SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years
Did The FBI on IC3.gov Ignore Your Crime Victims’ Rights?
U.S. Crime Victims’ Rights & Reporting To The FBI on IC3.gov
Did You Receive Information From The FBI?
A SCARS Advocacy Project
All Scam Victims – Please Note:
Did you report your scam to the FBI? Via IC3.gov?
More importantly, did you receive ANY of these notifications from them after reporting your crime?
Were you …
- Notified that you have been the victim of a federal crime?
- Informed of the place where you may receive medical (mental healthcare) and social services?
- Informed of public and private programs available for counseling, treatment, and other support services?
- Receive reasonable protection from a suspected offender and persons acting in concert with or at the behest of the suspected offender?
- Informed or know the status of the investigation of the crime, to the extent it is appropriate and it will not interfere with the investigation?
These are ALL RIGHTS of crime victims under U.S. law! Under the Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act (VRRA), 34 U.S.C. § 20141, victims are entitled to these rights.
If you did not receive these things then your rights may have been violated by the FBI.
Our goal is to work with the FBI’s Ombudsman and FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) – however, to change this current dereliction of their duty to crime victims we need to compile victims that did not receive these services.
Please fill in the form below so that we can show the FBI’s Victims’ Ombudsman & Inspector General that the FBI may have violated the rights of crime victims they are sworn to protect and support. This information will not be provided to any third-parties except the FBI’s Victims’ Ombudsman & Inspector General as confirmation of victims whose rights were irnored.
Please enter your information to help us assess the scope of this problem and to begin the process of correcting it!
You are only allowed to enter this information twice
Resources
For example, these are all things that should have been offered and shared with you!
To learn more about your rights as a victim of a crime in the United States:
-/ 30 /-
What do you think about this?
Please share your thoughts in a comment below!
Article Rating
Table of Contents
POPULAR ARTICLES
Rapid Report Scammers
In the U.S. & Canada
U.S. & Canada Suicide Lifeline 988
ARTICLE META
RATE THIS ARTICLE?
LEAVE A COMMENT?
Thank you for your comment. You may receive an email to follow up. We never share your data with marketers.
Recent Comments
On Other Articles
on Nigeria – [EFCC] Economic & Financial Crimes Commission: “Thank you for your comment, but this is patently false. China is the source for the most scammers. Brazil has…” Jul 9, 06:20
on Nigeria – [EFCC] Economic & Financial Crimes Commission: “NIgeria has produced more scammers than the whole world produced. Seems like their law enforcement is pretty incompetent.” Jul 8, 02:51
on Self-Pity & Scam Victim Recovery: “I like how this article incorporates gratitude as an antidote to self-pity. I also like how the writer corelates that…” Jul 7, 19:48
on Romance Scams – Crime Typology Overview / Victim Impact Analysis – 2025: “Excellent compendium of knowledge on romance scams . Thank you Dr. Tim” Jul 5, 07:43
on Romance Scams – Crime Typology Overview / Victim Impact Analysis – 2025: “Dr. Tim, in the couple of hours you took to pull this information together into a victim impact analysis, is…” Jul 4, 18:56
on Stolen Face / Stolen Identity – Stephen Murphy: Do You Know Him?: “He contacted me on Facebook as General Henry Martinez from Dallas Texas but currently stationed in Syria. He was a…” Jul 1, 17:40
Important Information for New Scam Victims
- Please visit www.ScamVictimsSupport.org – a SCARS Website for New Scam Victims & Sextortion Victims
- Enroll in FREE SCARS Scam Survivor’s School now at www.SCARSeducation.org
- Please visit www.ScamPsychology.org – to more fully understand the psychological concepts involved in scams and scam victim recovery
If you are looking for local trauma counselors please visit counseling.AgainstScams.org or join SCARS for our counseling/therapy benefit: membership.AgainstScams.org
If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
A Note About Labeling!
We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!
A Question of Trust
At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.
I have reported everything to the IC3 and FTC. I see three got at least three different reports which were very detailed for me. I have yet to hear back from the FBI or anyone to date…
Be sure to add yourself to our complaint to the FBI’s Victims’ Ombudsman and their Inspector General.
I did not receive anything from IC3
Thank you
Your latest article about whether the FBI violated your rights after being scammed has no active link to be able to report my experience, or should I say lack of experience with IC3. I have reported twice on IC3 and have lost thousands of dollars to one particular woman who has scammed me and they have not even ever so much as followed up with a phone call or an email reply that they received and will process my complaint. Despite very detailed information about my scammer and about my experiences they have never contacted me in any shape or form. I reported in 2018 and again in 2020 with nothing as a reply. I have very little faith that our government is interested in trying to help scam victims regardless of the fact that a good deal of money is leaving the country because of it. I think they are as complicit as the scammers and may be involved with scammers themselves I had some very good information that could’ve led FBI to discover who I dealt with and could probably have lead to an arrest of an entire scam ring, but they won’t even bother to return my complaint or email me or phone me. And I’m not a nutcase, though I have lost thousands and thousands of dollars to this one woman. I am really sick of lipservice. Even this site does little to help, although some people may benefit from it. You can read about resources as a scam victim all day long on the site but it doesn’t really do much to help. Law-enforcement is the only real solution and they’re not doing any! How many American people have been brought to justice as American scammers, because there are many and Romance scams are abundant with American scammers not just Nigerian. And they work sometimes in large scam rings in this country as well as Nigeria and other countries as you know. With the information I had the FBI could’ve easily traced my scammer but has done absolutely zero to help me. I’m 68, I have been a tax paying citizen here in the USA all my life and I feel like they are totally worthless. They pursue what they want to and how it suits them, not how it suits the victims. It has not changed, regardless of whether it was under Trump or or Obama or Biden.
I will also say that the reporting platform on IC3 is not only cumbersome but kind of ridiculous, they want you to put down everything you know about the scammer on the initial complaint and that’s impossible when you have a couple of years experience with a scammer and you have been through countless communications and transactions with that person. Their website doesn’t let you save your complaint or even print it out. And they don’t even follow up with an email to confirm that they received your complaint. Despite your suggestions of going to local police first I will not because local place in this town are very gossipy because I live in a small town and I’m not about to let them know my personal life because they’re all too close to me, I know many of the police here personally and I do not want them knowing my business, it would be all over town in a day or two.
Yes, it does not contain links to the FBI. The purpose is to collect information to be presented to the FBI Ombudsman and Inspector General as a package by SCARS Directors.
Much of your commentary is your anger speaking, some are urban legends, not facts. Though we agree that the reporting process with the IC3 is far from great. Anyscam.com and the FTC are far better.
As far as reporting to local police – you always have the option of reporting to your State Police – but reporting is not an option (as you will see in other articles).