Cults, Charisma, and Cash: The Dark Web of Manipulation in Religion, Influence, and Crime - overview by Nik Zafri

Not every guru is wise. Not every movement is noble. Question everything.

Cults have both captivated and horrified the world, cloaked in charisma, religious undertones, and promises of salvation or special knowledge. While many think of cults as isolated religious oddities, the cult mindset and mechanisms have quietly evolved, seeping into modern scams, fake influencer cultures, and even organized crime. At the core, it’s not just about belief, it’s about control, manipulation, and ultimately, money.

Terrorism often begins this way too through cult-like indoctrination, amplifying grievances, promising martyrdom, or utopia. The ultimate currency? Blind loyalty, chaos and cash.

A. CLASSIC CULT MOVEMENT EXAMPLES

1. Heaven’s Gate (USA)

A doomsday cult in the 1990s that combined apocalyptic Christianity with science fiction. Members believed that a spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet would transport them to salvation after death. This led to a mass suicide of 39 people in 1997.

2. Aum Shinrikyo (Japan)

Led by Shoko Asahara, this cult mixed Buddhist and Hindu ideas with conspiracy theories. In 1995, they carried out a deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. Despite the violence, members were brainwashed into viewing Asahara as a divine figure.

3. Sky Kingdom (Malaysia – Ayah Pin)

Ayah Pin claimed to be a reincarnation of religious figures across major faiths. His commune was famous for its large teapot structure, symbolizing purification. Despite its seemingly peaceful doctrine, authorities saw it as deviant. It drew followers through the promise of divine truth and spiritual superiority, even as critics pointed to manipulation and financial exploitation.

B. MODERN CULT MECHANICS

Cults don’t always need compounds or temples. Today, cult-style tactics appear in subtler forms:

• Fake Influencers and Online Gurus - Self-proclaimed “mentors” or “wealth coaches” build loyal followings using motivational language, fake luxury, and manipulated social proof. They mimic cult leaders, offering a vision, creating an “us vs. them” mindset, and using fear of missing out (FOMO) to retain loyalty,

• Scammers and Ponzi Schemers - using the power of suggestion, many scammers construct narratives that blend religious hope with psychological manipulation. They often play on trust, faith, or status. Many victims don’t just lose money, they lose identity and social support after being brainwashed into defending their exploiters.

C. MANIPULATION, MAGIC AND MIND GAMES

While I'm not denying that black magic is occasionally invoked in cult narratives especially in Southeast Asia, the real power lies in suggestion and psychological manipulation. Among them are :

• Repetition and Isolation eventually breaking down critical and logical thinking,

• Religious symbolism adds emotional weight,

• Charismatic leadership creates dependence,

• Cover-ups and conspiracies are used to protect the inner circle and silence dissent.

D. MONEY TRAIL - ORGANIZED CRIME AND CULT POWER

Many cults have financial operations that resemble organized crime syndicates.

• Money laundering through donations or businesses,

• Flaunting of wealth to attract new recruits ("If God blesses me, follow me!"),

• Land grabs, crypto scams, fake MLMs,

• Sexual exploitation masked as spiritual rituals

• Layered trust networks that prevent whistleblowing

At the heart of it all, even the most spiritual-sounding cult often boils down to power and money. Control of assets, of people, of belief and the ability to extract wealth in plain sight.

CONCLUSION

The cult isn’t dead, it’s just rebranded. Whether through robes and rituals or reels and retweets, the mechanics remain: isolate, indoctrinate, exploit. As lines blur between spiritual enlightenment and psychological enslavement, the world must sharpen its awareness. What starts as a community of belief can easily become a web of manipulation and when power is unchecked, the victims are often invisible until it’s too late.

MALAYSIANS INVOLVEMENT IN COUNTERFEIT CARD OPERATIONS IN THE UK

Based on the online news, "Foot Soldiers" and one of the leaders of the organized crime from Eastern Europe for skimming and hidden cameras at ATMs have been caught by the Fraud Squad from both UK City and Metropolitan Police.

One of their greatest bust is a huge delivery of more than 2000 counterfeit cards (Citibank, Standard Chartered, DBS etc complete with Visa/Mastercard, Hologram features and magnetic strip (to store compromised data) for swipe with signature, all without chip/pin facilities (using only swipe) from Malaysia to another young Malaysian man renting a room in North London.

During the raid, search in the room found lists of account numbers, foil to emboss the credit cards and details of regular shipments from Malaysia. If the cards haven't been intercepted, stolen British account details would have been encrypted onto the magnetic strips.

What’s particularly disturbing to me is the involvement of Malaysians in such sophisticated and intricate criminal operations. It’s a stark reminder that the issue isn’t just international, it has local roots too.

I sincerely hope the Malaysian government will urgently re-examine the operations of licensed security printing companies, investigate the possible involvement of bank insiders, and crack down on underground black-market printers, in order to strengthen oversight and prevent further abuse of our financial systems.

#FinancialCrime #CardFraud

According to The Register, a total of 105 individuals suspected of credit card fraud were arrested across Asia and Europe following a complex, months-long investigation spanning two continents.

The operation focused on a syndicate allegedly led from Malaysia, with networks extending into 14 European countries including the UK and Germany that specialized in using counterfeit credit cards to purchase high-value goods.

As part of the coordinated takedown, nine suspects were arrested in Malaysia and 76 in various parts of Europe. The crackdown included multiple raids on targeted locations, including two sites believed to be used for producing “high-quality” counterfeit credit cards.

During the searches, authorities seized approximately 3,000 counterfeit payment cards, along with fake passports, surveillance equipment, jewellery, and large sums of cash.