It’s one of the elements that alerts investigators:

Sex, totalitarian set-ups, groups that join together for financial benefits that exclude others, groups leaders that are psychologically manipulative of their members and adepts, etc.

In places like France, for example, there is a lot of introductory literature on how to recognise sect like activity.

There is also a lot of repressive action spread as a national network to prevent the evolution and development of anything deemed suspicious.

Up to 2002 and more particularly 2005 there used to be a sect list and Index, and although this has since been abandoned, the actions of the group MIVILUDES, have not.
MIVILUDES has direct meetings with the Prime Minister’s office every 2 months to present reports and updates.

There is an active directive under MIVILUDES that permeates intergovernmental and regional services to target any individual or set of individuals that are seen as potential dangers to the fabric of French society. The actions permitted by agents, and the organisations they are permitted to operate through are efficient in blocking any expansionary actions by the target:

http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000809117&dateTexte=&categorieLien=id

French society being first and foremost a lay society post-revolution.

Tan-nejk, u bin-nejk.

“In hindsight” nibda nifhem x’kien qieghed jghid.

Fin-98 niftakarhom jibghatu post card – lill-guvintur b’Jennifer Lopez jidhirli – bil-kliem “Are you doing it for the first time?”

Anke ohti jidhirli kienet irciviet wahda, izda ma niftakarx lil min uzaw.

U bl-istess mod, mal-ftuh tal-One f’nofs id-disinghijiet, il-famuzi shows tal-maratoni ta’ gbir ta’ fondi, bi zfin ta’ gruppi ta’ tfajliet li kienu ishom hargu minn Colpo Grosso.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPISXvQwm_E

https://soundcloud.com/david-thake/david-calls-lara-boffa-23-oct