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The Challenges In Supporting Impersonation Scam Victims

The Challenges In Supporting Impersonation Scam Victims Updated August 2022 The Responsibility To Help Victims Understand The Mechanics Of Scams Many Times This Will Conflict With Their Beliefs A SCARS Insight Our Responsibility Is Sometimes To Deliver Hard Truths A Discussion About Impersonation Scams And Accepting The Reality Of How They Work One of the great challenges of helping scam victims is that while we do accept what they tell [...]

FAQs Organized

Anti-Scam FAQ: How Are Our FAQs Organized? Answer: Our FAQs are ordered in groups based upon topics: Basics Romance Scams Related Victims' Issues Victim Recovery & Support Psychology of Scams Scam Types Spotting & Avoiding Scams Cybercrime Related Reporting Scams & Enforcement About SCARS

2021-04-26T01:38:42-04:00April 25th, 2021|Categories: |

Are You A Money Mule? A SCARS 5 Steps Guide

Are You A Money Mule? This SCARS Guide Will Help You Better Understand What A Money Mule Is And The Potential Consequences To Someone That Becomes One. Always remember that if you were involved as a money mule unknowingly, you must contact your local police or you might be considered an active participant. A SCARS Steps Guide 5 Steps Guide For A Money Mule Have You Received Or Collected Money [...]

Scam Victims & Traumatic Memories

Scam Victims & Traumatic Memories Traumatic Memories Are Intensely Powerful And Come In Two Varieties Recovery Psychology - A SCARS Insight The Impact On Scam Victims From Their Traumatic Memories Memories of trauma are unique because of how brains and bodies respond to threat Most of what you experience leaves no trace in your memory. Learning new information often requires a lot of effort and repetition — picture studying for a tough [...]

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 Recovery Psychology - A SCARS Insight Understanding The Mechanisms of Guilt & Shame Shame & Guilt Are Among The Most Painful [...]

Really Understanding Your Anger [INFOGRAPHIC][VIDEOS]

Really Understanding Your Anger! Scam Victim Anger Works Against Recovery A Full Third Of Scam Victims Lose Themselves To Anger After The Discovery Anger is a normal part of the grief cycle but it easily gains control and prevents a victim's ability to move forward How Anger Affects Your Brain and Body Anger Can Be A Challenging Emotion To Work Through Sometimes our anger can be frightening. Or, [...]

Sun Tzu And The Selectively Ignorant [PDF][UPDATED]

Sun Tzu And The Selectively Ignorant [PDF] A SCARS Essay on the Psychology of Scams & Victimization In helping victims of scams, it is necessary to point out the mistakes of the past - not to blame - but to help educate about the need for change. This essay speaks about willful blindness and how it can impact people leading them into dangers. Every Battle Is Won Before [...]

Going Back To Online Dating After Being Scammed

Going Back To Online Dating After Being Scammed After A Bad Experience, Many Victims Return To Online Dating Expecting Different Results Is returning to Dating realistic or continued cognitive biases, or even denial? Recovery Psychology - A SCARS Insight Why Do The Same Thing Again And Expect Different Results? Is this the definition of insanity? Or is it getting back on the horse after falling off? Let's explore the deeper [...]

Personal Opinion vs. Professional Fact

Personal Opinion vs. Professional Fact WARNING: This will often you - if you think you know something that you don't! Opinions are like relatives, everyone has them! Just think about your crazy uncle and his opinions! This article is intended to help victims understand their own misguided opinions and how other amateurs can steer them in the wrong direction. Every Scam Victim Has Opinions But opinions are just [...]

SCAM WARNING: Being Lured Into Scam Investments

SCAM WARNING: Being Lured Into Scam Investments Any place where you can interact with strangers, there are going to be scammers. Unfortunately, people develop trust with total strangers and are then lured into scams! Trusting Strangers Is Natural But So Dangerous! A Perfect Example: Investment Fraud via Dating Apps Experienced fraudsters are taking advantage of a surge in dating app users. LYON, France – INTERPOL has issued a [...]

Scam Victims & Violating The Law

Scam Victims & Violating The Law Many scam victims made poor decisions during the scam that may have resulted in them committing crimes, and this frequently continues after the scam in violating still more laws! We are not offering legal advice. We are presenting this information so that if any of this affects you, you can talk to an attorney and take the appropriate steps to protect yourself. [...]

Warning: Scammers Are Impersonating The U.S. Government More Than Ever!

Warning: Scammers Are Impersonating The U.S. Government More Than Ever! The holiday season revealed an increase in government impersonator scams. Knowing the warning signs will help to reduce vulnerability, and prevent yourself or your friends or family from being scammed. Government Imposter Scams on the Rise Courtesy of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command  (CID) by Ronna Weyland, Army CID, Quantico, Virginia, United States Adapted by SCARS [...]

URBAN LEGENDS: Why Scammers Ask For Photos?

URBAN LEGENDS: Why Scammers Ask For Photos? Why are Scammers so aggressive about asking for a victim's photos? It is not what amateur groups tell you! This is all about the Psychology of Persuasion Establishing a pattern of YES before pushing for the CLOSE! Something that every good salesperson knows, is getting your "prospect" to say yes and act over and over before you go for the close! [...]

Bride Scams • A SCARS Guide

Bride Scams • A SCARS Guide Men Are Frequently Lured Into Scams Where They Seek A Bride But End Up Losing Large Amounts Of Money! This also affects the LGBTQ community too Bride Scams A bride scam is a form of romance scam or relationship scam - a confidence trick that aims to defraud potential grooms (partners) with the offer of a foreign bride. The basis of the [...]

How To Confront A Scam Victim In Total Denial

How To Confront A Scam Victim In Total Denial For Families & Friends Of Scam Victims A SCARS Guide How To Confront A Scam Victim In Total Denial What To Say To A Romance Scam Addict In Denial IMPORTANT: If you are a victim and you are reading this - IT DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU! You are already working through your scam, you are seeking knowledge and help to [...]

You Aren’t At The Mercy Of Your Emotions – Your Brain Creates Them [VIDEO]

You Aren't At The Mercy Of Your Emotions - Your Brain Creates Them [Video] Can you look at someone's face and know what they're feeling? Does everyone experience happiness, sadness and anxiety the same way? What are emotions anyway? For the past 25 years, psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett has mapped facial expressions, scanned brains and analyzed hundreds of physiology studies to understand what emotions really are. She shares the results of her exhaustive research [...]

What Does Recovery Mean For A Scam Victim? [Updated]

What Does Recovery Mean For A Scam Victim? What Does It Mean to Be "In Recovery?" In this article, we are going to talk about recovery, as in recovery after a scam What Does It Mean To Recover? In Our Context We Mean That Recovery Is A Process However, because scams are complex in that they involve psychological traumatization (as a victim), involve addiction (as in the mental [...]

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 Against Relationship Scams Inc. Originally Published: 2020 - Article Updated: 2024 Article Abstract Traumatic experiences, such as those resulting from scams, [...]

Coping Strategies for Scam Victim Trauma Survivors

Coping Strategies for Scam Victim Trauma Survivors Trauma Is Deeply Rooted and Can Negatively Affect The Lives Of Scam Victims PTSD is a psychological disorder that is brought on by the experience of a traumatic event. Most commonly, war veterans experience this, but it can also come on as a result of any traumatic event. Some other instances that may cause this are natural disasters or the death of a loved one. Romance scam victims [...]

Scam Survivor’s Guilt : A SCARS Insight

Scam Survivor's Guilt : A SCARS Insight Crime victims are especially prone to expressing guilt, even if there are no other victims of their crime. In the case of online scam victims, the survivor's guilt can overwhelm them but be compounded by the realization that they are just one of the millions affected by these crimes. What Is Survivor's Guilt? Survivor guilt (or survivor's guilt; also called survivor syndrome or survivor's syndrome and survivor disorder [...]

Financial Fraud: Explained

Financial Fraud: Explained A SCARS Guide Based Upon FINRA Information 2020 Edition All fraud uses deception to enrich the fraudsters. In the case of financial fraud, deception and misrepresentation are used in conjunction with financial products, investments, or personal assets such as a house. While financial fraud encompasses a wide range of illegal behavior, our focus is on frauds that primarily target individuals: Ponzi schemes, mortgage fraud, advance-fee schemes, relationship scams, and credit card theft [...]

Surviving The Change: Scams Turn Lives Upside Down

Surviving The Change: Scams Turn Lives Upside Down A SCARS Guide After you realize that you have been scammed and lost a large sum of money, you will naturally have real concerns about what it means for your life. It is natural to panic, but panic will take you down the wrong roads and make your situation worse in the long run. The very sad truth is that it may mean losing almost everything. Only [...]

What is the Purpose of Gaslighting?

What is the Purpose of Gaslighting? A SCARS Insight into the Psychology of Scams What Is Gaslighting Why Do Scammers Gaslight Victims? Online social engineering scams rely heavily on the technique of "Gaslighting" to hold and manipulate its victims. However, gaslighting is one of the most pervasive psychological techniques in use the world over! Understanding its purpose and the effects that it has on its victims can help [...]

Support & Information For New Scam Victims

We Are SCARS And We Support Scam Victims Worldwide INFORMATION FOR NEW SCAM VICTIMS After the scam, you are going to be confused, angry, traumatized, and you need to know what you can do! Anger and revenge are not the path. Learning and regaining control of your life are the direction to recovery. Here are a series of guides and information that will help you better understand what your [...]

2023-01-10T01:29:15-05:00October 3rd, 2020|

SCARS™ Special Report: From Pain to Power – Crime Victims Take Action

SCARS™ Special Report: From Pain to Power - Crime Victims Take Action The following is from a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime [Edited] Please note: The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice or the Society of Citizens Against Relationship [...]

Clothes As Therapy For Scam Victims: When & How Does Enclothed Cognition Work?

Clothes As Therapy For Scam Victims: When & How Does "Enclothed Cognition" Work? You have all heard the phrase “Clothing Makes The Man” (or Woman) As trauma victims, finding ways to overcome your trauma and regain control in your life is very important and powerful. We talk a lot about trying to let go of the anger and the artifacts of the experience, but we humans tend to surround ourselves with other less obvious artifacts [...]

SCARS™ Special Report: Deciphering the Lottery Scam Rings

SCARS™ Special Report: Deciphering the Lottery Scam Rings Another Kind Of Relationship Scam In Recent Years There Has Been A Shocking Increase In Jamaica’S Homicide Rate That Has Refocused Attention On Lottery Scams In The Caribbean Island Nation But it is not a uniquely Jamaican problem, with well-organized lottery frauds operating throughout the Americas, costing the United States hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars each year. The total number of killings in Jamaica jumped [...]

SCARS 3 Steps For New Scam Victims 2024

New Scam Victims Please Read This: SCARS 3 Steps™ A Guide for New Scam Victims Help to End the Scam and Begin Again Article Abstract The aftermath of falling victim to a scam leaves individuals in a state of shock and confusion, unsure of the next steps to take. This guide, tailored for new scam victims, outlines three fundamental steps crucial for recovery. It emphasizes the need to refrain from [...]

Socio-Economic Theory of Nigerian Cybercriminals

Socio-Economic Theory of Nigerian Cybercriminals Research Paper Presented by SCARS This paper sets out with the aim of developing and improving upon existing taxonomies used in cybercrime scholarship. 1. Introduction Listed in prevalence of cybercrime perpetrators, Nigeria, the UK and the USA (in ascending order of significance) are on top of the ‘league table’ (ICCC, 2006, ICCC, 2008, ICCC, 2009, ICCC, 2010). Considering Nigeria as an exemplary social context – representing the Sub-Saharan world [...]

SCARS™ Insight: Helping & Evaluating Older Scam Victims 

SCARS™ Insight: Helping & Evaluating Older Scam Victims SCARS strives to help scam victims and their families at the same time. Some of our articles are oriented towards victims, but some victims need broader help when they are unable to access the scam and their risks from future scams. In these cases, it is necessary to approach the problem from a different perspective. Not from blaming the victim, but from understanding some victims need to [...]

SCARS™ Insight: Knowledge Matters To Scam Victims

SCARS™ Insight: Knowledge Matters To Scam Victims Why Is Knowledge And Education So Important For Romance Scam Victims? One of the main reasons you were scammed was ignorance about the real risks online. Not only ignorance of the risks, but also a lack of general awareness about the trends that affect your life online. A big part of the recovery process is regaining control of your own life and being able to evaluate the risks that [...]

SCARS™ Victims’ Assistance: Finding Real Trauma Support For Romance Scams Victims

SCARS™ Victims' Assistance: Finding Real Trauma Support For Romance Scams Victims Far Too Many Romance Scam Victims Have Experienced Significant Trauma As A Result Of The Manipulations They Experienced During Their Scam. The trauma of a romance scam can be significant and devastating, with long term consequences if untreated. We recommend a combination approach to helping you recover: Education - learning what happened and how - you can start on www.RomanceScamsNow.com is the most complete [...]

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 And Nervous System As Well. Conceptualizing how trauma can impact the different types of memory can be challenging, so NICABM created this infographic that breaks [...]

Scam Obsession – Becoming Scam Junkie [UPDATED]

Scam Obsession - Becoming Scam Junkie Updated August 2022 Scam Victim Recovery Psychology A SCARS Insight Some Victims Replace The Obsession Of The Scam With Another Obsession About Scams Unfortunately, some scam victims simply cannot turn away from the scam once it has ended. Those Of Us That Assist Scam Victims Cannot Turn Away From Scams We are forced to deal with scams and scammers on a daily basis. We [...]

Romance Scam As Internet Infidelity 

Romance Scam As Internet Infidelity If Your Are Married & Involved In A Romance Scam It Can Dramatically Affect Your Marriage Romance Scam As Internet Infidelity One Of The More Devastating Aspects Of Romance Scams Is How Often They Destroy Marriages Infidelity Online One of the things we have observed over the 30 years of our experience, it how often we hear about romance scams where the primary [...]

SCARS & Other Victims’ Assistance: Finding Help! Right Now!

SCARS & Other Victims' Assistance Finding Help! Right Now! Presented by SCARS It Is Very Common That Scam Victims Need Help! Sometimes you need it right now! Romance Scam Victims Have Unique Challenges In Coping After A Scam Is Discovered! There are several options available to help - but if you need help get it! SCARS Own Support Groups Help Victims Online: The SCARS Scam Victims Support & Recovery Group [...]

Another Failed Attempt By Congress To Help Control The Evils Of Social Media

Another Failed Attempt By Congress To Help Control The Evils Of Social Media In 2019 U.S. Senator goes after Socially Engineered Web Addictions Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) Introduced Legislation To Curb Addictive And Deceptive Techniques That Tech Giants Use To Exploit Users. STATUS UPDATED - May 2021 This legislation is effectively dead. Lobbies for the tech industry effectively killed this attempt to improve social media. While this legislation is technically paused - [...]

Información de SCARS™ : Noticias de Estafas Se Está Mudando a ScamCrime.com

Información de SCARS™ : Noticias de Estafas Se Está Mudando a ScamCrime.com En El Futuro, Publicaremos Todas Las Nuevas Noticias De Estafas & Estafadores En Nuestro Sitio Web ScamCrime.com » ESTO NOS PERMITARÁ MANTENER EL SITIO WEB DE ROMANCESCAMSNOW.COM (ESTE SITIO WEB) ENFOCADO EN EL APOYO A LAS VÍCTIMAS, EL CONOCIMIENTO DE ESTAFAS Y LOS PROBLEMAS DE RECUPERACIÓN ¡También Publicamos Sitios Web Adicionales Como Usted Sabe! Nuestro sitio web corporativo de SCARS es www.AgainstScams.org » [...]

SCARS™ Scam & Scamming News: Is Moving To SCAMSNOW.COM

Scam & Scamming News Has Moved to ScamsNOW.com Going forward, we are publishing all new Scam & Scammer News on our ScamsNOW.com website » THIS WILL ALLOW US TO KEEP THE ROMANCESCAMSNOW.COM WEBSITE (THIS WEBSITE) FOCUSED ON KNOWLEDGE! We Also Publish Additional Websites As You Know! Our Corporate SCARS Website is www.AgainstScams.org » Our Scammer Reporting Website (you can report scammers on this website ») for distribution worldwide through the SCARS|CDN™ Cybercrime Reporting Network™, [...]

Equivocation – The Magician’s Choice – The Arts Of Manipulation

Equivocation - The Magician's Choice - The Arts Of Manipulation Psychology Of Scams A SCARS Insight Many Victims Believed That They Made Their Own Choices During The Scam They Frequently Cannot Forgive Themselves Because Of It - But In Reality, Most Of The Time The Scammer Made Or Led All The Major Decisions Scams & Magic Have Much In Common Scams & Magic Tricks are all about manipulation and control. [...]

SCARS™ Editorial: Are We Not All Tired Of The Outrage!?

SCARS™ Editorial: Are We Not All Tired Of The Outrage!? What Is Wrong With People Sometimes? [lwptoc]   Don't We Have Enough Rage And Hate In The World? When you are interacting with Scam Victims, the answer is always no. Because rage knows no limits When someone goes through the trauma of being a romance scam victim, after the shock and initial denial comes the anger. Anger at themselves, the scammer, the government, the money [...]

Mable Dulaney – Legal Support Campaign

Mable Dulaney - Legal Support Campaign A Crowdfunding Campaign - Terminated SCARS ADVOCACY An Appeal To Help Us Defend A 63 Year Old Elderly Scam Victim From Spending The Rest Of Her Life In Prison! FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED ALL MONEY DONATED HAS BEEN REFUNDED BY GOFUNDME UPDATE: Sadly we had to discontinue our efforts to help this manipulated victim of a romance scam. We had to tell the [...]

White Knight Syndrome – Rescuing Damsels In Distress And Getting Scammed – A SCARS Guide

White Knight Syndrome Rescuing Damsels In Distress And Getting Scammed A SCARS Guide Many Men Feel An Immediate Compulsion To Rescue Women In Need This quickly opens the door for fake female romance scams. What Is The White Knight Syndrome? The "White Knight Syndrome" is also called "The Hero Syndrome."  Not to be confused with Savior Syndrome White Knight Syndrome is a term used to describe someone who feels compelled [...]

Taking Care Of Yourself – SCARS™ Recovery

SCARS™ Recovery: Taking Care Of Yourself Self-Care Is Very Important After A Scam What Is Self-Care? The term “self-care” refers to actions and attitudes we use to consciously contribute to the maintenance of our overall well-being and personal health. Self-care can include physical activities as well as emotional practices and changing our perceptions of situations in our lives. While this concept is big in the field of victim services, it can also be generalized to [...]

Write A Letter To Your Scammer – Say What You Feel [UPDATED]

Scam Victim Recovery: Write A Letter To Your Scammer - Say What You Feel [UPDATED] Self-Help For Scam Victim Recovery Recovery Psychology - a SCARS Insight To Aid Your Recovery: Write A Letter That You Never Intend To Send One of the great challenges of scam victim recovery is resolving those unresolvable conflicts, and one of the greatest is never really being able to tell your xriminals how much they [...]

When Should A Scam Victim Feel Shame?

When Should A Scam Victim Feel Shame? Shame & Scam Victim Recovery Recovery Psychology - A SCARS Insight No Scam Victim Should Ever Feel Shame, Yet Most Do! Part of it is the event, part is their failure to act against the scam! Most scam victims never even report the scam or the scammer, instead they living in a partial state of denial while their anger or depression takes control. [...]

SCARS™ Special Report: A Question Of Gender

SCARS™ Special Report: A Question Of Gender Scammer Gangs Increasingly Use Men & Women Scammers We have seen the increase in the use of women in scammer gangs or teams for many years now. It started with the girlfriends or wives of the male scammers, and then women started scamming themselves. So are very successful at it on their own. Recently, we have heard of a cartel in Logos Nigeria that is only hiring women [...]

Beware Of Scam Victim Saviors – Savior Syndrome/Savior Complex

Beware Of Scam Victim Saviors - Savior Syndrome/Savior Complex Scam Psychology/Recovery Psychology THIS PAGE HAS MOVED TO ScamsNOW.COM Click Here To See The Page There

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