According to the American Heritage Dictionary, one of the meanings for victim is: A person who is tricked, swindled, or taken advantage of. I have been a victim of people stealing from me throughout my life.

My first experience as a scam victim was when I was a freshman in high school, as I started hanging around with the wrong crowd. Thinking I was cool with my long hair and older friends, I started to play in a local rock band. I enjoyed playing (and still do) with various musicians gifted in different styles of music; always picking up a new lick or two.

In ninth grade I was befriended  by a guy who felt that he was a victim of unfair military practices, thus discharging him from the Air Force.  He was an average guitar player that appreciated it when I brought my guitars over so that both of us could jam together. I started leaving my instruments at his apartment, making it easier to just drop by and play.

One evening I stopped by to jam, and his landlord told me that he had left town earlier that day. Looking in his vacant apartment, my 2 guitars and amp were gone.  I just became a victim of a thief! It was revealed to me that he was a victim of gambling and drug addictions. I am sorry to say that this was the beginning of my life as a scam victim.

When I moved to Minneapolis to begin college, my only transportation was my dad’s bicycle that he so generously let me use. I would chain it to a post outside my apartment every day. Needless to say, it was ripped off when someone cut the thick chain with bolt cutters. Why would someone want to steal a 1-speed bicycle? I became a victim of a thief again!

Many years past by as I was getting used to being a victim of theft, deceit, and emotional abuse. I had a life-long friend that was gaining success by purchasing several apartment buildings. He needed a down payment for a 12 unit apartment building and promised that he would have the money back in 30 days with a little bit of interest. I went to the bank and got a loan for $17,000 to borrow to my entrepreneurial friend. A few weeks passed by when I heard he had been arrested for scamming hundreds of people like myself with false down payments and empty promises. I became a victim of a selfish friend who became a victim of our state prison system.

I am skipping several other instances to save writing space in this blog. My wife and I invented and produced stretch-covers for medical devices. We found a wholesaler to distribute them near the west coast. He said to “front” him as many as possible because he was going to display them at various shows. I became a victim of deceit and theft as he never paid back thousands of dollars in inventory, causing us to close the business.

Throughout  a twenty year time span, I was coaxed into becoming a distributor for several MLM companies such as; Amway, Time4Change, Rebounder, Nikken, Shaklee, plus several others. I learned that depending on others for success was a difficult road. I became of victim of saying yes to false business hopes.

As the internet was gaining popularity I created one of the first online stores for printer toner. It started to pick up business when I received my largest order from a company in Kenya, Africa. After I sent the $5,000 order, I was charged back money from the false credit card. The FBI said that they won’t deal with a scam that occurred out of the country. I was a victim of internet credit card theft, causing my business to shut down.

A few years went by when I became friends with a less fortunate younger adult who had great work ethics, but could never afford college. He was a great chef. Having compassion on his situation in life, (he was a victim of a father who left the family) I decided to become a silent partner with him in a small cafe. After spending a lifetime of savings and getting loans for over $70,000, we outgrew the cafe building and moved to a larger one. We had not taken any of the profits yet, as he claimed that there were none. Finally after nearly 3 years of no profits, I took over the “book work” for one month. When I confronted my partner that we were short over $8,000 for the month, he disappeared the next day and hid from the police for over a year. I had to close the business with approximately $170,000 stolen over about 3 years. I became a victim of embezzlement.

If you have been a victim of any type of crime, especially scamming, I have a suggestion that will make your life much better. Always forgive the person that has scammed you. This does not mean that you should not expect to be paid back when the criminal has come to their senses. By doing this, you will not be a victim, you will be someone that can help others that have experienced similar misfortunes. You will help hold their chin up and continue living life to the fullest.

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