SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years
Please Note
That We Do Not Provide Phone Support
We receive over 1,000 contacts a day on average from scam victims. Many ask us to investigate their scammer or suspected person. An unbelievable number of these are people asking us to confirm if the person they are dating online is safe or not.
We make it clear with our phone numbers that we do not have the ability to provide phone support in addition to the other work we do. Our budget covers a fixed number of employees, and attempting to provide phone support at our level of funding is impossible.
If you want to report a scammer, please use the forms we provide on our website or go to www.Anyscam.com These reports go automatically into our global reporting network and are distributed to over 1,000 destinations around the world – including governments and law enforcement, dating industry sites, and more.
We ask that you follow our process to effectively report scammers since anything else will be a waste of time for all concerned.
We know that you are traumatized by your experience, and we provide online victims’ support groups (through Facebook) to help, but it is important to maximize our resources to help the most people possible while making sure that scammers are properly reported. This is just something we cannot do over the phone.
It is important to pay attention to the process and follow the procedure to properly report scammers. It is easy to call and ask for time and that we investigate someone for you, or to get your money back, but it just does not work like that.
We are a privately-funded division of a non-profit corporation (we are a division of SCARS – the Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams Inc.) and have the resources that we have. As a lawfully registered crime victims’ assistance organization, we are alone in the world supporting online scam victims, but like all non-profit non-governmental organizations, we are constrained by our funding and staffing in the services and assistance we can offer.
Please do not call for support, as we just cannot offer that.
If you have questions, you can send us emails to info@RomanceScamsNow.com or contact us on Facebook or here, but please use the forms we provide on our website or go to www.Anyscam.com to properly report scammers, and not by email.
We thank you for your understanding and helping us deliver the maximum assistance to the most people possible.
Sincerely,
RSN Team
A SCARS Division
Miami, Florida, USA
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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.
How in the world to you help your mother realize she’s involved in a romance scam? Always $ in these conversations for almost a year now. She’s even moved out of the house and found her own apt.
The problem is that she is an adult and in control of her own future. The only options with this are to have the local police come out to talk to her – a welfare check – explaining how these scams all work. But that may not stop her. The other option is to go to family court and take over control of her finances since she is out of control and causing herself harm.
PLEASE READ OUR FAMILY INTERVENTION GUIDE THAT WE JUST PUBLISHED https://www.romancescamsnow.com/dating-scams/rsn-guide-to-relatives-in-total-denial/