Over and over on social media (especially Facebook), we see these challenges and what I call ridiculous posts about posting your selfie or your kid’s name or whatever. The most critical part of it is that we see the vast majority of our “friends” following this trend. From time to time, you even get inbox messages saying things like, “You will receive a blessing if you share this with 25 friends.” The first thing that comes to mind is, “When did God start sending blessings through social media messages?” and “Do people ever stop and think before participating in such foolery?” Well, this new “Blessing Loom” definitely takes the cake. You are supposed to be a blessing to a stranger (even though most of your social media friends that you are posting it for are not actual strangers) that is on social media by “gifting” them $100 via your PayPal or Cash App then tell the world that you did this and encourage them to do the same so that you can receive your blessing? Sounds about how it goes right? Sounds like a “colorful” way of stealing your money. Again, do people stop and think? Since when does “blessing” someone require you to receive more of a blessing in return via PayPal or Cash App? I thought the point in being a blessing was to do something from your heart and/or Godly spirit. Is the “Blessing Loom” the new trend of sowing good seeds? The thought of that is comical; however, the entire scheme is designed to show how frivolously people will give their money. It shows how money hungry people are and shows how the infamous saying that “people want something for nothing” is true, especially during the holiday season. It seems that during birthdays and holiday seasons people are more prone to do anything for a quick buck.

The amazing part of this is that this year PayPal is putting a stop to it! The main reason probably is that PayPal has received an influx of disputes. Providing your PayPal emails and Cash App deposit information is one step closer to someone using that to hack into your account which is probably synced with your bank account. The Better Business Bureau is warning people to STAY AWAY from this holiday scam. For the posts that are saying that it is legal, you should probably read up on the “secret sister circle gift exchange” that the BBB also warned people not to follow. Some states, however, are holding people accountable for participating in schemes of this nature. According to Consumer Affairs, states such as Mississippi have passed a law advising that violators of the Blessing Loom could spend six (6) months in jail and be forced to pay a $500 fine. While states like Alabama will impose a fine up to $2,000.  This is definitely something that all states should enforce. It is time to start holding people accountable for their actions. Participating in schemes like this whether you are gaining or losing money is setting the wrong examples for our younger generation. Why not teach them how to legally build their own business or how to develop skills or trades to stand out in employer businesses? Why not teach them to manage and budget their own money? Why not teach them that when you “bless” someone it comes from your heart and you do this without expecting a return, which inevitably will teach them to sow good seeds?