7 signs that you are budol-prone

The term "budol" comes from the Hilagaynon language referring to the budol-budol gang which specializes in committing crime by swindling. As opposed to the akyat-bahay gang, who would steal from houses that are unoccupied or unattended making the break-ins possible, the budol modus operandi uses fraud, trickery and hypnosis, such that the unsuspecting victim usually hands over the money or anything that is valuable to the criminal 

Recently, the term budol has taken a lighter meaning, “Uy, nabudol na naman ako!” referring to a shopping experience, usually unplanned. One tiny budol may be harmless but one tiny budol after another, done on a regular basis is harmful to one’s wealth, health and the state of the nation!

Are we a nation of budol victims? Let’s take a look at behaviors that are susceptible to budol. 

1. People pleaser. If you always want to be the nice guy, chances are, you will do things just because others are doing it. You will buy things just because others are buying it. If someone sells you something, you will buy it just to please that person, no matter how useless or expensive the product is. 

2. Blind loyalty to authority. Scammers usually impersonate authority figures. If you are the type of person who easily gets rattled with commands from entities with power, you can easily give in and obey instructions almost automatically. And even if you feel that you’re being scammed already, you still carry on until your leader tells you to “Drink the Kool-Aid!”

3. You’re always under stress. It is difficult to summon your Makatwirang Mak (your rational side) when you are under stress. Scammers usually come in the form of help or relief to your stress and take advantage of people who are dealing with illness of loss of someone. 

4. You lack knowledge. Scammers pry on people with limited education and general knowledge of things because they tend to be more gullible. 

5. You’re too friendly. Many scam victims report that they met their scammer via a friend request on social media. Last weekend I watched a Netflix show entitled Tinder Swindler, a documented case of an Israeli who victimizes girls on Tinder by posing as a billionaire then attacks with his swindling moves once they’re his girlfriends or close friends. Despite all the reports and initial arrest, the guy is at the moment a free man, back to his lavish lifestyle and even offering personal success workshop for a fee!

6. You are lonely. The Fraud Watch Network has found that many scam victims report feeling lonely and isolated from family and friends. This makes them vulnerable to the fake friendships of the budoleros. 

7. You are desperate and impatient. When we are in this state, we resort to what we call “kapit sa patalim!” We so want to believe the thing that we want to believe in, ignoring all the signs that point otherwise. 

I can’t help but think of the way we have been voting our leaders. Bakit ang hilig nating magpabudol sa eleksyon?

Maybe we are all so desperate and impatient to have a better Philippines that a lot of us believed ridiculous promises of solving the drug problem in six months and many more! Maybe we have left behind a huge part of our population in cold poverty that made the electorate blind to the improvements we have achieved in the past regime. But wait, surveys show that the higher classes also continue to give their vote to convicted felons. Why? Because we have not jailed enough crooks. Just because Imelda is not in prison does not mean she’s innocent, please read facts! She was convicted. So is Marcos Jr!

It is absurd how we are in the brink of another possible major budol in May 2022, the golden anniversary year of the great budol act called Martial Law. Why is the majority of our population hypnotized by the budol-budol gang in the guise of unity? If we don’t stop this hypnosis, we are facing a major catastrophe that will make the Philippines the laughing stock of the world. 

So, help us God! 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Join our conversation with Chris Tiu on Money Lessons with FQ Mom: Usapang Negosyo.

2. If you want to have a financial planning and wealth advisory services to build your own financial blueprint tailor-fit to your goals. Book a free exploratory call with us! Click https://calendly.com/ife-fin-arc/explore.

3. To learn more about your money behavior, get your copy of FQ Books and for your loved ones too. Just click https://fqmom.com/bookstore/  

4. If you haven’t taken the FQ Test yet, or have taken in on or before August 2021, it may be time to take the test again. Click http://fqmom.com/dev-fqtest/app/#/questionnaire

This article is also published in FQMom.com.