SCARSSCARS 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.™ 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. Basics: Reporting To The Local Police

Every Single Day, Victims Speak About Their Experience Reporting To Their Local Police!

IMPORTANT: Not every country is the same!

This article mostly applies for victims in stable, rule of law countries. This includes the United States, Canada, UK & Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and some others.

Not all countries have professional police, so you will have to decide if it is worth the potential problems to report in your country.

NEVER REPORT 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. TO THE POLICE IN ANY FUNDAMENTALIST MUSLIM COUNTRY BECAUSE OF REAL RISK TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

You Need To Know That Reporting Matters!

It is vitally important that your local police and national police know and understand these crimes.

Only through your reports can they do that. They can only see what is reported. They can’t guess, assume, or project – they can only work from real data. Your report provides that.

Even though nothing may happen after you report, the report itself is very important to help stop future scams because government can then allocate resources to address this issue, without the reports they remain ignorant about the true magnitude of scams.

REPORTING TO YOUR LOCAL POLICE

Are You The Problem!?

You may need an attitude adjustment before you walk into the Cop Shop. This means you need to understand what you can expect and adjust your expectations to the police correspondingly. If you are unrealistic and too demanding it will not work.

Most victims that report to their local police expect the police to drop everything and get on a plane to arrest a 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. in Ghana. That they will get right to investigating citizens of Nigeria. This is fantasy and not the way things really work.

Also, many victims are so fearful that they are almost incapable of giving the police what they need.

Get Organized

Organize your information so you can give a statement and easily answer questions.

“Just The Facts Ma’am!”

The 92 zillion pages (or more) of your chats with the scammer do not matter to the police. They want hard-data.

Organize who, what, how, and where first. Have your money transfer documents and any identifying information clearly available.

Ask To Leave Just A Report

Just ask the police to take the report for “information purposes only.” Just say you need to get a report number for your insurance. They understand this and will take the report then, and neither you nor they will have any unrealistic expectations.

Realistic Expectations

Remember that your local police