Self-blame

Many of the victims interviewed for the study experienced feelings of shame, self-blame, and isolation, particularly those who considered themselves ‘tech-savvy’. Some felt they were less likely to receive sympathy compared to if they were the victim of more ‘traditional’ crime types, like being burgled.

One victim said:

“[I felt] humiliation, embarrassment, stress, anger, sadness, like, every emotion going really. And then once you start telling people, you either get like, ‘oh, my God, you okay?’ or you get, ‘oh, I didn’t think that would happen to you’… Like my Dad has no idea it happened.”

Romance fraud victims spoke of damage to their personal relationships, becoming more suspicious of people, and in some cases, losing friendships.

Victims also told researchers that reporting online fraud at times exacerbated the emotional impact. Processes which involved having no dedicated point of contact, victims having to personally follow up their case and having to repeatedly re-explain their situation, and a lack of compassionate and empathetic communication, made victims feel worse about what had happened to them.

Participants did not feel empowered to report online fraud, attributing high rates of underreporting to a lack of confidence in the police’s capacity to effectively investigate the crime and a lack of awareness of Action Fraud.

Government campaigns not working

Word-of-mouth, and first-hand experiences, were relied on as the main source of knowledge about online fraud. No study participants mentioned official sources such as government campaigns as a source of information.
Study participants stated that prior to their victimisation, their knowledge of online fraud had been mainly acquired via word-of-mouth — in most cases, information shared by friends and family.
Post-victimisation, some victims often felt compelled to share their experiences and the knowledge they had acquired as a result of their victimisation with family and friends. No study participants mentioned awareness of governmental educational campaigns. Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and awareness raising, with an emphasis on lived experience, was therefore a key, if not the main, source and channel of information.

Myth vs reality

There was a disconnect between the preconceptions study participants held about online fraud pre-victimisation, and the reality of their experience as victims. Participants assumed that online fraud attempts would be easy to identify. Those who became victims subsequently described the sophistication of online fraud attempts and noted that their preconceptions of what fraud might look like had made it more difficult for them to identify and prevent attempts. This was further exacerbated by preconceived notions that online fraud happened to ‘other people’, namely the elderly, ‘naive’ or less technologically advanced. This aligned with the survey results, as did the finding that younger people were more likely to perceive themselves as ‘tech-savvy’, and therefore less vulnerable.

Conclusions

Report author, Crest Advisory Senior Manager Manon Roberts, stressed the need for change:

“Our study highlights the urgent need to rethink how we tackle online fraud. False beliefs and a lack of trust in the authorities creates a landscape which is overwhelmingly favourable to the perpetrators of online fraud rather than its victims. Together with Birkbeck University and the Police Foundation, we’ve created a series of recommendations with practical steps to make a real difference.
As we face the growing threat of online crime, it’s crucial to remember the human cost. By working together and taking action, we can create a future where online fraud isn’t just accepted as part of life but actively fought against.”

A separate document makes a number of recommendations including a national campaign for preventing online fraud, bringing together partners — including tech, financial and retail sectors, as well as law enforcement and victim care agencies – easier reporting of online fraud and more support for victims.