Wise as Serpents

I was just spammed by someone who wants to award me with an honorary doctorate. Just for kicks, I went to the website. Come to find out they say they are in Pennsylvania, and will also offer other degrees. I can get a “real” doctorate for a minimum $2,500 “freewill offering” sent in advance by bank draft.
You know, I should print up my own degree. I can do it for much, much less than $2,500 and don’t have to give anyone any personal information, with which they can steal my identity. Oh, yes, that’s a requirement, too. Personal information sufficient to populate a phony driver’s license, along with two photos, passport size. Guess what they’ll use THAT information for.
I haven’t a clue why anyone would respond to such a come-on. And I myself briefly was taken in on this site, because I wondered if they had a real address or were just a mail drop. The site showed photos of a church and other buildings, saying that it was the location of the university. I caught myself thinking, “Well, at least there is a real location.”
Then I thought, “How do I know that these photos are photos of THEIR buildings, and not just some buildings somewhere that they choose to photograph?” What is it about these things that makes us believe what we see on a screen, even when we know that it’s a scam?
It’s just that kind of gullibility, as demonstrated by Yours Truly, that sucks otherwise intelligent people into these things and causes all kinds of problems. Some would argue that we desire to please and not offend. Others would say that we want to believe the best in others. I don’t disagree with that.
But I turn to Christian Scripture and say that Jesus himself said we were to be “wise as serpents”. That must mean something, even outside of the context in which it was said. A little preventive medicine goes a long way in this arena.