Our Human Psychology Enables Us To Be Scammed!
We Are Built To Be Manipulated And Scammers Know How To Do This!
However, the more you know about these psychological processes, the better you are prepared to prevent them and to change your behaviors to avoid them in the future.
Disclaimer: All of these articles are provided for educational & “entertainment” purposes – we have to say that. We are a Crime Victims’ Assistance Provider and do not provide psychological or mental healthcare – we do not offer counselingCounseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. A mental health counselor (MHC), or counselor, is a person who works with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. Such persons may help individuals deal with issues associated with addiction and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; and aging. They may also work with "Social Workers", "Psychiatrists", and "Psychologists". SCARS does not provide mental health counseling. or therapy services. This information is intended to help you become aware of these topics and find a direction for your own research, or to have topics to discuss and explore with your own mental healthcare professional. These are generalized and may not apply to you.
We will update this catalog from time to time as new articles are added or recategorized.
Why You Were Lured Into The Scam
Victim Predisposition:
- What Drives People To Be Scammed?
- Stranger Trust – How Did You Get Captured In A Scam?
- What Drives Us To Be Scammed
- Sun Tzu And The Selectively Ignorant
- Cognitive Distortions
- White Knight Syndrome – Rescuing Damsels In Distress And Getting Scammed
- The Fear of Missing Out and Romance Scams
- You Made A Mistake
- The Role Curiosity Plays In Being Scammed
How You Were Lured
Social EngineeringSocial Engineering Social engineering is the psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. It is used as a type of confidence trick for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or system access, it differs from a traditional "con" in that it is often one of many steps in a more complex fraud scheme. It has also been defined as "any act that influences a person to take any action that may or may not be in their best interests.":
Working Against Yourself:
Grooming
How ScamsScams A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. Work Psychologically:
- Understanding The Long Con – The Basic Mechanics Of A Relationship Scam – How Scams Work
- Scammer Methods – A Scammer’s Primer – Part 1: The Introduction
Grooming:
- Scam Grooming: Finding Common Interests
- Scam Grooming: Using Persuasion To Establish Rapport
- Internet Romance Scammers Know What Their Victims Are Longing To Hear
- Future Faking – Future Planning As A Manipulation Tactic Of Scammers
- Screen Time, Sleep Deprivation, and Romance Scams
- Why Do They Call You Dear?
- Reciprocity Rule & Scams
Manipulation & Control
Control Manipulation:
- The Amygdala Hijack!
- Gaslighting – Destroying A Victim’s Sense Of Reality Or Truth
- What is the Purpose of Gaslighting?
- Diversions – A Scammer’s Manipulative Technique
- Equivocation – The Magician’s Choice – The Arts Of Manipulation
- ASMR – Using Your Brain & Body Against You
- Scam Victim Surrender
- Chasing Your Money – A Psychological Trap
- The 7 Psychological Principles of Scams
- Understanding Yahoo Boy Methods
- Why Scammers Ask For Photos?
- There Is No “He” Or “She” In Romance Scams
- Living under Manipulation for Too Long Leaves Victims …
After-Scam Emotions & Distress
In The Aftermath:
- After The Scam Comes Disaster
- After A Scam, No One Can Tell You How You Will React
- Psychological Shock – After A Scam & In The Future
- Dissociative Amnesia
- Emotional Danger After The Scam
- Disengaging From A Fake Scam Relationship
- 10 Steps To Breaking Free & Beginning Your Recovery
- Support & Information For New Scam Victims
- Understanding A Romance Scam
- What Can You Expect After A Scam
Fear & Panic:
- When Panic Sets In
- How Fear Affects You After A Scam
- Victim Response To Fear Is Anger!
- SCARS Commentary About Helping Victims
- Long Term Fear & Phobias From Scam Victim Trauma
Suicide & Crisis:
Grief & Longer Effects
Grief:
Mid to Long Term Emotional Effects:
Guilt ShameShame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion typically associated with a negative evaluation of the self; withdrawal motivations; and feelings of distress, exposure, mistrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. AngerAnger Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, trigger, hurt or threat. About one-third of scam victims become trapped in anger for extended periods of time following a scam. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and increased levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline. Some view anger as an emotion that triggers a part of the fight or flight response. Anger becomes the predominant feeling behaviorally, cognitively, and physiologically. Anger can have many physical and mental consequences. While most of those who experience anger explain its arousal as a result of "what has happened to them", psychologists point out that an angry person can very well be mistaken because anger causes a loss in self-monitoring capacity and objective observability. & DenialDenial Denial is a refusal or unwillingness to accept something or to accept reality. Refusal to admit the truth or reality of something, refusal to acknowledge something unpleasant; And as a term of Psychology: denial is a defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality.
Guilt, Shame & Self-BlameSelf-Blame Victim blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially at fault for the harm that befell them. SCARS seeks to mitigate the prejudice against victims and the perception that victims are in any way responsible for the actions of offenders or scammers. There is historical and current prejudice against the victims of domestic violence and sex crimes, such as the greater tendency to blame victims of rape than victims of robbery. Scam victims are often blamed by family & friends for the crime. Scam victims also engage in self-blame even though they are not to blame.:
- Guilt vs. Shame – Understanding Them
- Scam Survivor’s Guilt
- Open Letter To A Victim In Pain
- When Should A Scam Victim Feel Ashamed?
Anger, RageRage Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, trigger, hurt or threat. About one-third of scam victims become trapped in anger for extended periods of time following a scam. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and increased levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline. Some view anger as an emotion that triggers a part of the fight or flight response. Anger becomes the predominant feeling behaviorally, cognitively, and physiologically. Anger can have many physical and mental consequences. While most of those who experience anger explain its arousal as a result of "what has happened to them", psychologists point out that an angry person can very well be mistaken because anger causes a loss in self-monitoring capacity and objective observability. & Hate:
Denial & Help Avoidance:
Scam Victim TraumaTrauma Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety or other emotional shocks, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It’s not the objective circumstances that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized. Trauma requires treatment, either through counseling or therapy or through trauma-oriented support programs, such as those offered by SCARS.
Learning & Coping With Trauma:
- Immediate and Delayed Reactions to Trauma
- Romance Scam Victims & PTSD
- Understanding Trauma Compulsions
- Scam Victims & Traumatic Memories
- Cognitions and Trauma
- Coping Strategies for Scam Victim Trauma Survivors
- Finding Real Trauma Support For Romance Scams Victims
- How Trauma Can Impact Four Types of Memory
- A Candid Discussion Of Trauma And Emotional Hygiene By Guy Winch, Ph.D. – TED Talk
- TEDed Introduction To Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Scam Trauma Syndrome [STS]
VictimizationVictimization Victimization (or victimization) is the process of being victimized or becoming a victim. The field that studies the process, rates, incidence, effects, and prevalence of victimization is called victimology.
On The Wrong Path
Mistakes Victims Make:
- Scam Victim Information Avoidance
- Survivorship Bias & Romance Scams
- Stages Of A Victim’s Experience Without Support
- Why You Can’t Stop Looking At The Stolen Face
- Good vs. Bad While Recovering
- Victims Are Still Victims
- Scam Obsession – Becoming Scam Junkie
- The Dark Side – Schadenfreude
- Real Victims’ Assistance
- Beware Of Scam Victim Saviors Who Act Like They Are Instant Experts
- Savior Victims
- Obsessive Scammer Exposing
- Scammer Name-Calling – Please Just Stop It!
- The Victim Trap – Meeting Strangers In A Strange Land!
- Victims Frequently Engage In Self-Defeating Behaviors
- Female Face Fixation Syndrome
- Do You Hate Your Scammer?
Recovery & Becoming A SurvivorSurvivor A Scam Survivor is a victim who has been able to fully accept the reality of their situation. That they were the victim of a crime and are not to blame. They are working on their emotional recovery and reduction of any trauma either on their own, through a qualified support organization, or through counseling or therapy. And has done their duty and reported the crime to their local police, national police, and on Anyscam.com
Recovery & The Path To Becoming A Survivor:
- What Does Recovery Mean For A Scam Victim?
- Jay Shetty on Letting Go!
- Romance Scams Trauma Recovery Tips
- How Do You Get Closure?
- Journaling & Recovery
- How Can You Explain What Happened To Family And Friends?
- Phases Of Recovery
- Getting The Person Back That You Once Were …
- Knowledge Matters To Scam Victims
- Do You Believe In Prophecies?
- Surviving The Change: Scams Turn Lives Upside Down
- Forgiveness
- Resilience, Recovery And Romance Scam Victims
- You Made A Mistake
- What Are The Responsibilities Of A Scam Victim?
Recovery Tools
Recovery Tools:
- Humor As A Tool In Scam Victim Recovery
- Helping Others
- Clothes As Therapy For Scam Victims: When & How Does Enclothed Cognition Work?
- Desensitizing
- Removing The Face Of Your Scammer
- Taking Care Of Yourself
- Write A Letter To Your Scammer – Say What You Feel!
- The Scam Victim’s Mantra
- The Keys to Motivating Yourself After a SCAM!
Returning To Danger
Recidivism & Re-Scamming:
- You Can Still Be Scammed! Over And Over!
- The Odds Of Being Scammed Again
- You Have Been Scammed – So Back To Online Dating
- Repeating The Scam – Engaging In Risky Behavior Over & Over
- Commentary On Being Scammed Again
- Scam Fetishists or Willing Victims?
- Romance Scammer As A Consort
- Sharing Your Scam Story
Scam Victims Families & Friends
Understanding & Support:
- Understanding Scam Victims
- Helping Friends & Family Better Understand Romance Scams
- Intervention For Relatives Of Scam Victims In Total Denial
- How To Confront A Scam Victim In Total Denial
- Protecting Elderly Victims In Denial Over Scams
- Romance Scam Infidelity
- 5 Steps For Rebuilding Trust In A Marriage Following A Romance Scam
- Romance Scams And Risk Of Divorce
- Saving Scammers’ Current Victims
For ImpersonationImpersonation An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone, such as: part of a criminal act such as identity theft, online impersonation scam, or other fraud. This is usually where the criminal is trying to assume the identity of another, in order to commit fraud, such as accessing confidential information or to gain property not belonging to them. Also known as social engineering and impostors. Victims
More Knowledge
Research:
- Research Paper-Report – The psychology of scams: Provoking And Committing Errors Of Judgement
- Research Paper-Report – Risk Factors For Advance Fee Fraud Victimisation
- Online Romance Scams And Victimhood
- Do You Love Me? Psychological Characteristics of Romance Scam Victims
- Psychology Of The Online Dating Romance Scams – A Research Report
If you have an academic or government affiliation you can access more research at ResearchGate
To Learn More Also Look At Our Article Catalogs
Essential Tools For Every Scam Victim From SCARS Publishing
Visit shop.AgainstScams.org
Each is based on our SCARS Team’s 31 plus years of experience.
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SCARS GREEN BOOK
Self-Help Self-Paced Recovery Program Guide
LEARN HOW TO RECOVER ON YOUR OWN
This program is designed to help scam victims struggling to recover on their own and for those who want to understand the overall process. You can be using other resources, such as trauma counseling or therapy, qualified support groupsSupport Groups In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic, such as romance scams. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping strategies, to feel more empowered and for a sense of community. The help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy. They can be supervised or not. SCARS support groups are moderated by the SCARS Team and or volunteers., or completely independent – on your own!
The SCARS Steps program is a complete program and is provided for the purpose of helping scam victims to overcome this experience. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues and challenges that a victim may have and help guide them through their recovery. But each person is different and it is important to understand your own reasons for being vulnerable to being scammed.
After the trauma of being scammed, you need to take steps to recover and move on. This may be an alternative to counseling in the short term, but we still encourage you to seek out professional help & support. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues, challenges, defects, or problems that a victim may have in a generalized way.
The SCARS GREEN BOOK will help you recover from your scam offline and it will always be there when you need it!
SCARS SLATE BOOK – Let Us Explain What Happened!
A Guide For Families & Friends Of Scam Victims
HOW TO HELP ROMANCE SCAM VICTIMS FOR FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF SCAM VICTIMS
This SCARS Publishing book represents a complete guide to help the families and friends understand how these scams work and how to help the victim.
The SCARS Slate Book should be purchased by family and friends to better understand what happened to the victim and the traumatic impact on them. But it can also be shared by the victim so that they do not have to explain to family and friends about the scam. This publication is to help others to help Scam Victims to make it through this traumatic experience and recover.
Each person is different and it is important to understand how relationship scamsRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? work and why people are vulnerable; to being scammed, how they were lured in, then groomed and manipulated. This understanding is essential in helping them through the process of ending the scam and then on to recovery. The SCARS Slate Book will provide the information necessary to help support a victim through this process.
SCARS RED BOOK
Your Personal Scam Evidence & Crime Record Organizer
ORGANIZE YOUR INFORMATION TO MAKE THE REPORTING PROCESS SIMPLE!
Helps you get and stay organized. This publication is to help Scam Victims organize their crime information. Complete this information before reporting to the police then bring this book with you
Before or after reporting to the police the RED BOOK gives you a dedicated tool to record all the essential facts of this crime. The Victim, the Scammers, the Money, and your Police interactions. Everything that really matters can be easily recorded for your immediate use and for the future!
As we have seen, money recovery/repayment programs can become available years after the scam ends and you need to keep all the details of this crime in case it is needed. We have also seen scammers being extradited to the U.S. and other countries, this will help in the event you testify or give statements, Additionally, this helps you have your information ready to qualify for victims’ benefits, compensation, or aid.
The Official SCARS RED BOOK is your way of recording all the important facts of this crime so that you do not lose essential information, Complete the RED BOOK then put it away with the confidence that you will have it if or when it is needed.
100% of all profit goes to help SCARS help more scam victims worldwide.
Your generous purchase allows us to maintain our scam avoidance, support, and recovery services. Please help SCARS and stand proud.
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HELP OTHERS STAY SAFE ONLINE – YOUR KNOWLEDGE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!
THE NEXT VICTIM MIGHT BE YOUR OWN FAMILY MEMBER OR BEST FRIEND!
By the Society of Citizens Against Relationship ScamsSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS. Inc.
A Worldwide Crime Victims Assistance & Crime Prevention Nonprofit Organization Headquartered In Miami Florida USA & Monterrey NL Mexico, with Partners In More Than 60 Countries
To Learn More, Volunteer, or Donate Visit: www.AgainstScams.org
To see ScammerScammer A Scammer or Fraudster is someone that engages in deception to obtain money or achieve another objective. They are criminals that attempt to deceive a victim into sending more or performing some other activity that benefits the scammer. Photos visit www.ScammerPhotos.com
Contact Us: Contact@AgainstScams.org
Ich wurde Ende 2020 von einem ScammerScammer A Scammer or Fraudster is someone that engages in deception to obtain money or achieve another objective. They are criminals that attempt to deceive a victim into sending more or performing some other activity that benefits the scammer. kontaktiert, der sich “Donald Clifford” nannte und mir Fotos des ehemaligen US-Generals John Robert “Jack” O’Connor schickte. Ich wurde emotional, aber nicht finanziell ausgebeutet. Die Identität des Mannes, in dessen Bilder ich mich verliebt hatte, habe ich erst nach Beendigung des ScamsScams A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. erfahren. Seither melde ich Facebook täglich Fake-Profile des Generals O’Connor, doch Facebook weigert sich, sie zu löschen. Fake-Profile des Generals, die eine Kommentierung zulassen kommentiere ich: “Stop abusing pictures, name and identity of the seven years ago retired Major General John R. O’Connor. Inzwischen haben mich mehrere Frauen aus aller Welt kontaktiert und um Auskunft gebeten: “Ist der General echt? Ist er ein ScamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost.?” Ich gebe meine Infos weiter. Eine der Frauen (aus Brasilien) schickte mir den Screenshot einer Website, auf der ich neben “General O’Connor” abgebildet war und mit ihm gemeinsam zum Chatten einlud! Seither kämpfe ich darum, den Scammern zu untersagen, mein FB-Profilfoto für ihre kriminellen Zwecke zu nutzen und von Facebook zu verlangen, Seiten mit meinem Privatfoto zu löschen. Not easy!
We are sorry this has happened to you. No it is not easy.
We suggest that you use a copyright complaint to have your photos removed from Facebook. Their legal department is more responsive than their moderators.
Do you speak English as well?
Es tut uns leid, dass Ihnen dies passiert ist. Nein, es ist nicht einfach.
Wir empfehlen Ihnen, eine Urheberrechtsbeschwerde einzureichen, um Ihre Fotos von Facebook entfernen zu lassen. Ihre Rechtsabteilung ist reaktionsschneller als ihre Moderatoren.
Sprichst du auch Englisch?