked my card and withdrawn all the money from it, leaving only a certain amount. And the bank was forced to block my account. Then they connected me with a “security service employee.” He said the remaining money could be saved if I urgently withdrew it in cash and deposited it through a terminal to another account which they would indicate.

Being a quick person, I decided to act immediately and, without praying, ran to the ATM, withdrew the required amount, and immediately transferred it to the indicated account. The “bank employees” called me back and reported that now my money was safe and that they had been able to track down the scammers and return the stolen money to my account. Now I needed urgently to withdraw it and transfer it to the same account where I had deposited the previous funds. I rejoiced and decided again to act quickly. But something stopped me, and I began to think. Why could they not protect my card themselves and were asking me to transfer money who knows where? Opening the banking app on my phone, I saw that no one had withdrawn anything from me; only I myself had withdrawn what I had transferred to who knows whom. I felt sick. I suddenly realized that scammers had swindled me and wanted to strip me further. I did not know what to do and began to pray. How difficult it was! Indignation and bitterness over my naivety hindered my speech. I even tried in prayer to accuse GOD for not protecting me from evil people and for my now bearing such losses. But, in the end, I humbled myself and even shed tears from the powerlessness to change anything.

My wife, seeing what was happening, at first watched me, and then asked what had occurred. I told everything, expecting that she would begin to cry and scold me. But she began to comfort me and assure me that she would not leave me and would carry this burden together with me. Through the words of this dear person the LORD began to heal my wounds.

I decided to contact the police. From the investigator’s words I understood that there are very many such cases. These numbers and accounts are fake, and these scammers are uncatchable. No one wants to take on such cases. I understood that where people are powerless, GOD begins to act.

The scammers tried to contact me several more times, but when they realized that I had exposed them, they blocked my number and ceased communication. I managed to testify to them about GOD and about my faith and called them to repentance. I very much wished that these people would turn from their evil deeds and live, but this is for them to choose.

Later other scammers contacted us, offering for a certain sum to find the swindlers, but I refused them at once.

Such trials struck our family budget very strongly, but instead of condemnation we decided to love and support each other under such circumstances.

1. Please read 1 Cor. 16:14; Exod. 23:1; Job 15:20–35; 16:11; 31:7–8; Ps. 1:1–6; 9:22–35; 36:16, 35–36; 73:1–28; 94:3; 119:95; 140:9; Prov. 3:33; 4:14; 6:12–15; 15:6; Eccl. 7:15; 8:12–13; Isa. 57:21 in light of this lesson.

2. What did you understand from this topic?

3. What other Bible verses came to your memory?

4. Have you ever become a victim of deception?

5. What do you think Adam’s wife experienced when she began to converse with the serpent? Gen. 3:6.

6. Can advertising offer you unnecessary things as if they were vital necessities?

7. If your loved one has become a victim of deception, should you scold and humiliate them for this?

8. Why in our time do the wicked prosper, while the righteous have many sorrows and fiery trials?

9. What should I do if I understand that I am being deceived and they want to rob me, but I have no strength or wisdom to resist?

10. Will the LORD accept the repentance of swindlers? Luke 19:8–10.

11. Is it worth giving your friend advice about not trusting scammers, if he has become a victim of deception and is suffering from it?

12. Will the LORD execute His Judgment upon those who earn by deceiving and exploiting the trust of other people?

13. Is it worth being proud if no one has managed to deceive you so far?

14. How much longer will various scammers exist?

15. Is it necessary to value the trust of those near us and not be a stumbling block for them?