Being victimized by any crime is not great for a person’s mental health. There often is a feeling of violation and loss when you are victimized by any crime. This is also true with fraud or a scam. But there has not been attention made to the mental negative effects of fraud until recently.
More organizations have been focusing on the mental health effects of scams on victims and have been voicing concerns that society needs to pay attention to scam victims to help them in their recovery from the crime. For example, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) in its 2023 Consumer Impact Report noted that respondents who said that they have contemplated committing suicide as a result of a fraud/scam has doubled between 2020 and 2022 from 8% in 2020 to 16% in 2022. The ITRC notes that as a national average, U.S. citizens who say that have contemplated taking their own lives for any reason is 5%.
AARP through its Fraud Watch Network program has published articles and podcasts that have emphasized the mental health aspects of fraud, their effects on individuals and how to cope.
Part of the problem comes from how society often regards victims of scams. We refer to victimhood as “falling for a scam,” people might say that someone was “duped” by a scammer, or someone might claim that they would not fall victim to a scam. This puts the victim down as not being as smart or intelligent to avoid “falling for” a scam. When in reality, very bright, well-educated people are victimized by scammers.
This thinking does not consider that scammers are in their own way psychologists who use their understanding of human nature to manipulate a victim to give over their money or their identity. The scammer usually plays on the emotions, both positive and negative, of the potential victim to get them to act without thinking. Evidence is mounting that most modern scammers are not individuals pursuing their criminal trade but are part of organizations, some fairly large, that can hand off victims amongst several people playing roles in a sometimes-complicated script.
A 2015 survey conducted by FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) found that nearly 2/3 of fraud victims experience at least one non-financial serious cost to a fraud that included either severe stress, anxiety, difficulty sleeping or depression.
The difference with scams is that victims often blame
themselves with thoughts that they don’t have good judgment, are too trusting, are
embarrassed, and self-blame, and shame themselves. And that is without
prompting from the scammer, family, or friends. If their family or friends are
not supportive, then the victim can continue a downward spiral, potentially
concluding that suicide is the only out. A supportive family can at least help
the victim regain confidence and respect. No wonder scammers frequently try to isolate
the victim from family in some scams.
A way to recover is to simply let someone know what happened to you if you have been scammed. You can have a sense of relief in letting a close friend or family member know that you were victimized. Also, your story can act as a warning that the scam is being perpetrated in your community. And, that includes reporting to your local police department or sheriff's office, and to federal agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/ and the FBI at https://www.ic3.gov/.
You may need help getting back to normal life, or something close to it. Even if you have stopped communication with the scammer, some of the repercussions of the scammer’s actions can cause difficulty in getting loans, jobs, or bring bill collectors calling on you to pay for purchases that you did not make. Dealing with these issues puts stress on your life.
Places where you can get help include,
·
FTC- for basic online help at https://www.identitytheft.gov/#/
for a basic recovery plan that you can follow.
·
Identity Theft Resource Center- ITRC provides
the public with information on how to prevent identity theft, and issues reports
on data breaches and identity theft trends. It also has a free help line, (888)
400-5530, where you can call to ask a question about identity theft or receive
assistance if you are a victim of identity theft. For more information you can
go to https://www.idtheftcenter.org/help-center/.
·
AARP Fraud Watch Network- AARP in
addition to offering information about current scams, has a hotline, 877-908-3360,
that can assist you if you are caught up in a scam. The hotline is open to
people of all ages. For information on preventing a scam go to https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/.
·
AARP ReST- AARP in conjunction with the
Volunteers of America have a Rest (Resilience, Strength and Time) program that
can give emotional support for victims of a scam. For more information about ReST
go to https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/voa-rest-program/?cmp=RDRCT-62f39e08-20210528.
·
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline- 988 provides
24-hour, 7 day a week support for people in distress and prevention and crisis
resources for anyone having a mental crisis or their families. For more information
go to https://988lifeline.org/.
Not all encounters with a scammer will cause extreme mental distress. Most will probably elicit disgust or annoyance. But you can get into a situation deep enough where you have been manipulated well enough or the signs of a scam are masked well enough that you do not realize you are scammed until you have lost a lot of money. That is the time to seek help from family or friends you trust or one of the above organizations. Your well-being will be better for it in the long run.
Identity Theft Resource Center- Consumer Impact Report:
The ITRC will send you a free copy via email-
https://www.idtheftcenter.org/publication/2023-consumer-impact-report/
The Record:
https://therecord.media/small-business-ransomware-attacks-mental-health-rusi-study
AARP:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2022/mental-health-impact.html
AARP: The Perfect Scam Podcast:
The following episodes tell stories of scam victims, the effects
of the scams on their mental health, and how they coped with their situations.
One Woman’s Story of Attempted Suicide and Survival After a
Scam Part 1-
https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2023/words-with-friends-scammer.html
One Woman’s Story of Attempted Suicide and Survival After a Scam Part 2-
https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2023/words-with-friends-scammer-part-2.html
Scam Victim Turns Movie Star:
https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2023/jerry-hsu-scam-victim-movie.html
A Veteran Rebuilds His Life After a Scam Takes Everything:
https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2023/veteran-targeted-on-dating-app.html
Psychology Today:
This article from 2021 places an emphasis on scams affecting
the elderly. However, scams affect people of all ages and economic levels, and
the impacts discussed in this article should be applicable to any scam victim.
The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/13/scam-fraud-fatigue/
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