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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 1, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bitcoin atm ( 24 ), cryptocurrency ( 50 ), mental health, pop-ups ( 26 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  The hidden mental toll inflicted on scam victims 

  

  By Greg Collier

  When discussing scam victims, it’s crucial to avoid questioning, “How could anyone fall for this?” Such judgmental language hinders victims from openly sharing their experiences. The reluctance of scam victims to come forward contributes to a growing pool of potential targets for scams. Often burdened by a sense of shame and embarrassment, these individuals already grapple with the aftermath of losing their money to scammers. Ridicule only exacerbates the mental toll on victims, pushing them to a point of extreme distress with no easy return.

  For instance, a recent incident involved an elderly woman from Arizona who suffered a loss of $204,000 to scammers employing the pop-up window tactic. The fraudulent message claimed her computer had been compromised and provided a customer service number to address the issue. Upon calling the number, the scammers fabricated a story about someone attempting to withdraw $14,500 from her bank account. They instructed her to withdraw the money and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM for enhanced security. She followed this procedure for 13 consecutive days, despite her bank’s attempts to caution her against the scam. The scammers manipulated her by forewarning that such warnings would come from her bank and insisted she keep the situation confidential due to an alleged hacking of ‘everything’.

  Upon realizing she had fallen victim to the scam, the emotional toll on the victim was profound, leading her to a dark and challenging place. Struggling in silence for months with the weight of her secret, she reached a point where she contemplated taking her own life. It was only after reaching out to a crisis hotline that she found a lifeline. Eventually, she summoned the courage to confide in her son and a few trusted friends about the distressing ordeal.

  Scam victims should take several crucial steps when faced with such a distressing situation. It’s essential to connect with friends, family, or a support network. Sharing the experience can provide emotional relief and valuable perspectives. Report the scam to the local authorities or the relevant law enforcement agency. Providing details can contribute to ongoing investigations and help prevent further scams. Share your experience to raise awareness and prevent others from falling victim to similar scams. Awareness is crucial in combating fraud.

  Supporting scam victims is crucial, and there are several ways others can provide assistance. Be empathetic and understanding. Scam victims often experience feelings of shame and embarrassment, so providing a non-judgmental and supportive environment is essential. Encourage the victim to report the scam to law enforcement, relevant authorities, and consumer protection agencies. Reporting helps in tracking and preventing future scams. Share the victim’s experience (with their consent) to raise awareness about common scams. This can help educate others and prevent them from falling victim to similar schemes. Help the victim find support groups or online communities where they can share experiences with others who have faced similar situations. This can provide a sense of camaraderie and understanding. If the victim is experiencing severe emotional distress, encourage them to seek professional help from mental health professionals or crisis hotlines.

  By offering practical assistance, emotional support, and raising awareness, individuals can play a vital role in helping scam victims recover and preventing others from falling victim to similar schemes.

  Be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 29, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: mental health, scam victims ( 4 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Scam victims deserve our sympathy, not our scorn 

  

  By Greg Collier

  When you constantly post stories about scams, you’ll inevitably get two types of comments. The first types are the ones where people will admonish the victim for being a victim. Those comments usually say something like, “How could they not know this was a scam?” The second types of comments are the boastful kind that say, “I would never fall for a scam like that.”

  Neither of these comments are very helpful. We all benefit from hindsight and can pick out the errors in judgement a scam victim might have made. But unless you’re in the heat of the moment of the scam, no one can say how they would truly react.

  No one can truly say they’re scam-proof. There is a scam out there with your name on it, just waiting for the perfect moment for you to drop your guard even for an instant. It doesn’t matter what level of education you have or your socioeconomic status. According to an article from Forbes written by a retirement plan specialist, the more self-confident a person is about not being scammed, the more likely they are to fall for a scam. People who are well-educated and of sound mind are often victims of scams because they feel like they don’t fit the profile of a scam victim.

  You also have to consider the mental state of the victim at the time of the scam. The Washington Post has a great article about how scams are affecting not only the mental health of victims, but everyone else who is on the lookout for scams.

  In the Post article, they tell the story of a cancer patient who can’t ignore strange phone numbers because she never knows when it will be a doctor or medical lab. She says she’s being bombarded by scammers, receiving 20 scam calls a day. They also tell the story of a couple who almost fell victim to the virtual kidnapping scam. They believed their adult daughter had been kidnapped, and the kidnapper was demanding a ransom. Furthermore, they were able to contact police, who found that their daughter was ok, but can you imagine the terror they felt in the meantime? We can advise people to remain calm all we want, but in the moment that advice may not take hold.

  Lastly, the main reason why we shouldn’t disparage scam victims is because many of them never come forward to police in the first place out of embarrassment. If victims are discouraged from coming forward, more victims fall victim to these scams. Some victims have even taken their own lives after being scammed.

  It takes just as much effort to offer these people some kind words of encouragement than it does to vilify them. Which kind of person would you rather be? What kind of person would you want others to be if you were a victim?

   
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  Geebo 10:37 am on June 16, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook ( 178 ), healthcare ( 39 ), mental health, suicide prevention   

  Are Facebook’s new suicide prevention tools susceptible to abuse? 

  

  Recently, Facebook announced that they will be adding new suicide prevention tools to the ever burgeoning social network. Some of these tools will include being able to flag a friend’s post if you think they may be in danger of harming themselves. According to Tech Crunch this could result in a number of options…

  Facebook gives them several options. For example, a list of resources, including numbers for suicide prevention organizations, can be shared anonymously, or a message of support can be sent (Facebook suggests wording).

  The post may also be reviewed by Facebook’s global community operations team, which may then “reach out to this person with information that might be helpful to them,”

  However, with this being the internet every tool that’s designed to help can also be used to hurt, or as the saying goes ‘this is why we can’t have nice things.’ While Facebook should be applauded for adding this feature there is also a potential for abuse, especially when it comes to younger users who may be cyberbullied.

  It’s almost inevitable that group of trolls or bullies will hammer someone’s Facebook posts with this ‘suicide flag’, for lack of a better term, as either a threatening message (e.g., the ‘kill yourself’ type of harassment) or just as a way to interfere with their Facebook experience.

  Mental health is still a tricky topic even in today’s society and is still somewhat stigmatized. In that case Facebook should be commended for helping to try to bring the topic to the forefront however, they need to be careful that this feature isn’t used to even further stigmatize though who may be in need of mental healthcare by allowing this new tool of theirs to be abused.

  Engadget is reporting that Facebook does have a team in place to monitor for potential abuse. Hopefully they’ll be able to curtail abuse so resources for those who need it can be effectively put to use.