I think it’s easier, and that’s why so many grifters entrench themselves in religious groups. For one, you have people who want to “believe”; many of them look to their church to make even simple decisions. And two, most religious people want to believe people are good. So, you have these assholes walking among church peeps ripe for the picking.

I know several criminals that made a habit of involving themselves in different churches, whose sole ambition was to con them. It works like magic.