Scam Victims

How Do You Get Closure If You Are A Scam Victim?

How Do You Get Closure If You Are A Scam Victim? Getting Closure is Complicated for Scam Victims - It is All About Acknowledgement, Acceptance, and Forgiveness! An Essential Part of Scam Victim Recovery Key Topics: What is Closure for Scam Victims How to Acknowledge and Accept Forgiveness and Reconciliation Maintaining Your Closure What Does Closure Mean to a Scam Victim? Closure can mean different things for Different People, but for Scam Victims it is all about Forgiveness and Moving Forward! Closure may be what someone needs to move on after a long relationship, after the death of a loved one, after a traumatic childhood event, or to overcome feelings of guilt for hurting someone in the past. What is Psychological Closure? Psychologically, closure refers to the process of coming to terms with a distressing or unresolved situation, allowing individuals to move forward and find resolution. Why is Closure Important? Closure is vitally important for scam victims as it marks a milestone of their healing journey when they finally reclaim control over their lives. The aftermath of a scam leaves every victim grappling with their emotions, from anger and betrayal to shame and self-doubt. Without closure, these unresolved feelings linger, perpetuating a cycle of emotional distress and hindering the process of moving forward. Obtaining closure allows victims to finalize their experiences, and ultimately, let go of the crime and criminals. It provides a sense of resolution and finality, enabling victims to release focus on the crime and focus on rebuilding their lives with newfound strength and resilience. By achieving closure, scam victims can reclaim their full sense of self-worth, restore their trust in others, and embark on a new path into their future. Defining Closure an act of closing : the condition of being closed an often comforting or satisfying sense of finality For someone who has been traumatized by being the victim of a crime, closure involves several psychological processes aimed at integrating the traumatic experience into their personal narrative and restoring a sense of equilibrium and control. Acknowledgment Read More ...

Helping Someone Survive Sextortion/Blackmail – 2024

Helping Someone Survive Image-Based Abuse? You can play an important role in helping a friend or family member survive this experience How to step up if someone shares or threatens to share an intimate image or video of them Sextortion Is A Serious Crime And You Can Help! Regardless of someone's age, individuals, whether young or old, need compassionate support to help them survive this experience since the fact is that not everyone makes it. They need help that acknowledges and validates their feelings and empowers them to take action regarding their situation. By extending a supportive hand and assuring them of your willingness to listen without judgment, you can significantly influence their well-being and help them make it through these challenging circumstances. Your presence and guidance can make a substantial difference in getting started on their journey toward healing and finding the support they need to cope effectively with Sextortion or blackmail, or revenge porn. Need To Talk? Call NOW! 988 Phone Help in the U.S. & Canada Helping to Save a Life is No Small Thing! Yet that is exactly what Sextortion/Intimate Image Abuse Victims Need, Someone to Listen and Support them through this Incredible Betrayal and Abuse Understanding the profound impacts of sextortion or image-based abuse is vitally important in providing support and care to those affected by these crimes. When individuals have their intimate images or videos shared without consent, or worse, to blackmail them, the emotional toll can be devastating and seriously traumatic. Feelings of betrayal, heartbreak, fear, anger, and humiliation often ensue, leaving the victim in a state of profound distress. This experience is compounded by the potential for critical comments or harassment from those who view the content, exacerbating feelings of shame and vulnerability. If left unsupported, the long-term consequences can be profound, affecting one's sense of safety, trust, and self-esteem. Such trauma may lead to feelings of hopelessness, despair, and may even precipitate mental health challenges like depression and self-harm. Please note that helping them to find support Read More ...

Sextortion Support Resources Worldwide – 2024

Sextortion & Image-Based Abuse Resources Find help worldwide and in your country! These organizations help the victims of sextortion, image-based abuse, and revenge porn to obtain support and help. Sextortion & Image-Based Abuse Support Worldwide The following are organizations that provide support for many different types of online abuse, including scams, fraud, cybercrimes, sextortion, revenge porn, etc. Directory updated 5/2024 Image, Video, Content Takedown Services If you’re under 18, you can use takeitdown.ncmec.org – a free online tool that prevents your image or video from being shared on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Yubo, OnlyFans, and Pornhub. If you’re 18 or older, you can use StopNCII.org – a free online tool that prevents your image or video from being shared on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bumble, OnlyFans, and Reddit. By Country Worldwide SCARS Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams AgainstScams.org A global online crime victims' advocacy, assistance, services, and support provider helping scam/fraud/cybercrime victims worldwide. All services are free, safe, and confidential. For support go to support.AgainstScams.org Austria Safer Internet Austria Promotes online safety and provides advice for those who have experienced image-based abuse or ‘revenge porn’ in Austria. Belgium Institute for the Equality of Women and Men This organization supports people who have had their intimate images shared with advice and anonymous report forms. Bolivia Internet Foundation Bolivia An organization working in the prevention of digital violence and defending the digital rights of Bolivian people. Brazil SafeNet This non-government organization runs the Safer Internet Centre in Brazil and has an online helpline to support people who have experienced online violence. Canada NeedHelpNow.ca  Helps teens in Canada stop the spread of sexual pictures or videos and provides support along the way. Project Shift  A project funded by Status of Women Canada, YWCA Canada, and partners, who are working to create a safer digital world for girls and young women. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection Operates Cybertip.ca, Canada’s tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children. It provides information and support for victims of image-based abuse. The Cybersmile Foundation A multi-award winning anti-cyberbullying not-for-profit organisation, committed to tackling all forms of digital abuse and bullying online. Denmark Read More ...

Sextortion Basics – 2024

What is Sextortion? How does it happen and go from a Romantic Relationship to Blackmail? Don't Panic - You Have Options! Here is a guide to help you better understand the crime and what to do about it. Be sure to read all of our guides about sextortion! Sextortion Is A Serious Crime! Sexual extortion or ‘sextortion’ is a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video of you unless you give in to their demands. If this happens to you, you’re not alone – there’s help available. This may be difficult if you are already in a sextortion scam and are being blackmailed, but you can survive this. Sextortion is a form of online crime where someone threatens to distribute intimate images or videos of another person unless they comply with demands, usually monetary or sexual in nature. Typically, the criminal obtains these materials through coercion, manipulation, or deceit, such as posing as a romantic interest or befriending the victim online. Once they have the compromising material, they use it as leverage to extort from the victim, demanding money, more explicit images, or other favors under the threat of exposing the material to friends, family, or the public. Sextortion can have severe emotional and psychological effects on its victims, leading to feelings of fear, shame, and powerlessness. It is a serious cybercrime that preys on individuals’ vulnerabilities and trust, and it is important for everyone to be aware of the signs and take steps to protect themselves online. If you have already experienced this there are steps you can take. You are not powerless! Need To Talk? Call NOW! 988 Phone Help in the U.S. & Canada Sextortion Basics - What You Need To Know Now! Remember, it’s not your fault, even if you shared the intimate content with the blackmailer in the first place – anyone can experience sextortion. It is not personal for them, it is just business. Blackmailers usually give up when they realize you won’t pay. But if Read More ...

When Sextortion Goes Wrong – When Scammers Post Those Photos – 2024

You Are Being Blackmailed! What Happens When Sextortion Goes Wrong When Scammers Post Those Photos Scammers May Follow Through The criminals want you to be scared and freak out, but hold it together! You can make it through this. We know, we have helped loads before you! The secret to surviving this is to have a good story to help you survive this. Need To Talk? Call NOW! 988 Phone Help in the U.S. & Canada We Have Discussed Sextortion Before – But Here Is How To Deal With The Photos After They Are Posted Just Remember You Are Not Alone This is happening to literally millions of others just like you! It's you right now, but it will be someone else a minute from now. This is how it works. Millions of victims means that most of them are getting through this just fine. It is a hassle, it is painful, but they survived it and so can you. But what if you can't make it through this? It's ok to be fearful and traumatized - that is actually what the scammers are counting on. It is ok to be hurt and angry and confused. They hope that the more betrayed and panicked you are the more easily they can get money from you. This just means you need some help. What To Do if You’re the Target of Sextortion/Revenge Porn! Did a criminal or someone else share an intimate image of you without your permission? Or was a nude picture taken without your consent, or maybe an image you shared with someone was shared further than you’d intended? Such as in a sextortion scam? This is a crime! If so, you’re not alone. Millions have been scammed (or attempted) - people are affected by so-called sextortion or revenge porn or non-consensual pornography every year. If that’s happened to you or someone you know, here’s information to help you decide what to do. Difference between Sextortion and Revenge Porn 1. Revenge Porn Revenge porn refers to the Read More ...

Surviving Sextortion / Sexual Photo Blackmail – 2024

Surviving Sextortion / Sexual Photo Blackmail Sextortion Uses Explicit Photos Taken From The Victim How to Survive when Scammers Post those Photos What to do when Scammers Follow Through The criminals want you to be scared and freak out, but hold it together! You can make it through this. We know, we have helped loads before you! The secret to surviving this is to have a good story to help you survive this. Need To Talk? Call NOW! 988 Phone Help in the U.S. & Canada Sextortion uses Explicit Photos either Provided Willingly or by Other Means (such as Hacking) to use them against the Victim Sextortion Comes In Two Basic Flavors: Coercion Or Monetary Blackmail Sextortion As Coercion Sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation that employs non-physical forms of coercion to extort sexual or other favors from the victim. Sextortion (on Wikipedia) refers to the broad category of sexual exploitation in which abuse of power is the means of coercion, as well as to the category of sexual exploitation in which threatened release of sexual images or information is the means of coercion. Sextortion As Blackmail Sextortion also refers to a form of blackmail or extortion in which sexual information or images are used to extort money from the victim. Social media and text messages are often the source of the sexual material and the threatened means of sharing it with others. An example of this type of sextortion is where people are extorted with a nude image of themselves they shared on the Internet through sexting or during a romance scam. They are later (usually) blackmailed for money or something of monetary value. Sextortion can be part of  Romance Scams After a basic romance scam is completed by the victims discovering the truth or when they stop paying, the scammers frequently will turn to sextortion as a means of obtaining more money. Most romance scammers will try some form of follow-on scam if they are able, either blackmail (which can include disclosure to friends and family), Read More ...

Sextortion Scams – What Are They? How To Survive Them? – For Teen Girls – 2024

You Are Being Blackmailed! Sextortion Help For Teen Girls! It Happens to Millions! You Can Make It Through This! Do This Now STEP 1: Stop All Communications! STEP 2: Accept That You Were Blackmailed STEP 3: Get Some Help! Being Blackmailed Sucks! The criminals want you to be scared and freak out, but hold it together! You can make it through this. We know, we have helped loads before you! But if you need to talk to somebody call the hotline - they are there and they are good people who will listen to you without judgment, and no you do not have to give them your name. They just want to help! Need To Talk? Call NOW! 988 Phone Help in the U.S. & Canada WTF: You are Being Scammed (Sextortion) or Blackmailed Because of Some Photos You Took? How sick is that? Actually, this happens every day to millions just like you! Look, this stuff is happening everywhere. It's called 'sextortion' because it is extortion over sex. It does not matter why you did what you did, it is not your fault. Exploring your sexuality is normal, and some criminal was just waiting for someone like you so they could spring their trap. Today it is you. We are not going to try to be all lit, and sound like we know what you are feeling. Only you know what you are feeling. But we are going to tell you the truth, hard as it is, this is what you need to hear right now. This crime involves perpetrators coercing victims (that would be YOU) into providing explicit images or videos (that would be the things you sent them,) then weaponizing these materials to blackmail you. But here is the thing, they really have no power over you unless you give it to them! How Does Blackmail Work? Sextortion, extortion, blackmail, whatever, it is the same stuff. It works because somebody (you) has a secret that they want to keep, criminals have that and they want Read More ...

Sextortion Scams – What Are They? How To Survive Them? – For Teen Guys – 2024

You Are Being Blackmailed! Sextortion Help For Teen Guys! It Happens to Millions! You Can Make It Through This! Do This Now STEP 1: Stop All Communications! STEP 2: Accept That You Were Blackmailed STEP 3: Get Some Help! Being Blackmailed Sucks! The criminals want you to be scared and freak out, but hold it together! You can make it through this. We know, we have helped loads before you! But if you need to talk to somebody call the hotline - they are there and they are good people who will listen to you without judgment, and no you do not have to give them your name. They just want to help! Need To Talk? Call NOW! 988 Phone Help in the U.S. & Canada WTF: You are Being Scammed (Sextortion) or Blackmailed Because of Some Photos You Took? How sick is that? Actually, this happens every day to millions just like you! Look, this stuff is happening everywhere. It's called 'sextortion' because it is extortion over sex. It does not matter why you did what you did, it is not your fault. Exploring your sexuality is normal, and some criminal was just waiting for someone like you so they could spring their trap. Today it is you. We are not going to try to be all lit, and sound like we know what you are feeling. Only you know what you are feeling. But we are going to tell you the truth, hard as it is, this is what you need to hear right now. This crime involves perpetrators coercing victims (that would be YOU) into providing explicit images or videos (that would be the things you sent them,) then weaponizing these materials to blackmail you. But here is the thing, they really have no power over you unless you give it to them! How Does Blackmail Work? Sextortion, extortion, blackmail, whatever, it is the same stuff. It works because somebody (you) has a secret that they want to keep, criminals have that and they want Read More ...

For Police Officers: Interacting With Scam Victims And How To Make A Difference

For Police Officers: Interacting With Scam Victims And How To Make A Difference Guidance for Local Law Enforcement to help better understand the ways to impact these crimes and better support scam/fraud/cybercrime victims Helping Police Officers better understand their options and how to help victims! Key Topics: How to Support Victims How to take Action against Money Mules Interacting with Victims in Denial Understanding Victim Trauma For Police Officers: Helping You Interact with Scam Victims and How to Make a Difference Basic Guidelines on Approaching & Interacting with Victims of Cyber-Enabled Crime (Online Scams) and Actions YOU Can Take! Background In the United States alone there are more than 50 million scam victims and that number is growing by 20 million a year or more, not to mention the rest of the world. Every country is being flooded with scams, fraud, and cybercrime cases. It may seem like there is nothing you can do to help victims or stop these crimes, but that is not true - there is much you can do to help. Scam/Fraud/Cybercrime Victims The way people cope as victims of crime depends largely on their experiences immediately following the crime. As a law enforcement officer, you are usually the first official to approach victims. For this reason, you are in a unique position to help victims cope with the immediate trauma of the crime and to help restore their sense of security and control over their lives. In the case of internet or phone-based scam victims, especially of “Romance Scam” victims – there is not a typical crime scene. Normally the victim is a walk-in or a phone-in. This is typically the first contact where officers are able to address victims and their needs. Optional for Scam Victims SCARS RED BOOK - Your Personal Scam Evidence & Crime Record Book available at shop.AgainstScams.org This publication recognizes that each crime is different and requires officers to prioritize their performance on tasks in each situation. We know that generally, officers must attend to many tasks, including Read More ...

Scam Victims Reporting Scams And Interacting With The Police

Scam Victims Reporting Scams and Interacting with the Police A Checklist of what to do Before Speaking with the Police and While You are Reporting Scams! Helping You Get What Is Possible from the Police and Helping You Consider Your Options! Key Topics: Create a Crime File Write a Crime Summary Know Your Rights Preparing to Go to the Police and Reporting Scams The SCARS Police Interaction Checklist For Reporting Scams It is Vital to Report EVERY Scam Reporting Scams is one of the problems that all scam victims face. They do not know what to say, how to report the information they have, or what is realistic when initially speaking with the police or government agencies. The process of reporting scams is not always easy but it is absolutely necessary. What can make it easier is making sure you are prepared when reporting scams and that your expectations are not unrealistic. The sooner you do this the better because there may be options for recovering your money too! The secret to reporting scams is to go in prepared, have no expectations, give them what they want, and listen carefully. We also recommend that you go in with a support person who can help you to better understand what the police are telling you – you may be very traumatized. In addition, reporting is your way to declaring your innocence if anyone ever questions it. Reporting Scams STEP 1: Create A Crime File After a scam you are shocked and confused, maybe even afraid, so you don’t know how to begin or what to do. The first step is to start collecting the evidence – because that is what it is. It is evidence of a crime, and online crimes are real crimes! This is the basis for reporting scams. DIGITAL FOLDER You will need to create a digital folder on your computer (if you have one.) If this all happened on your phone then you will have to preserve the information in another way. At this stage, you do Read More ...