While awareness and education about scams have increased, and more support is available to victims, the overall trend remains concerning. Despite these efforts, scams and fraud continue to thrive, with the vast majority of victims never reporting their experiences.
Based on all available reports, including the Gallup Report (10/23), DOJ, FTC, and other sources, and considering that only 3% of victims report (as reported by the FBI) scams, fraud, or cybercrime, the SCARS Institute concludes the following:
- Over 60 million Americans have been victimized by relationship scams of all types.
- Worldwide, more than 110 million people have fallen victim to relationship scams of all types.
- Since its founding in February 2015, the SCARS Institute has engaged with and educated approximately 11 million scam victims.
- Approximately 1.9 million scam victims have managed to recover emotionally and psychologically on their own.
- The SCARS Institute has supported 12,000 scam victims through its structured programs over the past 11 years.
- Other non-SCARS support programs worldwide have assisted approximately 3,000 scam victims.
- The demand for structured recovery programs (both SCARS and non-SCARS) is declining, largely due to misleading information spread by traditional news media that undermines the perceived need for professional recovery support.
- More than 10,000 scam victims have been set on a path to recovery through the SCARS Institute’s victim support education at ScamVictimsSupport.org.
- The SCARS Scam Survivor’s School has a 74% recovery success rate among those who enroll, increasing to 98% for those who complete the course. Enrollment is free at SCARSeducation.org.
- Victims who report scams typically report to at least three different governmental or law enforcement agencies, often in search of help, leading to inflated reporting figures.
- SCARS estimates that the average number of times a victim is scammed remains at 4.7, with some victims experiencing just one scam while others fall victim a dozen times or more.
- Victims who are scammed multiple times tend to continue being scammed until they: 1) Exhaust their financial resources. 2) Become mules (unknowingly aiding criminal activities). 3) Are arrested for their involvement in criminal transactions.
- Over 86% of all scam victims suffer from profound betrayal trauma, yet fewer than 1% seek professional help.
- More than 500,000 scam victims remain stuck in amateur anti-scam groups, where they receive only minimal or ineffective support.
- There has been a 14,000% increase in scam-related information available to the public, but over 97% of this content remains superficial and fails to address the psychological and emotional recovery needs of scam victims.
- 100% of pre-scam awareness information fails to prevent scams, meaning that no amount of scam prevention education currently stops scams from occurring. However, post-scam awareness and education are effective in only 40% of cases, indicating that most victims struggle to apply or benefit from after-scam guidance and support.
- Approximately 67% of all published information about scams contains some victim blaming phrasing.
Despite a massive increase in awareness, education, and information about scams, the psychological recovery of scam victims remains a neglected issue. Many victims continue to suffer in silence, unaware of the structured support available to help them heal. The SCARS Institute remains committed to providing evidence-based recovery programs, countering misinformation, and advocating for a comprehensive approach to scam victim recovery—one that not only informs victims but also helps them reclaim their lives.
The staggering failure of pre-scam awareness efforts to prevent scams highlights a crucial need for a new, more effective approach to scam prevention—one that goes beyond warnings and focuses on behavioral and cognitive training to help individuals recognize manipulation in real time. Meanwhile, the limited effectiveness of post-scam awareness underscores the necessity of structured psychological recovery programs, rather than simply providing victims with generic information or superficial encouragement. Without a major shift in both prevention and recovery strategies, scam victims will continue to suffer in an endless cycle of deception, trauma, and inadequate support.
Sources: FBI IC3 annual reports, FTC annual reporting, EUROPOL, INTERPOL, other governmental reports, SCARS Institute victim reports and analysis.
