Last Updated on December 30, 2017 by SCARS Editorial Team

Why Don’t Victims Report Crimes?

The main reason victims don’t report crimes to the police or the FBIFBI FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. A leading U.S. counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes, including financial fraud. is that they are either afraid, ashamed, or prefer to handle the matter in another way, such as report the incident to someone else.

According to a 2012 study conducted by the U.S. Justice Department National Center for Crime Victims, that analyzed the reasons that roughly 52 percent of all crimes were not reported to the police from 2006 to 2010.

Here are some of the reasons that victims stated for not reporting:

CRIMES DON’T SEEM WORTHY OF REPORTING – THEY ARE UNSURE IF THERE WAS A CRIME

Eighteen percent of people who don’t reported crimes told the Justice Department they didn’t consider the crimes important enough to take to the police. This is especially true in cases of household thefts, where the value of the stolen goods can be small and/or covered by insurance. In comparison, very few car thefts go unreported.

PEOPLE DON’T TRUST THE CRIMINALCriminal A criminal is any person who through a decision or act engages in a crime. This can be complicated, as many people break laws unknowingly, however, in our context, it is a person who makes a decision to engage in unlawful acts or to place themselves with others who do this. A criminal always has the ability to decide not to break the law, or if they initially engage in crime to stop doing it, but instead continues. JUSTICE PROCESS

A substantial number of people believe the police can’t or won’t help them. Sixteen percent of people in the Justice Department survey said the police are unwilling or unable to help. This is even more prevalent among residents in big cities, where mistrust of the police tends to be higher than in suburban or rural communities. Deanna Wilkinson, Ohio State assistant professor of human science, told The Columbus Dispatch that urban crime victims often don’t trust the motives or the effectiveness of the local police or don’t want to be drawn into an investigation that might involve testifying in court, missing time at work or other personal inconveniences.

FEAR OF EXPOSURE OR RETALIATION MOTIVATES THEIR SILENCE

Reporting a crime can be scary. Thirteen percent of those in the Justice Department study who failed to report crimes cited potential reprisals as the main factor for their silence. This group includes victims who knew the perpetrators and sought to protect them from police. Victims of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence often don’t report these crimes to the police out of fear of reprisals, fear that the justice system will treat mistreat them, or to protect a spouse or significant other who abused them.

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. IS OFTEN TO BLAMEBlame Blame or Blaming is the act of censuring, holding responsible, making negative statements about an individual or group that their action or actions are socially or morally irresponsible, the opposite of praise. When someone is morally responsible for doing something wrong, their action is blameworthy. By contrast, when someone is morally responsible for doing something right, we may say that his or her action is praiseworthy. Blame imparts responsibility for an action or act, as in that they made a choice to perform that act or action. IN SUCH CASES

As a 2007 National Institute of Justice survey discovered, the percentage of crimes reported to the police are particularly low on college campuses in cases of rape and sexual assault. The statistics, cited in a 2014 Time magazine article, found that only 15 percent of such crimes were reported to police. This generally aligns with the 2012 Justice Department report, which found 67 percent of rape and sexual assault victims of any age avoided contacting the police. Many victims wanted to maintain their anonymity to protect their privacy or cited embarrassment or shame as reasons to keep quiet. Many victims were uncertain whether the legal definition covered their situation and many doubted the police would believe their story.

VICTIMS REPORT TO OTHER AUTHORITIES

The Justice Department study found that the leading reasons people cite for not reporting crimes to the police stemmed from a decision to handle the problem themselves or report the incident to other officials, such as a school official, guard or someone else outside the police department. This was particularly true in cases of crimes at schools, where a whopping 76 percent of crimes weren’t reported to the police.

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. VICTIMS

In the case of SCAM victims the number of victims that DO NOT report the crime is above 90%

Is it any wonder that law enforcement has not prioritized 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. before now?

HERE ARE THE FACTS:

• SCAMMERS ARE LIARS – unless you live in Africa, you have nothing to fear from scammers. They only want to make money!
• BLACKMAIL – Scammers are? Liars! Remember that! They don’t have time to waste on someone that will not pay. They will threaten, but it’s empty talk.
• VIOLENCE – same thing, Scammers are liars and will use threats to get what they want. They DO NOT have vast networks of people around the globe – the risk is simply too high. They hide in Africa.
• SOCIAL STIGMA – Well it is embarrassing that you gave away so much money, but you were manipulated, Now become an adult and do the right thing! You must report the crime to the police and Anyscam.com (so the rest of the world is informed), but you don’t have to share it with family and friends (unless you drew them into it).
• IRRESPONSIBLE – if you do not report the crime, you are doing exactly what the 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. wants you to do! You are personally letting them get away with it, and victimize someone else – don’t put that on your conscience too.
• FRIENDS & FAMILY – If you friended the scammer on social media, you may have lead the scammer right to your family and friends through your friends list. You need to set your shame aside and do the right thing by telling them immediately. Even if they do not understand, it is still your responsibility.
• GUILT – Is a terrible thing. You feel guilty about being scammed, and how you went along with what the scammer asked you to do. But now that you know, guilt is not an excuse. As a responsible adult you have to do the right thing – you can’t remain silent.

How can you get over the scam, if you let your fear silence you from reporting the crime?

We are not saying it is easy. We are not saying that others will understand. We are not saying that you will not be afraid. But these are just excuses for not doing the thing that needs to be done. The sooner you do it, you can then begin to recover and get over it.

Please do the right thing!

Please report the scam to your local police AND to us here or on 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.’ www.Anyscam.com

Thank you!

RSN Team
Miami Florida USA

Thanks to Jim Thomas for portions.

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