I joined SCARS in February of 2023, and I can say that without a doubt, in the last six months I have learnt so much about the why’s and the how’s in me becoming a victim of an intense and tragic relationship financial crime. Before joining SCARS, I was on a journey in search of understanding (at the time) why and how I could have been fooled by the Scammers. As soon I realized that I was a victim of what is called “Pig Butchering scam”- I was devastated and desperate to understand ‘what just happened”. Being a part of the Support Group at SCARS helped me heal emotionally in ways I could never have imagined. The support group in of itself allowed me to express my emotions freely and comfortably; hear my emotions which allowed me to process and understand and allowed me to see that there are others out there that are experiencing the same pain, heart ache and trauma as I am. That I am not alone. It brought comfort emotionally which gave a space in my heart to feel relaxed that there’s a place where I am not constantly being bombarded with words of ‘blame’ or ‘shame’.

Joining SCARS I would say has probably saved me from becoming a victim of fraud again in my most vulnerable space. It’s very easy to ‘chase’ after the financial loss right after the crime and without any direction on what it means to change my behaviours and learn how to protect myself from being scammed again- I am doomed. SCARS has an abundance of articles for us to learn about the Psychology of Scams and how to recover from the crime. I have full respect and admiration for every board of directors and their immense knowledge as well as all the Professional volunteers in every level. This is an organization (non-government) that needs to continue to grow so it continues to help all the relationship victims out there that need help and support.