LEARN these helpful tips!
1. Tell someone…anyone if you are involved in this ordeal. DO NOT KEEP it to yourself. DO NOT GO IT ALONE!
2. If it does not feel right….don’t do it. Stop!
3. Just say NO! Should you get an IM, email or telephone call….terminate all communication. CEASE all contact!
If you do not know the person do not stay in contact?
4. Americans are friendly and helpful people, think twice, no three times or more when connecting with someone you do not know.
5. Do not give out your telephone # to anyone on the internet through a chat room or complete a survey from someone you do not know.
6. DO NOT SEND any cash to anyone you do not know. You will never see it again.
7. Do you homework your research on any business before you send money! They are organizations that can help you confirm if it’s legit.
8. DO NOT destroy any documents should you be asked to. You may need them to defend yourself, later.
9. DO NOT borrow money from businesses or other persons to
support their project!
10. Report 419 activities immediately to the proper authorities.
11. Ask lots of questions. Get names, addresses, telephone #s and email addresses. Don’t let IMs and the telephone be the only way to communicate.
12. If IM’s and email is used save the materials to you hard drive. Copy and paste IM’s and keep a record.
13. Keep a journal, a recorded report of all actions.
12. Don’t trust or help them…they are not your friend; they are criminals. They do not care about you!!!
Behavior Tendencies
>>Relying on the other end of the phone
>>Believing all that is being said
>>Living for that next telephone call and email
>>Sitting in a parking lot waiting for the call to come in
>>If the wire services question you….be honest! DO NO LIE!
>>Why do you buy in so easily??
>>Living in a daze
>>Your personality changes
>>Look for the signals…warnings they are there!
>>Loss of sleep
>>Loss of appetite
>>Loss of energy
>>High stress level
>>Not wanting to leave the bed…or the house!!
>>Dreading the next day
>>Dreading the next telephone call
>>Hating the sound of the telephone ring
>>Email and IM sessions control you
>>Don’t want to live…suicidal
>>Loss of desire to care for oneself…..appearance
>>Feeling like you are being raped…over and over
>>Dreading the next wire request
>>Dreading the next bank trip
>>Make the demands stop
>>Crying
>>Loss of focus and concentration
>>Loss of interest in daily activities
>>Not wanting to be near or around people
>>Constant fear/anxiety
>>Loss of interest in favorite things
>>Loss of interest in physical activity
>>Loss of interest in your partner…no gender drive
Psychological effects
Psychological Effects of Fraud **
Fraud crime is a personal violation. Although there is no serious physical injury many victims of con-men speak of the betrayal as the psychological equivalent of rape. Some victims find it helpful to seek the services of a counseling professional, clergy member, or advocacy organization, but most suffer alone.
Your trust in your own judgment, and your trust in others, is often shattered. You may have hesitated to tell family members, friends, or colleagues about your victimization for fear of criticism. Family members and business associates may even have been financially exploited at your urging, resulting in increased feelings of guilt and blame.
The dread becomes immeasurable, unrelated to specifics, just an all encompassing blanket of depression.
Fraud often evokes the following feelings or emotional reactions among its victims:
self-doubt, shock, disbelief
societal condemnation and indifference (the attitude that victims of fraud deserve what they get as a result of their own greed and stupidity)
isolation (when victims suffer their losses in silence rather than risking alienation and blame from family members, friends, and colleagues)
anger, resentment, and a sense of betrayal toward the offender for taking advantage of you especially if they are someone you know
frustration with criminal justice professionals
shame, embarrassment, and guilt if you feel you contributed to your own or others' victimization
fear for your financial security
increased concern about your personal safety and well-being or that of your family.
The tangible cost of fraud crime is easily translated into dollar amounts. Less easily measured, and perhaps the most exacting cost of all, is the severe emotional impact of fraud crime on many of its victims. Such emotional harm can be caused by the victim's loss of the following:
financial security
family home
business
inheritance
retirement savings or children's educational funds
professional or personal credibility
Although victim service providers and mental health practitioners have focused on the devastating effects of violent crime.
Some of the same physiological and long-term emotional effects experienced by victims of violent crimes are also experienced by fraud victims such as:
feeling of terror or helplessness
rapid heart rate
hyperventilation
panic
inability to eat or sleep
loss of enjoyment of daily activities
depression
Short-term effects on victims include:
preoccupation with the crime (thinking about it a great deal, talking about it constantly, replaying the crime, wondering what they could have done differently, etc.)
inability to concentrate or perform simple mental tasks
concern that other people will blame them for what has happened
increased strain on personal relationships (even to the extent of divorce or withdrawal of support)
In the extreme, fraud crimes have led some victims to attempt or succeed in committing suicide.
**Source: http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Victims/victims.htm