SCARS™ Subject Focus: The Psychology Of Romance Scams
Romance Scams Are Infinitely Complex And Leave Victims With Significant Trauma
Attention is like a spotlight, which means when it’s pointing in one direction it pretty much ignores everything else. This is how a Romance Scam starts!
Except people don’t realize how little information coming in from the outside world we actually process. Naturally, you don’t notice what you don’t notice, plus the mind is designed to fill in the gaps for us. But fraudsters do know and almost every con uses some kind of distraction – a kind of social engineering to get you to do what the scammer wants you to do.
Scammers know all about social compliance and happily exploit our automatic deference to authority figures such as soldiers. People will hand over credit cards to people they think are waiters, car keys to people they think are car park attendants and give access to their house to people they think are from the water board. The best known online example is a ‘phishing attack’ where people give fraudsters their bank details in response to an email that purports to be from their bank.
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social engineering scams. To truly learn how victims are manipulated and all of the mechanisms involved, we invite you to read our SCARS Library (below) on the subject of the Psychology of Romance Scams!
SCARS™ Team
A SCARS Division
Miami Florida U.S.A.
Who We Can Help?
Who We Can Help? A SCARS Policy On Our Services SCARS Policy Clarification: SCARS is an organization that assists victims of online fraud and scams. Our support groups are specifically for those affected by these crimes - meaning online crimes where the victim never really [...]
Using Rituals To Help Scam Victims To Recover!
Using Rituals To Help Scam Victims To Recover! The Psychology of Recovery A SCARS Insight Provided for educational purposes only and as a topic to be discussed with your professional mental healthcare provider. The Importance of Ritual to Mental Health After Your Scam In a [...]
Does Regulation E Apply To All Scams In The USA? Can You Get Your Money Back? A Guest Editorial By PJ Rohall
Does Regulation E Apply To All Scams In The USA? A New Opportunity To Recover Your Money A Guest Editorial By PJ Rohall, About-Fraud.com, SCARS Partner Presented by SCARS What Is Regulation E? Introduction Regulation E applies to any electronic fund transfer in the United [...]
The Pig Butchering Scam – The New Romance & Investment Scam Combination Sweeping The World
Pig Butchering Scams - The New Romance & Investment Scam Combination Sweeping The World An Evolution In Romance Scams A SCARS Insight Pig Butchering Scams? What is that? It is the New Combination of Romance Scams & Investment Scams This new variation of scams began [...]
Choices: A Cybersecurity Learning Lesson – Guest Editorial by Brett Johnson
Choices: A Cybersecurity Learning Lesson Guest Editorial by Brett Johnson, SCARS Advisor on Cybercrime Presented by SCARS Good Choices / Bad Choices Every Victim Understands The Role Choices Play In Their Safety & Security - Sadly Governments Do Not Understand This Still To This [...]
Do You Hate Your Scammer?
Do You Hate Your Scammer? Hate Is An Incredibly Destructive Emotion That Prevents Recovery After A Scam! A SCARS Insight Why Do You Hate Your Scammer? Originally Published 2018 / Updated September 2021 We Have A Few Serious Questions For Scam Victims: Do You Know [...]
You Made A Mistake
You Made A Mistake An Editorial About Responsibility & Recovery A SCARS Commentary What Do We Mean By Saying That Every Victim Made A Mistake? You have all heard us say that the victim is not to blame, right? Yet we also say the victim [...]
To Call or Not To Call: New Call Back Scam Campaign Targeting Financial Institution Customers
To Call or Not To Call: New Scam Campaign Targeting Financial Institution Customers A Scam Warning A SCARS Insight Scams Evolve Into New Methods And New Platforms Identity thieves and scammers are preying on bank, credit union members, and financial institution customers using more unconventional [...]
Sexting And Romance Scams – A Path To Sextortion & Blackmail
Sexting And Romance Scams - A Path To Sextortion & Blackmail What It Is, How It Works, And What To Do If You Get Caught In This A SCARS Guide So You Got Naked Online... NOTE: This article is written for both teens and adults. [...]
Business & Personal Gift Card Scams – Don’t Pay For Anything With A Gift Card – How Scams Work!
BEC Scams - Don’t Pay For Anything With A Gift Card How Scams Work! Business Email & Phone Gift Card Scams A SCARS Insight Look, Your Boss Isn’t Emailing You About A Gift Card It's A Scam Did you get an email from your boss asking [...]
Living under Manipulation for Too Long Leaves Victims …
Living under Manipulation for Too Long Leaves Victims ... An Exploration of the Short-Term & Long-Term Effects of Long-Term Relationship Scams A SCARS Insight into the Psychology of Scams What Does Extending Exposure To Romance Scams Manipulation Do To Victims? Long-Term Scams Can Have Very [...]
SCARS Files Complaint With The Department of Justice Inspector General’s Office Against The FBI
SCARS Files Complaint With The Department of Justice Inspector General's Office Regarding Crime Victims Rights by the Federal Bureau of Investigation SCARS Victims' Advocacy The following is the text of that complaint: Attention: Office of the Inspector General, Department of Justice Regarding the Federal Bureau [...]
For Family & Friends Of Scam Victims – Article Catalog [UPDATED 2024]
For Family & Friends - Article Catalog Helping Family & Friends of Scam Victims The basics of relationship scams, what to look for, and how to help! A SCARS Topic Collection Information For The Friends & Family Of New Scam Victims Before and after the [...]
Scams Targeting College and Graduate Students
Scams Targeting College and Graduate Students Students Are Losing Their Tuitions & Savings For Their Education A SCARS Insight Student-Targetted Scams Steal Billions From Young Adults And Their Family Watch Out For Any Social Media Advertising Or People That Want To Help Students Every year [...]
How To Detect Scams In Someone You Know – A Guide For Family & Friends
How To Detect Scams In Someone You Know A Guide For Family & Friends You Can't Help Them Unless You Are Fairly Certain They Are Being Scammed - This Guide Will Help You To Know! A SCARS Insight What If Someone You Know Is A [...]
Without Major Changes – More Americans Could Be Victims Of Online Crime – By Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger
Without Major Changes - More Americans Could Be Victims Of Online Crime By Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger Provided by SCARS In The Public Interest Tackling The Out Of Control Threat From Cybercrime Portions courtesy of THE HILL When you turn on the TV or read [...]
United States Crime Victims’ Rights Laws by State or Territory
United States Crime Victims’ Rights Laws by State or Territory Provided by SCARS Courtesy of the NCVLI U.S. Victims’ Rights Law by State or Territory Click on the state or territory below to view its current victims’ rights laws Links will load a PDF file [...]
Spotting Fake Identities: A Guide To International Names
Spotting Fake Identities: A Guide To International Names A SCARS Guide A Guide To Help Understand The Form & Construction Of International Names Identification of suspects, victims, and witnesses is critical to effective law enforcement as well as for helping victims or potential victims identify [...]
COMING SOON – SCARS Police Interaction Support & Guidance For Scam Victims
COMING SOON Important Information For New & Past Scam Victims In the Next Month We will be Building A New Section For Scam Victims SCARS Police Interaction Support & Guidance For Scam Victims This new guide for scam victims will include features of benefit to [...]
Resilience, Recovery And Romance Scam Victims
Resilience, Recovery, And Romance Scam Victims Psychology of Scams A SCARS Insight "Resilience" Is The Capacity To Recover Quickly From Difficulties; A Mental Toughness Psychological Resilience Is The Ability To Mentally Or Emotionally Cope With A Crisis Or To Return To Pre-Crisis Status Quickly [...]
TAGS: Psychology of Scams, Romance Scams, Social Compliance, Amygdala Hijack, Gaslighting, Stranger Trust, Trauma Bonding, PTSD, Victim Syndrome, Complex, Syndromes, Victimization,
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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.
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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
All original content is Copyright © 1991 – 2020 SCARS All Rights Reserved Worldwide & Webwide – RSN/Romance Scams Now & SCARS/Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams are all trademarks of Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Incorporated (formerly the Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams)
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|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 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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