--- title: "SCARS Institute Survivor’s RED BOOK – Preparation for Reporting" canonical: https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-preparation-for-reporting/ type: page author: "SCARS Institute Editorial Team" published: 2026-10-02 modified: 2026-10-02 summary: "" organization: "SCARS Institute - Encyclopedia of Scans - World's #1 Anti-Scam Website - Romance Scams NOW" organization_url: https://romancescamsnow.com/ llms: https://romancescamsnow.com/llms.txt --- # SCARS Institute Survivor’s RED BOOK – Preparation for Reporting # Welcome to the SCARS Institute Survivor's RED BOOK™ Free Online Edition ## A Free Tool to Help You Organize Your Crime Information ## Preparing Your Crime Record for Law Enforcement ## Introduction Reporting a scam means explaining a crime that involved deception, often across many conversations, identities, and transactions. You might have information scattered across messages, emails, bank statements, receipts, photographs, and your own recollections. Organizing those details gives you a clearer account to present and helps law enforcement locate the information needed to understand what happened. The SCARS Institute’s online **RED BOOK** helps you create a lasting record of the crime. It brings together your contact information, the circumstances of the scam, the identities and accounts used by the criminals, your financial transactions, and your communications with police and victim advocates. You can use that record when preparing a report and return to it when additional information becomes available. You do not need to remember everything or know the criminals’ real identities before beginning. Record what you know, identify what remains uncertain, and preserve the documents that support your account. Your purpose is to describe what happened accurately, including what you were told and what you believed at the time. You do not need to prove that you should have recognized the deception. Preparing this information can be emotionally demanding. Work in manageable periods and ask a trusted support person to help organize records if needed. Do not delay urgent reporting or contacting your financial institution while trying to complete every section. The **RED BOOK** is a preparation resource; completing it does not itself submit a police report. **After completing each individual worksheet in the RED BOOK set, you can save it, copy and paste it, or email it.** ## Instructions ### 1. Gather your available records Before entering information, bring together the materials you already have. These include relevant messages, emails, profile links, photographs, call logs, payment receipts, bank statements, transfer confirmations, gift card records, and shipping documents. Keep the original records and work from copies when organizing or annotating them. Create a private physical folder for the supporting materials. If you have digital files, we recommend [Google Drive](https://workspace.google.com/products/drive/), where you can store them and give access to law enforcement. Give files descriptive names that identify their date and purpose, such as* “2026-09-15 Transfer Receipt.”* You do not need every document before starting, and you should not contact the criminals to obtain missing information. **Having a saved or printed copy of this information makes the process of reporting much easier and reduces a lot of the anxiety from the reporting process** ### 2. Enter your contact information - [Worksheet 1](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-1-about-you/) Complete your name, address, country, telephone number, email address, and other requested identifying information as accurately as possible. Use contact details through which law enforcement can reliably reach you. If a particular contact method is unsafe or unavailable, explain that when making your report. Review this section for typing errors. Your crime record contains sensitive information, so keep it private and share it through verified reporting channels. Do not include passwords, account access codes, or other credentials in narrative fields. ### 3. Record the basic circumstances of the crime - [Worksheet 2](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-2-the-scam-basics/) Enter when the scam began, when you recognized it, and when contact stopped, if it has stopped. Label approximate dates as approximate. If the date you discovered the deception differs from the date of your last communication, record both. Describe how the first contact occurred and what the person or organization claimed to offer. Identify the main communication channels and any changes between them. Include whether you sent money, merchandise, personal information, or anything else of value. ### 4. Describe each scammer/fraudster identity used - [Worksheet 3](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-3-the-scammers/) Create a separate entry for each criminal identity involved, including supposed partners, bank employees, military personnel, doctors, lawyers, relatives, business associates, or recovery agents. Record the names, occupations, locations, and relationships they claimed. Make clear that these were their claims rather than verified facts. Include the telephone numbers, email addresses, usernames, profile links, websites, and messaging accounts used. Preserve the photographs associated with each identity. A stolen photograph identifies material used in the deception; it does not establish that the person pictured committed the crime. If you suspect that several identities were controlled by the same person, record the reason for that suspicion. Keep the identities separately documented unless their connection is confirmed. ### 5. Prepare a clear sequence of events - [Worksheet 4](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-4-money-summary/) Write a factual account in chronological order, beginning with the first contact. Explain how the interaction developed, what representations were made, when requests occurred, and what you did in response. Include the point at which you learned or suspected that the situation was fraudulent. Distinguish between what you directly observed, what someone told you, and what you later concluded. For example, *“The caller said he worked for my bank”* is different from *“The caller worked for my bank.”* If something is unknown, write *“Unknown”* rather than filling the gap with a guess. Include significant threats, instructions to keep matters secret, requests to move money, and directions to receive or forward funds or goods. Describe those events without trying to determine the legal classification yourself. ### 6. List each financial transaction in order - [Worksheet 5](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-4-transfers-money-movement/) Enter each payment or transfer separately, using its date, amount, currency, and payment method. Include the recipient information shown on the receipt or transaction record. Record reference numbers, receiving account details, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, or other available identifiers in the appropriate fields. Explain the reason the criminal gave for each payment and connect it to the relevant messages or documents. Include merchandise or cash sent, along with delivery addresses and tracking information where available. If someone else made a payment on your behalf, identify that fact accurately. Keep amounts in different currencies separate unless you clearly explain a conversion. Distinguish money sent from money actually returned, and identify estimates as estimates. A claimed profit displayed on a website is not the same as money you received. ### 7. Connect your account with supporting evidence For each important event, identify the record that supports it. A payment entry might refer to a transfer receipt and the message requesting the payment. A false identity might be supported by a profile link, an email, and the photographs used. Preserve complete conversations and original emails where available. Screenshots can help show what appeared on a screen, but retain the underlying records as well. Do not alter the originals; place explanations or highlights in separate notes or clearly identified working copies. Note missing or deleted material without trying to recreate it as original evidence. Your recollection can be recorded as a recollection, with uncertainty stated honestly. ### 8. Review the record before reporting Check names, dates, amounts, currencies, contact details, and transaction references against the available documents. Look for accidental duplicate payments or inconsistencies between the summary and detailed entries. Correct mistakes while retaining a clear account of information that remains uncertain. Prepare a short opening summary explaining how you were contacted, what you were told, what happened, and the known loss. Keep the detailed chronology and evidence available behind that summary. You do not need a perfect or complete record to report the crime. Keep a copy of the information you intend to submit. If the online RED BOOK provides a download or print option, use it to retain a dated copy; otherwise, retain your information through the available process. ### 9. Report through verified official channels Contact the appropriate local police agency and relevant national reporting service for your country. Obtain their contact information independently through official sources. Ask how they want to receive your prepared account and supporting documents, since submission procedures differ. Explain that you have organized the information and can provide additional records. Reporting creates an official account for the receiving agency, but it does not guarantee an investigation, arrest, or repayment. Follow the agency’s instructions for retaining and submitting evidence. ### 10. Record your police contacts - [Worksheet 6](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-4-transfers-money-movement/) Enter the agency name, date and time of reporting, officer or staff member’s name, contact details, and report or acknowledgment number. Note what information you submitted and any instructions you received. Distinguish a submission acknowledgment from an assigned investigative case number if the agency provides different references. Write down unresolved questions and requested follow-up actions. If you contact another agency, record that separately and include previous report numbers where requested. These details help you explain what has already been reported. ### 11. Ask about victim assistance - [Worksheet 7](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-6-victim-advocate/) Ask whether a victim advocate or victim assistance service is available. Record the advocate’s name, organization, contact details, and any referral provided. Ask what assistance is available in your circumstances rather than assuming that every service offers financial help. You may also ask about support during interviews or help understanding the reporting process. Keep a record of questions that remain unanswered. Assistance with reporting does not require you to surrender control over your account or disclose information publicly. ### 12. Maintain your record and follow-up notes - [Worksheet 8](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-7-police-follow-up/) and [Worksheet 9](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-9-my-crime-notes/) Add new information with the date you obtained it and an explanation of its source. Keep copies of earlier submissions so you can distinguish later additions from the original report. When correcting an entry, explain the correction rather than silently replacing an important fact. Record each follow-up contact, how it occurred, whom you spoke with, and the outcome. Follow the receiving agency’s procedure for supplying additional information. Continue storing your records privately in a place you can access when needed. Your goal is a clear, accurate, usable account of the crime. What you know belongs in the record, and what you do not know can remain identified as unknown. **Proceed to the First Worksheet** **[WORKSHEET 1 : ABOUT YOU](https://romancescamsnow.com/scars-institute-survivors-red-book-worksheet-1-about-you/)**