Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could benefit from the lessons others have learned in life without having to go through them ourselves? I have learned so many the hard way, that I wouldn't wish the same on anyone else. So, here I'm going to share lessons I've learned the hard way. It's my prayer you learn from them and can avoid having to experience them for yourself.
IN CHRIST ALONE
In the past month I have been scammed four times in two different areas of my life. That's once a week! I consider myself a fairly intelligent person with a certain amount of discernment and am not usually easily deceived. For this reason, I believe if I have been duped, others out there are being duped too. But I finally wised up! I have come to the conclusion (finally) that I cannot trust in anything this broken world has to offer. Time after time I've found that the solutions to my issues and problems that the world offers are not real solutions at all. Lots of them just don't work, and others were never intended to, but were tools of those being used by the enemy to steal, kill and destroy. I now realize I have to trust in Christ alone. For everything. And if you've tried it, you know that it is much easier said than done. I want to share these scams with you, so you won't be taken in and share with you the real solution. Ready, set, let's go.
The first scam concerned a health/vanity issue. I have struggled with my weight all my life. I have tried everything that came down the pike with varying degrees of success. At one time or other I have joined Weight Watchers, TOPS, Jenny Craig, done the South Beach Diet, KETO, the Carnivore Diet. I have juiced, I have done intermittent fasting and have done combinations of all of the above. My most successful attempts resulted in a weight loss of 70 pounds, all of which came right back on when I was unable to sustain the regimen responsible for the loss. All of them were fads or were not viable long-term lifestyle changes. So, I gave up on all it and decided to try to eat healthier and get more exercise and to be satisfied with whatever these attempts yielded.
Then I fell into the GLP-1 trap. I'd seen the videos of celebrities I knew well, like Kelly Clarkson, who had radical weight loss experiences. I sat through an hour-long explanation of the science of GLP-1 triggers in your body and how they stimulate weight loss and how these become suppressed and ineffective in our bodies as we age. It all made sense. There were 3 options for stimulating the GLP-1 sensors in one's body; each being touted as equally effective: Expensive shots of prescription medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Trulicity and Saxenda. These medications are intended to regulate blood sugar, reduce appetite and promote weight loss. I can't in good conscience call this option a scam because I never tried it. There is a lady in my church who lost 90 pounds using these shots. There is evidence they work. But there are side-effects, some severe. Not only that but the cost is prohibitive for most people. Definitely for me. I was wary of the side-effects vs. outcome possibly not being worth it to me. And I couldn't afford it. I never even considered this option.
About the same time, I learned of two more affordable options without the harsh side-effects. I watched an hour long-video on Burn-Slim, touted by Dr. Jennifer Ashton and endorsed by Kelly Clarkson. (Unfortunately, I didn't remember until it was too late that Kelly also endorsed weight loss gummies sponsored by Oprah, that I bought and tried with no success.) I spent just under $200 for two bottles of Burn-Slim. They recommended the entire 6-bottle package, a great deal for $399, but I just couldn't afford it at the time. As it was, I spent money earmarked for other expenses, but I felt it would be worth it. My loving husband, wanting me to be happy with myself and my body would not refuse me or even suggest I might not want to do it. The video was full of scientific data and made sense. It was endorsed by people who'd had miraculous weight losses. It promised that if you took one pill before breakfast daily, the weight would fall off. You'd feel the difference in the first few days and be able to see it on the scale and in looser clothing after just one week. There were testimonials of 15-20 pounds lost in one month. Almost 60 in 2 months. I'd purchased two months' worth. They said it was risk-free. If you were unsatisfied for any reason, you could return the unused portion for a complete refund. There was nothing to lose but weight. Or so I thought.
When the bottles arrived, there was no insert with instructions provided. The bottle said, serving size 2 capsules. The video had said one. With no further instruction, I took 2 capsules before breakfast like the video instructed. I did this for a month. After the first few days, I felt no different. After the first week, my clothes were not looser and the scale hadn't budged. I did see a difference in the scale and my clothes after 30 days. My clothes were tighter and I'd gained 5 pounds. I called the toll-free customer service number on the bottle and was given an email address at which I could request my refund. I emailed, explained my experience and requested their money-back guarantee. I got an answer right away stating that they understood my frustration and shared that it was just too soon to expect any results and that optimum results are usually seen during the 60-90 day period. (Just beyond which my pills would last). I explained that this directly contradicted what their promotional video said, and that I would still like to take advantage of their "if you're unhappy for any reason" money-back guarantee. I got another response stating the exact same thing the first one did with no mention of a refund. I sent another email stating that if I did not receive instructions for returning my unused portion and getting a full refund I would blast them on the internet as a scam. While I was waiting for their response, I did an internet search and found headlines of "Burn-Slim Scam" and the "Doctor Jennifer Ashton Hoax," and I knew I'd been scammed. I got a third email exactly matching the first two I'd received. My money was just gone and now I was heavier than before.
You'd think that would be enough of a lesson for me to understand. But evidently not. I started seeing commercials on TV for GLP-1 patches sold at CVS over the counter with the same results that Burn-Slim promised. I thought the science was good and that in Burn-Slim I'd just found a company that found a way to take advantage of people's hope and optimism and used it as a way to scam them out of money. If CVS was carrying this product, it had to have some merit, didn't it? I didn't run right out and buy it. But a friend of my mom who is a habitual home-shopping network buyer who compulsively buys from the TV but never uses the product did. She gave boxes of the un-opened patches to my mom to sell in her yard sale, who asked me if I would like to try them. I thought, why not? No expense, so if they don't work, no harm done. I used them faithfully as directed. They didn't work. I didn't even lose the 5 pounds that Burn-Slim had put on. While using the Burn-Slim, I had prayed about my lack of results. The Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you." My response was, "Yeah, I know. But what does that men in this scenario? Do I quit trying things and just trust you or are you telling me you'll bring along something else that will work?" I thought that's what the patches that just fell into my lap were. In the end, I repented for putting my trust in any of the world's schemes and decided "never again". I will just try to eat healthier and get more exercise. I will put my trust for my health and weight issues in Christ alone. Better late than never.
The other scams during this time frame had to do with my writing. These were even more cruel than the weight-loss ones. These were personal. These affected my gift from God, my ministry. I received an email from American Book Publishers out of Houston, TX stating that they'd come across my book online and were impressed by what they saw and believed they could help me reach a greater audience. This was my heart's desire. The Lord gave me messages that were meant to minister to people. He gave me the words to compellingly express these messages, but what I didn't have was an effective way to get them to the people who needed them. This company seemed to offer the solution. I have two published books available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, so it made sense that this company could have come across my books and that this offer was legit. They asked me to call a toll-free number to discuss what steps were needed to accomplish my goals for my writing. I first suspected a scam when I saw the name of my contact with American Book Publishers on the email. Scarlett Jade felt like a fake name. Two colors? Then when I called, a man who sounded like he was from India answered, "Hello?" No business name. I asked to speak with Scarlett Jade and he said, "Oh, yes, ok, I will get her." An Indian-sounding woman came on and said, "Hello?" I said, is this "American Book Publishers?" She said, "Oh, yes, how can I help you?" I told her that she contacted me. She said she came across my book and was impressed by it. I asked her which of my books she read. She admitted she hadn't actually read my books. "So, how could you be impressed by them?" I asked. Now I knew for sure this was a scam. I told her I wasn't interested in anything she was offering and asked her not to contact me again. (They are still contacting me, months later. I've blocked emails and marked them as spam, but they still find a way to contact me.) After cutting ties, I researched American Book Publishers online and found this: "American Book Publishers and similar entities often operate as vanity presses or outright scams, targeting authors with high upfront fees, false promises of best-seller status, and poor-quality services, frequently demanding money for marketing services which either non-deliver or under-deliver."
You'd think I'd learn after that not to trust people who contact me about promoting my books, but evidently not. I actually received an email from Barnes and Noble. I've copied it here. Loved Your Book — Let’s Get It Into Barnes & Noble Stores
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Barnes & Noble In-Store Placement Program
This was accompanied by photos of Barnes and Noble stores inside and out. I thought this might be legit because my books are for sale on BarnesandNoble.com. Cautious, though, I responded by asking which of my two books they were referring to. Here was the response:
Hi Raelynn,
Welcome back! I hope you had a truly refreshing vacation — unplugged time is the best kind.
The title that caught our attention was “And They Overcame Him.”
I have to say, the message behind it is powerful. Stories centered on perseverance, faith, and triumph over adversity resonate very strongly with in-store readers — especially in inspirational and Christian fiction sections. The title alone carries emotional weight and immediate curiosity, and that kind of impact matters in a physical retail setting where readers are browsing shelves.
We genuinely believe And They Overcame Him has the kind of heartfelt depth and audience appeal that can perform beautifully in brick-and-mortar environments, including select Barnes & Noble locations.
We would absolutely love to explore placing this title in physical stores.
Would you be interested in discussing how we could position it for in-store placement? I’d be happy to schedule a quick call to walk you through the process and see if it’s the right fit for your goals.
Looking forward to connecting, Raelynn.
Warm regards,
Sarah Liam
Ok, this sounded legitimate. Did it to you? So, I gave her my phone number and scheduled a call. The person who called sounded exactly like Scarlett Jade. I immediately suspected a scam. I approached the conversation warily. Sarah Liam proceeded to outline the procedure for getting my books into Barnes and Noble. They would publish 5000 of my books for distribution to their stores at a minimum cost to me of..."Wait a minute" I said. My books are in other brick and mortar stores, (actually just Gospel Supplies in Tucson) and they simply ordered them from Ingram. Why doesn't Barnes and Noble do the same?" She said they have a publishing company and only put books in their stores that they have published. I didn't buy it. I told her I wasn't interested and not to contact me anymore. I then contacted Barnes and Noble customer service and explained about the contact I'd received. They confirmed that this was indeed a scam and asked me to forward all the emails to them. They intend to prosecute. I did receive one more email from Sarah Liam before I could block her and tag her as spam, saying that I responded in a highly unprofessional manner, so they are hesitant to work with me. All the better. Hopefully, I won't hear from her again. But this one broke my heart. I thought I would finally get my books into the mainstream where many could read them. It was such a letdown. I did ask the real Barnes and Noble representative how I could get my books onto the shelves of their stores. They said I had to come up with a specific marketing plan and explain what will compel people to come to their stores to specifically buy my book and if they believe it would result in that, they would consider placing my books. That is beyond my scope of expertise. I just write.
I came to the conclusion that God gave me the gift of writing and the material He wanted my writing to convey. He would have to make the way for the writing to get into the hands of those they are intended to minister to. It must be done through Christ alone.
All this happened in one-months' time. It's been a heck of a month. But I believe I finally learned the lesson intended for me. Whatever I do in this world, whatever issues or problems I face, they can only be handled through Christ alone. To Him be the glory.
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