SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years
SCARS™ Commentary: Leave Other Victims Alone!
We Mean Impersonation Victims – The Face In The Stolen Photo!
IT IS SAD THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP SAYING THIS OVER AND OVER
DO NOT TRY TO CONTACT THE REAL PERSON IN THE STOLEN PHOTO
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WARNING: This is going to be blunt, because this is the only way to reach some victims – this does not apply to most romance scam victims.
Invading The Privacy Of Impersonation Victims Is Not Ok.
In many cases, it causes profound disruption for their families and has even led to divorce.
Do Not Try And Contact The Real Man Or Woman In The Photos – He/She Is A Victim Too!
He or she already knows their photo is being used because of the hundred or thousands of other victims that have contacted them.
Remember, while you may want closure, that is not the way to get it. Leave them in peace, please!
It is important to understand when your own behavior crosses a line. Hunting down an impersonation victim is one of those times.
You were scammed because you acted impulsively. Yet by hunting down an impersonation victim, you are just doing it again!
You May Also Be Breaking The Law!
In fact, in the U.S. and other countries, it is actually a form of stalking (including cyber-stalking) and is a crime.
The Legal Definition Of Stalking:
Stalking is behavior wherein an individual willfully and repeatedly engages in a knowing course of harassing conduct directed at another person, which reasonably and seriously alarms, torments, or terrorizes that person. Stalking involves one person’s obsessive behavior toward another person. Initially, stalking will usually take the form of annoying, threatening, or obscene telephone calls, emails or letters. The calls may start with one or two a day but can quickly increase in frequency. Stalkers may conduct covert surveillance of the victim, following every move his/her target makes. Even the victim’s home may be staked out. Many will stop after they have been arrested, prosecuted, and/or convicted.
That is the definition of hunting someone down because you fell in love with their photo.
If you are tempted to do this, please talk with a therapist, counselor, or other mental health professional.
You Do Not Have A Relationship With Them
You do NOT have a relationship with the face in the photo – regardless of how much you want it and imagine it – that is just a fantasy.
Romance scam victims have gone so far as to accuse the real people of being scammers creating total chaos in the lives of the other person. Some have gone around to their local communities making these accusations. Some have physically threatened the lives of the person and their families.
We Are Sympathetic, But …
We are sympathetic to a romance scam victim’s emotions after the scam, but one more wrong does not make a right.
A romance scam victim that hunts down the real person should take a hard look at their real motivation – in almost all cases it is a fantasy that when you meet this person they will somehow want to continue the relationship with you. That is a delusion. An act of selfishness, not altruism.
We cannot offer everyone beds of roses, all we can offer is the truth – hard as it may be to hear sometimes.
Recovering after a scam is not easy. One of the hardest things to discover about yourself is your own impulsiveness and disregard for your own ethics. Hunting down an innocent person is an example of that.
We encourage you to seek help after your scam. The trauma can be profound and most victims do need help to show them the path out of it. We have helped thousands recover and would like you to consider one of our online crime victims’ support groups (here is one: «www.facebook.com/groups/RSN.Support.Group.27»)
Please remember that we are here to help and that sometimes helping means getting through to you with the harsh truth!
PLEASE SHARE OUR ARTICLES WITH YOUR CONTACTS
HELP OTHERS STAY SAFE ONLINE
SCARS™ Team
A SCARS Division
Miami Florida U.S.A.
TAGS: SCARS, Important Article, Information About Scams, Anti-Scam, Abuse, Cyberstalking, Delusion, Face In The Photo, Fantasy Relationship, Impersonation Victims, Invading Their Privacy, Stalking, Stolen Faces, Stolen Photos, Threats,
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MORE INFORMATION
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Tell us about your experiences with Romance Scammers in our
« Scams Discussion Forum on Facebook »
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FAQ: How Do You Properly Report Scammers?
It is essential that law enforcement knows about scams & scammers, even though there is nothing (in most cases) that they can do.
Always report scams involving money lost or where you received money to:
- Local Police – ask them to take an “informational” police report – say you need it for your insurance
- Your National Police or FBI « www.IC3.gov »
- The SCARS|CDN™ Cybercriminal Data Network – Worldwide Reporting Network « HERE » or on « www.Anyscam.com »
This helps your government understand the problem, and allows law enforcement to add scammers on watch lists worldwide.
– – –
Visit our NEW Main SCARS Facebook page for much more information about scams and online crime: « www.facebook.com/SCARS.News.And.Information »
To learn more about SCARS visit « www.AgainstScams.org »
Please be sure to report all scammers
« HERE » or on « www.Anyscam.com »
Legal Notices:
All original content is Copyright © 1991 – 2020 SCARS All Rights Reserved Worldwide & Webwide. Third-party copyrights acknowledge.
SCARS, RSN, Romance Scams Now, SCARS|WORLDWIDE, SCARS|GLOBAL, SCARS, Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams, Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams, SCARS|ANYSCAM, Project Anyscam, Anyscam, SCARS|GOFCH, GOFCH, SCARS|CHINA, SCARS|CDN, SCARS|UK, SCARS Cybercriminal Data Network, Cobalt Alert, Scam Victims Support Group, are all trademarks of Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Incorporated.
Contact the law firm for the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Incorporated by email at legal@AgainstScams.org
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Table of Contents
To Understand All Scams
Read This
The SCARS Institute Relationship Scams Formula Checklist
This is the Formula that all Relationship Scams Follow
In the U.S. & Canada
U.S. & Canada Suicide Lifeline 988
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