We Have Been Looking At This Problem For Years …
And We Believe The Answer Is Actually Simple!
CLOSURE RATES!
In all the English Speaking Countries (U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand) police departments are evaluated based upon their “closure” rates – meaning the percentage of cases that are closed. But closed does not mean successful investigations that lead to prosecutions – it just means that the police came to a determination and closed the case – such as investigated or not a crime to begin with.
The result is an unforeseen consequence that has created a police response to crimes that cannot be solved – they just don’t want to take a report. If they don’t take a report, then the crime did not happen and it does not count against them and their numbers. It’s like a child putting their fingers in their ears when they don’t want to listen to their parents.
THIS IS ACTUALLY ALL OF OUR FAULT.
We demand so much of our police and that they succeed even when it is impossible, that we only care about the numbers and not the victims they represent. This results in you being one of those abandoned statistics.
How Do We Solve This?
Actually, there is an answer – look below after you have read through this article!
How Bad Is The Problem
Unfortunately, the U.S. police have been brutalized over the last couple of years, and the U.S. press is not as thorough when it comes to looking at these issues. The U.K. press has done a better job of shining the spotlight on the problem – though this problem is still far from being solved.
The Following Are Two Articles That Expose The Problem In Detail
According to the U.K.’s Mirror Newspaper:
POLICE FORCES CLOSING THOUSANDS OF FRAUDFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim. CASES BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT ‘SEXY’ ENOUGH
Tens of thousands of fraud victims are being let down by authorities because the crime “doesn’t bang, bleed or shout”
Britain’s police force is failing to support victims of fraud, a damning new report has warned.
In some cases, authorities are actively searching for reasons to close cases – even if they have evidence and suspects, an investigation by watchdog Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services found.
Fraud, which inspectors say is the UK’s most common crime, can ruin people’s lives, yet despite this, it’s given such a low priority even where there are grounds to take action.
It said an “inconsistent” approach to policing fraud in England and Wales has left the public at high risk of scams and the devastating consequences that follow victims after they have been targetted.
It added that such an approach is leading to “fraudsters feeling they can act with impunity and victims feeling confused and disillusioned”.
One of the 11 forces inspected admitted it shelved 96% of cases it received from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, despite inspectors finding a strong degree of evidence in a number of instances.
The 108-page report said one officer told interviewers fraud was not considered a priority because “it does not bang, bleed or shout”.
A further force said it had only two dedicated fraud investigators, while another officer said: “If there is an excuse not to investigate it, we will use it”.
96% OF CRIMES ABANDONED
While there were also examples of investigators providing victims with impeccable service, the report said gun crime, child sexual exploitation and drug supply were more likely to be prioritised.
One analyst told inspectors: “Everything is against fraud. It is not a priority, not sexy, people don’t report it and it is difficult to prove, which takes time, resources and money.”
But the report said fraud can cause “enormous” psychological and emotional damage, highlighting that some victims have reported losing their entire life savings.
It concluded many fraud victims are not receiving the level of service they deserve, however, authorities said “significant” work is now under way to address the problems.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said: “Without that leadership the current situation will continue, with fraudsters feeling like they can act with impunity and victims feeling confused and disillusioned.”
Cdr Karen Baxter, national police coordinator for economic crime added there are areas that need improvement across policing.
She said: “A significant amount of work has already started to address some of the issues raised in the report.”
In Another Scathing Article:
96% OF FRAUD CASES WILL NEVER BE SOLVED – BODY WARNS POLICE ARE “FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE” AGAINST SCAMMERS
From The Mirror September 2018
Reporting a 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. to the authorities could take up to six weeks for it to be considered for investigation – however, even then, there’s little guarantee it will materialise.
Just one in 20 cases of fraud are being resolved with 96% of reported crimes closed without an outcome, figures reveal.
Analysis has found a “shocking low” number of cases are being adequately cracked, leaving millions of people – often the most vulnerable – as much as their entire life savings out of pocket.
Campaigns group Which? who carried out the report claimed it paints a worrying picture that authorities are losing the battle against fraud, in a move that’s costing households a collective £200 billion a year.
The statistics suggest that more than 96% of crimes reported to Action FraudActionFraud Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime where you should report fraud if you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. WEBSITE LINK are closed without a successful outcome.
This is defined as when a suspect is charged, cautioned or dealt with in some other way by the justice system.
This compares with 84% of thefts, 80% of robberies, and 73% of violent offences between 2016 and 2017.
It said a freedom of information request found that most UK police forces have seen a “substantial” drop in their success rate for investigating scams.
In some cases, forces solved 40% fewer cases in 2016 than in 2014.
More than two thirds of the country’s 43 local policeLocal Police The Local Police is your first responder in most countries. In most English-speaking countries and in Europe report to them first. In other countries look for your national cybercrime police units to report scams to. In the U.S., Canada, & Australia, you must report to the local police first. forces responded to a data request. Which? said 29 out of 30 respondents had seen their performance fall between 2014 and 2016.
Alarmingly, this comes at a time when fraudsters are at their most sophisticated – it also follows the Government’s decision to shelve the ban on pensions cold calling in July.
Which? also said anti-fraud agencies are showing a lack of transparency when it comes to outcome rates.
While success rates for most types of crime are published in the Home Office Crime Outcomes report, the figures for fraud were allegedly buried in a submission by City of London Police to the Home Affairs Select Committee.
Most victims of scams in the UK are advised to report an incident directly to Action Fraud .
Individual reports are then passed on to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), where connected cases are pooled into a single investigation package.
The NFIB doesn’t carry out investigations. Instead, it assesses whether there is a viable line of enquiry and, if so, forwards the investigation to another agency. In most cases, this is a local police force, typically the one where the suspect resides.
The process can be incredibly slow – with assessment of a report by the NFIB taking up to six weeks before it is sent to a local police force. The NFIB attributes this delay partly to the process of requesting data from banks, which can take weeks.
Ceri Stanaway, Which? money editor, said: “The shockingly low success rate for fraud investigations is leaving many victims deprived of justice and suggests the authorities are fighting a losing battle against this type of crime.
“Unfortunately, investigations are often conducted at a slow pace – with communication between banks and the authorities often dragging on for weeks before police can launch a full inquiry.
“We’d urge consumers to be extremely cautious when dealing with unsolicited contact – as fraud is on the rise.”
However, those representing police and the finance industry said a strong focus is put on preventing fraud happening in the first place as well as solving cases.
A statement from City of London Police which runs Action Fraud said: “Fraud is the fastest-growing crime in the UK and this means that it is not always possible to enforce our way out of the problem; due to the high volume of cases it is not possible for every report of fraud to result in a judicial outcome.
“For this reason, it is important that law enforcement not only focuses on pursuing suspects, but also works to prevent and protect people from fraud.
“The City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau disrupts email addresses, bank accounts and phone lines associated in fraudulent activity. In 2016-17, 170,856 disruption requests were made.”
“Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau receive and assess reports of fraud, which are then sent to law enforcement for investigation.
“This process can take some time as we may sometimes need to submit a data protection request to a bank, the banks’ time frames to respond can vary and sometimes take weeks to complete.
“Some reports may also be linked to each other and therefore it takes a long time to assess the intelligence. Action Fraud also receives a high volume of reports.”
Action Fraud is currently preparing to introduce an upgraded computer system to improve the service for victims.
The Solution To The Problem
In almost all cases, this is a local policing issue. It is about getting the local police to take reports and show respect to scam victims in the process!
To solve this, it requires that YOU do something.
Local police are reachable, meaning you can make an appointment to speak with your local police chief or police commissioner! This is your starting point – have a conversation – make them aware of your situation.
When you talk to them, follow these bullet points in your conversation:
- “Victims are frustrated by the lack of attention during the reporting process and the reluctance of officers to take a report. Reports matter to victims, it is their first step in regaining control and recovering. It must be taken seriously and victims must not be turned away.”
- “We do not care about closure rates. We care about reporting. Police will not be held accountable for closure rates unless they refuse to take reports.”
- “We understand that most of the time it is not something local police can resolve or even investigate, but sometimes – in the case of mules – you can act. In those cases, you must!”
- “Scam victims, like all victims, have rights. The reluctance of local police to take reports violates those rights and this has to end.
- Provide them with our Police Interaction Guide being distributed by the Department of Homeland SecurityDepartment of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department (under the President) responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cybersecurity, and disaster prevention and management. – but print it out and give them a copy.
- Tell them that Interpol has a model that local police can use to help recover victims’ money – you can give them the link to our article here: According To INTERPOL It May Not Be Too Late and the Interpol link: Online scams: It might not be too late to get your money back (interpol.int) (you can print those out for them too)
- Also, let them know that SCARS offers free scam training for local police departments. They can contact SCARS at contact@AgainstScams.org – we are a DHSDepartment of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department (under the President) responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cybersecurity, and disaster prevention and management. partner for crime victims’ assistance. (proof available upon request)
- Ask for an opportunity to speak to officers – some departments offer an opportunity to speak for a couple of minutes at their start of days, in other cases to have a meeting with fraud detectives. It never hurts to ask. We can even provide you with “handouts” when you speak to them.
- Start going to police commission meetings and speaking up. Create awareness for scam victims.
- Let the police know that they can call you to help when a local victim comes in – become a victims’ advocate – SCARS can show you how by becoming a SCARS Volunteer (go to www.AgainstScams.org) – most states require that you are part of an approved organization to be an advocate.
- If you feel up to it, ask to go on a “Ride Along” to join the police on a patrol for a few hours or a day. This lets you talk with an officer or two during their shift conversationally to help them learn what it is like to be a scam victim. We can change hearts and minds one officer at a time this way! Most local police departments allow this for community relations.
If you do just these things, the situation will change overnight!
Will you?
This article is by:
SCARS™ – Society of Citizens Against Relationship ScamsSCARS 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. Inc.
A government-registeredgovernment-registered It means to be registered with departments or agencies of the government. In the case of SCARS, we are registered with state and federal governments in the United States, Europe & Asia. SCARS is registered as a crime victims' assistance nonprofit with agencies of the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. And is incorporated in the State of Florida as a nonprofit corporation. scams & financial fraud crime victims assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization headquartered in Miami Florida USA & Monterrey NL Mexico, with partners in more than 60 countries worldwide
If you are a Victim sign up for our FREE SCARS Support GroupsSupport Groups In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic, such as romance scams. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping strategies, to feel more empowered and for a sense of community. The help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy. They can be supervised or not. SCARS support groups are moderated by the SCARS Team and or volunteers. at support.AgainstScams.org
To learn more about SCARS, or to Join, Volunteer, or Donate visit: AgainstScams.org
To see 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. Photos visit www.ScammerPhotos.com
Contact Us: Contact@AgainstScams.org
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SCARS provides the leading Support & Recovery program for relationship scamRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? victims – completely FREE!
Our managed peer supportPeer support Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. It commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters and can take a number of forms such as peer mentoring, reflective listening (reflecting content and/or feelings), or in a support group. Peer support is also used to refer to initiatives where colleagues, members of self-help organizations and others meet, in person or online, to give each other connection and support on a reciprocal basis. Peer support is distinct from other forms of social support in that the source of support is a peer, a person who is similar in fundamental ways to the recipient of the support; their relationship is one of equality. A peer is in a position to offer support by virtue of relevant experience: he or she has "been there, done that" and can relate to others who are now in a similar situation. Trained peer support workers such as SCARS Volunteers receive special training and may be required to obtain Continuing Education Units, similar to clinical staff. Some other trained peer support workers may also be law-enforcement personnel and firefighters as well as emergency medical responders. groups allow victims to talk to other survivorsSurvivor A Scam Survivor is a victim who has been able to fully accept the reality of their situation. That they were the victim of a crime and are not to blame. They are working on their emotional recovery and reduction of any trauma either on their own, through a qualified support organization, or through counseling or therapy. And has done their duty and reported the crime to their local police, national police, and on Anyscam.com and recover in the most experienced environment possible, for as long as they need. Recovery takes as long as it takes – we put no limits on our support!
SCARS is the most trusted support & education provider in the world. Our team is certified in trauma-informedTrauma-Informed Trauma-informed care shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” A trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that health care needs to have a complete picture of a patient’s life situation — past and present — in order to provide effective care services with a healing orientation. Adopting trauma-informed practices can potentially improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, and health outcomes. care, grief counselingCounseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. A mental health counselor (MHC), or counselor, is a person who works with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. Such persons may help individuals deal with issues associated with addiction and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; and aging. They may also work with "Social Workers", "Psychiatrists", and "Psychologists". SCARS does not provide mental health counseling., and so much more!
To apply to join our groups visit support.AgainstScams.org
We also offer separate support groups for family & friends too.
Become a
SCARS STAR™ Member
SCARS offers memberships in our STAR program, which includes many benefits for a very low annual membership fee!
SCARS STAR Membership benefits include:
- FREE Counseling or Therapy Benefit from our partner BetterHelp.com
- Exclusive members-only content & publications
- Discounts on SCARS Self-Help Books Save
- And more!
To learn more about the SCARS STAR Membership visit membership.AgainstScams.org
To become a SCARS STAR Member right now visit join.AgainstScams.org
To Learn More Also Look At Our Article Catalogs
SCARS Printed Books For Every Scam SurvivorSurvivor A Scam Survivor is a victim who has been able to fully accept the reality of their situation. That they were the victim of a crime and are not to blame. They are working on their emotional recovery and reduction of any trauma either on their own, through a qualified support organization, or through counseling or therapy. And has done their duty and reported the crime to their local police, national police, and on Anyscam.com From SCARS Publishing
Visit shop.AgainstScams.org
Each is based on our SCARS Team’s 32 plus years of experience.
SCARS Website Visitors get an Extra 10% Discount
Use Discount Code “romanacescamsnow” at Checkout
SCARS GREEN BOOK
Self-Help Self-Paced Recovery Program Guide
LEARN HOW TO RECOVER ON YOUR OWN
This program is designed to help scam victims struggling to recover on their own and for those who want to understand the overall process. You can be using other resources, such as traumaTrauma Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety or other emotional shocks, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It’s not the objective circumstances that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized. Trauma requires treatment, either through counseling or therapy or through trauma-oriented support programs, such as those offered by SCARS. counseling or therapy, qualified support groups, or completely independent – on your own!
The SCARS Steps program is a complete program and is provided for the purpose of helping scam victims to overcome this experience. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues and challenges that a victim may have and help guide them through their recovery. But each person is different and it is important to understand your own reasons for being vulnerable to being scammed.
After the trauma of being scammed, you need to take steps to recover and move on. This may be an alternative to counseling in the short term, but we still encourage you to seek out professional help & support. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues, challenges, defects, or problems that a victim may have in a generalized way.
The SCARS GREEN BOOK will help you recover from your scam offline and it will always be there when you need it!
SCARS SLATE BOOK – Let Us Explain What Happened!
A Guide For Families & Friends Of Scam Victims
HOW TO HELP ROMANCE SCAM VICTIMS FOR FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF SCAM VICTIMS
This SCARS Publishing book represents a complete guide to help the families and friends understand how these scams work and how to help the victim.
The SCARS Slate Book should be purchased by family and friends to better understand what happened to the victim and the traumatic impact on them. But it can also be shared by the victim so that they do not have to explain to family and friends about the scam. This publication is to help others to help Scam Victims to make it through this traumatic experience and recover.
Each person is different and it is important to understand how relationship scamsRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? work and why people are vulnerable; to being scammed, how they were lured in, then groomed and manipulated. This understanding is essential in helping them through the process of ending the scam and then on to recovery. The SCARS Slate Book will provide the information necessary to help support a victim through this process.
SCARS RED BOOK
Your Personal Scam Evidence & Crime Record Organizer
ORGANIZE YOUR INFORMATION TO MAKE THE REPORTING PROCESS SIMPLE!
Helps you get and stay organized. This publication is to help Scam Victims organize their crime information. Complete this information before reporting to the police then bring this book with you
Before or after reporting to the police the RED BOOK gives you a dedicated tool to record all the essential facts of this crime. The Victim, the Scammers, the Money, and your Police interactions. Everything that really matters can be easily recorded for your immediate use and for the future!
As we have seen, money recovery/repayment programs can become available years after the scam ends and you need to keep all the details of this crime in case it is needed. We have also seen scammers being extradited to the U.S. and other countries, this will help in the event you testify or give statements, Additionally, this helps you have your information ready to qualify for victims’ benefits, compensation, or aid.
The Official SCARS RED BOOK is your way of recording all the important facts of this crime so that you do not lose essential information, Complete the RED BOOK then put it away with the confidence that you will have it if or when it is needed.
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