28 September 2023 Recently, the Securities and Futures Commission warned a cryptocurrency exchange that it had not obtained a license and suspected that the exchange was involved in fraud. The police received reports from at least 2,000 victims, involving nearly HK$1.5 billion. The scam techniques are innovative, but most scams are similar in nature, except that the scammers know how to whitewash the walls, exaggerate or fabricate the background of the platform, falsify the number of registered users and transaction volume, and attract investors by offering high returns. The sales distribution model they use attracts people, using large-scale advertising and celebrity promotion and endorsements. They manually control product prices and create the illusion of prosperous transactions, which is enough to defraud many victims who want to get rich quick. Everyone has been taught "not to be greedy", but this is easier said than done. The Bible says, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is his." (Exodus 5:17) Just as Jesus humbled himself, he did it for our sakes. He became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9) and had no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20), in order for people to receive the gospel and eternal life. The Bible says that when this kind young man asked Jesus what he should do to gain eternal life, Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell all you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; You must come and follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had a great inheritance. (Matthew 19: 22) How difficult it is for people to let go of greed and trust in the Lord. People often mistakenly equate success on Earth with money. This distorted core value causes people to abandon the Lord, be tempted by the world, and even fall into fraudulent traps. Some methods of getting rich quickly have attracted people with a lack of faith, such as: London Gold, penny stocks, today's WEB3, blockchain, crypto, the metaverse, etc. The methods of fraud are still the same; they have just rebadged the old methods with new names and a shiny cover. Greedy mind always wants more, but eventually they lose everything. It will continue to happen again and again and never end. As the Bible says "Do not love money, but be content with what you have; for the Lord has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5) This is God. He gives us the greatest comfort and commitment. Jesus said, "Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or store food in barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not as valuable as the birds? Who of you can live a moment longer by worrying?...Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have its worries; one day has enough trouble for one day.” (Matthew 6:26-34) People must learn to withstand the trials of those around them without losing mind. Only with a wavering attitude can we hear the word of God. Take a look at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. The athletes have to go through arduous training and some even got injured at the last moment. They had to persevere and overcome what was put in front of them. We should not just cheer for the athletes who win, but for all athletes. We should applaud all athletes because they are trying their best to do something they are passionate about. This attitude should be applauded and we should try to learn from it. Life has more valuable and meaningful goals than money. Let us keep searching and striving for our purpose.
Best regards, |
 |
|