On the list of the most wanted European criminals (Europol) there was a face that is unfortunately familiar to many Balkans in the diaspora. It is about 45-year-old Marijana Mijailović, an Austrian citizen of Serbian origin. For years, using the false names of Amela and Fatima, she got rich on other people’s misfortune, offering “removal of black magic” and protection from death.
This fraud, weighing millions of euros, did not take place in dark alleys, but in the heart of Europe – Austria, Switzerland and Germany – targeting primarily our people who found themselves in life problems.
How does the “business” of fear work?
Guest in Novi Dan, psychotherapist Arijana Ćatović-Radić she explained that the victims of such scams are not necessarily “naive” people, but people in deep suffering. “When fear sets in, the alarm goes off. People lose their sense of security and control. Fraudsters know this – first they cause a huge fear in you (eg ‘someone has harmed you’, ‘you are threatened with death’), and then they offer a quick solution that costs money,” explains Arijana.
In that state of narrowed consciousness, people are willing to give up anything – from their life savings to their family gold – just to regain a sense of security.
Sociologist Forić: “The records are heresy, and remember Torabi…”
Sociologist Samir Forić he also touched on the role of religion, drawing a clear line between faith and magic. “Magic is always secret, while faith is public. Anyone can take the Koran or the Bible and read it for peace. But when someone – even a religious official – makes you a ‘record’ that only he knows how to make and sells it to you as a product, that is heresy,” Forić is sharp.
He also reminded of the so-called collective shame Mecca Torabia phenomenon that showed how vulnerable we are as a society to “miracle workers”.
Why do superstitious people suit politicians?
Perhaps the most interesting part of the conversation concerned the link between politics and superstition. “The lower the trust in institutions, the greater the superstition. It suits politicians to believe that the floods in Jablanica are ‘God’s punishment’ or fate, because then the question of responsibility is not raised and the culprits are not sought in the system,” concludes Forić.
As long as we believe that “someone else is to blame” or that we are “written down”, fraudsters like fake Amela and Fatima, as well as irresponsible politicians, will have fertile ground for their activities.
(TYPE/Source: N1/Photo: Police agencies)
