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.
The Unique Shame Of Being Scammed Again
The Unique Shame Of Being Scammed Again After The First Scam Things Change Scam Victim Recovery - A SCARS Insight When A Victim Allows Themself To Become Scammed Again It Is Quite A Different Experience Than The First Time Notice that we said "allows" themself [...]
Victim/Offender Trauma Bond: The 15 Elements of the Crime Victim Detour
Victim/Offender Trauma Bond The 15 Elements of the Crime Victim Detour Scam & Financial Fraud Victimization A SCARS Insight Understanding Victims of Crime and Their Need to Deal with the Victim/Offender Trauma Bond and the 15 Elements of the Crime Victim Detour This article is [...]
Optimism Bias – Everything Will Be Fine
Optimism Bias - Everything Will Be Fine There Is Nothing To Worry About! Psychology of Scams - A SCARS Insight Optimism Bias Affects Scam Victims Mostly After The Scam Ends - Leading Them To Be Scammed Again And Again Optimism bias (or the optimistic bias) [...]
The Normalcy Bias: Understanding the Cognitive Bias that Can Put You in Danger
Normalcy Bias - A Cognitive Bias The Normalcy Bias: Understanding the Cognitive Bias that Can Put You in Danger Cognitive Biases - What Could Go Wrong, Right? The Psychology of Scams - A SCARS Insight Cognitive Biases: Humans Have Great Analytical Powers But We Rarely Use [...]
The Relationship Scam End Game: The Confession Scam and Other Strategies
The Relationship Scam End Game: The Confession Scam and Other Strategies How Scammers Try One Last Time And Close Up The Scam A SCARS Insight This information can apply to most types of scams, from Romance Scams to Lotto Scams, to Government Impersonation Scams, to Grandparent Scams, and many [...]
Hindsight Bias! You Knew It All The Time!
Hindsight Bias! You Knew It All The Time! Another Cognitive Bias Affecting Scam Victims The Psychology of Scams - A SCARS Insight You Knew It Was A Scam All The Time Right? Have you ever noticed that events seem more predictable after they have already [...]
Living Under Manipulation for Too Long Leaves Victims Traumatized – 2021 [UPDATED 2024]
Living under Manipulation for Too Long Leaves Victims Traumatized An Exploration of the Short-Term & Long-Term Effects of Long-Term Relationship Scams Psychology of Scams - A SCARS Insight Author: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D., DFin, MCPO, MAnth - Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against [...]
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 [...]
Resilience Coping Recovery And Romance Scam Victims [UPDATED 2024]
Resilience, Coping, Recovery, And Romance Scam Victims 'Resilience' in Scam Victims is the Capacity to Cope and Recover Quickly from Difficulties; a Mental Toughness Helping Scam Victims/Survivors to Understand the Importance of Resiliency in Their Recovery Scam Victim Recovery Psychology - A SCARS Institute Insight [...]
Diversions – One Of The Ways That Scammers Manipulate Their Victims
Diversions - One Of The Ways That Scammers Manipulate Their Victims - One Of The Ways That Scammers Manipulate Their Victims
Long Term Fear & Phobias From Scam Victim Trauma 2021 [UPDATED 2024]
Long-Term Fear & Phobias For Scam Victim Trauma Many Scam Victims Experience Ever-Present Fears And Phobias Following Their Scams! The Psychology of Scams - A SCARS insight Author: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D., DFin, MCPO, MAnth - Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship [...]
Psychology of Scams – Article Catalog
Psychology of Scams The How & Why of Scam Psychology From Approach & Selection to Capture & Grooming, to Manipulation & Containment! Learn the answers to why this happened to someone like You! A SCARS Article Subject Catalog Our Human Psychology Enables Us To Be [...]
Guilt vs. Shame – Understanding [INFOGRAPHIC] 2021
Guilt vs. Shame - Understanding Shame has long been viewed as “the toxic cousin of guilt,” but it has benefited us over evolution. Shame and guilt are functionally designed to protect us against harming those who are dear to us and to make us behave better in the future [...]
Cognition and Trauma – The Impact Of Relationship Scams – UPDATED 2024
Cognition and Trauma - The Impact Of Relationship Scams Helping Scam Victims Understand How Traumatic Experiences Can Affect and Alter Cognition Scam Victim Trauma - A SCARS Insight Author: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D., DFin, MCPO, MAnth - Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens [...]
![How Trauma Can Impact Four Types of Memory [Infographic] - on SCARS RomanceScamsNOW.com](https://romancescamsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/trauma-can-affect-memory.png)
How Trauma Can Impact Four Types of Memory [Infographic]
How Trauma Can Impact Four Types of Memory [Infographic] Understanding How Trauma Affects Scam Victims Psychology of Scams - A SCARS Insight Trauma Can Have A Profound Impact On A Person’s Memory And Traumatic Memory Can Affect Not Only The Brain But Also The Body [...]
Online Romance Scams And Victimhood – Romance Scams Research
Online Romance Scams And Victimhood A Major Academic Study Into Romance Scams
![The Amygdala Hijack And Scam Victims [Infographic] - Expanded 2024 - on SCARS RomanceScamsNOW.com](https://romancescamsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/amygdala-hijack-banner-2021.png)
The Amygdala Hijack And Scam Victims [Infographic] – Expanded 2024
The Amygdala Hijack And Scam Victims Understanding Automated Responses To Grooming Manipulation And Control During A Relationship Scam A SCARS Guide & Infographic The amygdala is a collection of cells near the base of the brain. There are two, one in each hemisphere or side of the brain. This is [...]
Psychological Characteristics of Romance Scam Victims 2018
Do You Love Me? Psychological Characteristics of Romance Scam Victims
Stranger Trust – How Did You Get Captured In A Scam
Stranger Trust - How Did You Get Captured In A Scam Trusting A Stranger Was Your Only Mistake - From This Mistake, Everything Else Flowed! Psychology of Scams - A SCARS Insight Stranger Trust: Talking To And Trusting Strangers, And The Captive Flow We All Know [...]
Avoid Instant Anti-Scam Experts
Avoid Instant Anti-Scam Experts Just Being A Scam Victim Does Not Make Them An Expert The Psychology of Scams - A SCARS Insight Originally published 2016 Beware of Savior Victims One of the things that happen to some victims is they develop a kind of [...]
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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