Whenever I speak to a group, I always ask those gathered the main reason why people do not report being the victim of a financial crime. In more than 30 presentations over the past eight months, the number one reason has always been the same: embarrassment.
In a country where it seems nobody agrees about anything, it blows my mind that every group always comes up with the word embarrassment. The reason why the answer has been so consistent is because it is simple and true. No one wants to admit being the victim of a scam because they don’t want to be perceived as gullible, having poor judgment, or unable to handle their financial affairs.
Last month, I had the privilege of speaking at a fraud prevention presentation hosted by the Oro Valley Police Department. I asked my standard question about people not reporting being victimized and I got the same expected answer. This time around, an unexpected thing happened. Multiple attendees openly shared their stories of being victimized in front of a crowd of over 50 people. Plus, others shared their stories with me and other panelists after the event. One victim even went as far as going on a local TV station to tell her story.
I can only assume we created a safe environment where they could openly tell others what happened to them without feeling any embarrassment or shame. This does not happen by accident. In my short time in the non-profit world, I have learned collaboration is the key.
The presentation last month included speakers from law enforcement, the financial industry and the non-profit world. And the presentation was covered by two local newspapers. I believe this collaboration brought out the best from all of these entities and the winner was the public who was well served with valuable advice, understanding and compassion. Each party could have held its own event, but there is no way the outcome would have been so successful.
We were all on the same team that night giving a united and consistent message. Falling prey to a scam can happen to all of us, even smart people get scammed, and scammers are ruthless financial predators who are extremely good at what they do.
I know from my days in law enforcement that criminals work together to increase their success. Our collaborative efforts show that the good guys can do the same thing. We cannot eradicate scammers by arresting and prosecuting them because they will be replaced by others like a game of “Whac-A-Mole.” The only solution is prevention. We have to dry up the pool of potential victims so scammers have to find new careers.
Brian Watson is a Community Outreach Specialist with R.O.S.E. Resources/Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly. Go to roseadvocacy.org for more information and to sign up to receive a monthly email on the latest scams targeting seniors.
Discuss the news on NABUR, a place to have local conversations The Neighborhood Alliance for Better Understanding and Respect ✔ A site just for our local community ✔ Focused on facts, not misinformation ✔ Free for everyone
