Data leak could leave you at risk of sinister fraud tactic

Criminals carrying out fraud, scams, and financial abuse use coercion and control techniques similar to those used in domestic abuse situations. This includes isolation, gaslighting, and love bombing, to manipulate victims.

Victim blaming is common. It stops people from talking about, reporting, and recovering from abuse.

We must shift the narrative and words we use to acknowledge the sophistication and responsibility of the criminals. Victims in both situations often get victim blamed and shamed and we need to work hard to change this.

We must change how we talk to victims, supporting them with safe exit strategies and recognising that where a relationship is already established with the criminal, existing methods of education and intervention may not be as effective as they often focus on the point at which payments are made.

Instead, we need to offer support that focuses on the isolation, grooming and coercion that is taking place.

Being scammed and struggling more to pay your bills will have a higher impact during times of higher living costs. With an ageing population, rising numbers of people experiencing cognitive decline, a cost-of-living crisis, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic we are likely to see more vulnerability to fraud, scams and financial abuse.

How is coercive control used in scams?

Coercive control is often used in scams to manipulate and control victims to extract money or sensitive information from them, such as names, addresses, bank account information, passport details and so on. Coercive control in scams can be difficult to spot, as scammers often use sophisticated tactics to manipulate and control their victims. However, there are some warning signs that may indicate that a scammer is using coercive control tactics:

Pressure to act quickly: Scammers may use high-pressure sales tactics to pressure victims into making quick decisions, without giving them time to think things over or consult with others

Isolation: Scammers may encourage their victims to cut off contact with friends and family members who may be sceptical of the scam, thus isolating them from potential sources of support and advice. Romantic fraud relies on this

Fear and intimidation: Scammers may use threats or scare tactics to intimidate victims into compliance, such as threatening legal action or some other negative consequences of not complying with them

Emotional manipulation: Scammers use emotional manipulation to gain the victim’s trust and control their behaviour. For example, they may pretend to be a romantic partner or a long-lost relative in order to exploit the victim’s emotional vulnerability

Deception: Scammers may use false information or misrepresent themselves in order to deceive victims into believing they are legitimate. They may also use persuasive language and flattery to gain the victim’s trust

Control of resources: Scammers may control the victim’s access to money, food, or other resources in order to coerce them into compliance.

By using these tactics, scammers can exert coercive control over their victims, making it difficult for them to break free from the scam and often leading to financial and emotional harm. It’s important for people to be aware of these tactics and to seek help if they suspect they are being targeted by a scammer.

If you suspect that you or someone you know may be experiencing coercive control in a scam, it’s important to seek help immediately. Contact a trusted friend or family member, or seek assistance from a professional organisation, such as Action Fraud, that specialises in scam prevention and support for victims. Remember that coercive control in scams is a form of abuse, and it’s never the victim’s fault.

Some tips

Here are some tips for protecting yourself from coercive control in scams:

Educate yourself: Learn about common scam tactics and warning signs, and stay informed about new scams as they emerge

Be cautious online: Be wary of unsolicited messages, emails, and phone calls, and never share personal information or financial details with someone you don’t know or trust

Don’t act under pressure: Scammers often use high-pressure sales tactics to pressure victims into making quick decisions. Don’t let yourself be rushed into making a decision without taking the time to think things over and do your research

Seek advice: If you’re unsure whether a message, email, or phone call is legitimate, seek advice from a trusted friend, family member, or professional organisation that specialises in scam prevention

Don’t isolate yourself: Scammers often try to isolate victims from their support networks. Make sure to maintain your relationships with friends and family members, and seek help if you feel isolated or alone

Take control of your resources: Don’t let a scammer control your access to money, food, or other resources. Keep control of your own assets and be cautious of anyone who asks for access to them

Report suspicious activity: If you suspect that you have been targeted by a scammer or are experiencing coercive control in a scam, report the activity to the appropriate authorities or a professional organisation that specialises in scam prevention and support for victims.

By staying informed, taking precautions, and seeking help when needed, you can protect yourself from coercive control in scams and avoid falling victim to these types of abusive tactics.

Your data might be where it starts

Before a scammer can try and expose you to a scam and exercise coercive control, they must have some information about you. The trickiest scams are when scammers have just enough data to be able to email or call you and convince you that they really are from an ‘official’ organisation. If they can do that, they are halfway to conning you.

So, if they can’t get that data about you, it’s much less likely that you will get scammed. Simply, if they don’t know anything about you, it’s much harder for them to target you.

Scammers get personal data in many ways, but quite often as the result of data being hacked or stolen in data breaches. Millions of data records get sold on the dark web, and that could include your details, stolen from an unsuspecting company that has your information in its servers.

To reduce the chances of your data getting into the hands of scammers, you should get it deleted from any organisation that no longer needs it. You can get your data deleted from any company, in a single click, by using Rightly Protect. The service is quick, simple and free.

Take away the shame, share your stories

Fraud, scams and financial abuse are all significantly underreported, and the scale of the problem is underestimated. Public awareness of the scale and sophistication of these crimes is low. It’s so important to talk about fraud, scams, and domestic violence. This will give other people permission to share their stories and hopefully get the support they need to escape any coercive behaviour.

The growth in fraud, scams and financial abuse is placing significant pressure on public services and financial institutions – greater coordination and multi-agency working is required to ensure that all victims get the support they need. The impact of financial abuse is more than just financial, with emerging evidence suggesting they can have a serious impact on wellbeing. Fraud, scams and financial abuse should be considered a public health issue.

The negative impacts on the wellbeing of scam victims have been calculated to cost £9.3billion a year [Which 2021]. The Home Office (2017) estimated that fraud costs £6.8billion per year but we know that fraud has increased since then. Figures for other types of financial abuse, such as that occurring in families are much harder to calculate. We know that like domestic abuse, recovering from financial abuse is complex as it directly affects all other aspects of our lives, housing, health and wellbeing, employment, and relationships. The psychological elements of financial abuse are under-researched but are key to unlocking better strategies for dealing with it. There is growing awareness of the psychologically abusive elements of domestic abuse and coercion and control is also prevalent in financial abuse. We need to learn from best practice in domestic abuse work and mirror that in tackling fraud and scams.

An important part of achieving this goal is to update the language we use to talk about fraud and scams. We need to work with victims in a more empowering and less judgemental way. Often the language we use to talk about scams blames the victim such as, ‘Why did they fall for it?’. This reminds us of when people used to say, ‘Why didn’t they just leave?’ when talking about domestic abuse victims.

Shaming and blaming victims lead to people feeling that they can’t talk about what has happened and don’t report financial abuse. We know that less than five percent of scams are estimated to be reported (Office of Fair Trading 2006) meaning most of the fraud and scams happening isn’t being reported.

Let’s take away the shame and refer to people as Scam survivors. Let’s talk about scams and fraud, share your stories and we can stop the criminals through awareness and education.

Scambusters Mail bag – answering your scam queries

Question: I am a small startup business and I keep getting emails asking me if I want amazing advertising opportunities. I have been cold called a few times, the number they are giving me in relation to reach and consumer engagement seem amazing, is it worth the risk to get my brand name out there?

This sounds like a scam that has been around for many years. The usual approach involves a criminal offering a business advertising space in a publication associated with a worthy cause. Publications might include booklets, yearbooks, diaries, calendars or magazines for charities, crime prevention, drug awareness, hospitals or emergency service staff. These criminals often make false claims about their connections with certain organisations like charities or law enforcement.

The publications usually don’t materialise at all, but even if they do it could be a very limited distribution, and there is little or no guarantee that the audience will be right for you. If you are looking at extending your reach and advertising, we would suggest using a company you know is legitimate and not responding to cold calls or companies you don’t know. If you think someone is trying to get your personal information or scam you, report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre by calling 0300 123 20 40 or by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk. If you are in Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.

Top tip

Be on high alert to cryptocurrency phone scams, and be wary of cold calls.

Cryptocurrencies are known for their value going up and down very quickly. Criminals have been known to take advantage of the unregulated nature of the cryptocurrency market to scam people. It’s important to be wary and not respond to cold calls relating to cryptocurrency. If you really want to invest, then consider speaking to a reputable expert in this field.

Remember: If you have received a text, you think is a scam then you can forward to 7726 or take a screenshot and send it to [email protected]. If you are receiving lots of unwanted phone calls or text messages you can also consider removing your details from data brokers, ensuring that you use a right to object to processing of your data. You can learn more about this on Rightly to stop the sharing of your data exposing you to scams. And you can take a free training course on how to fight against scams on www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk. The more we talk about scams the more we take away the shame.