U.S. Department of Justice Survey Results About the Extent and Prevalence of Fraud in America
Well-functioning communities, in which individuals feel safe and cared-for and are best able to give back to other community members, are built on trust. People agree to trust each other enough to give and receive support, whether that support is financial, emotional, spiritual, or otherwise. Thus a society without trust is less of a functional community. The lack of trust, intrinsic to societies where lying, cheating, or "twisting" the truth is common may lead to less stability. As one bad turn leads to another, such a society may evince related problems ranging from higher crime rates to emotional distress among individuals. Thus, it is in a society's best interests, both from financial and spiritual perspectives, to strongly discourage acts that can be construed or interpreted by societal members as lying, cheating, or twisting the truth. In short, it is in a society's best interest to di