How scams and fraud relate to mental health

Research conducted by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute found that people who have experienced mental health difficulties are three times more likely than the rest of the population to have been a victim of an online scam. People experiencing mental health difficulties might be at risk of being scammed and potentially be a target for scamming because they may have:  

• difficulty making decisions, 
• increased impulsivity,  
• experience of isolation, 
• financial pressures and difficulties,
• increased online engagement,
• lower energy or motivation,
• reluctance to report a scam. 

The mental health effects of falling victim to a scam or fraud

Becoming a victim of a scam or fraud can be distressing and traumatic for anyone, but for people already living with mental health difficulties, it could negatively affect them more deeply.

You might feel foolish that you fell for a scam, despite taking every precaution or believing you wouldn’t be susceptible. However, according to Ofcom, part of a scammer’s toolkit involves techniques to gain your trust and impair your decision-making process. These include: 

• Constant contact and messaging victims,
• Telling hardship tales,
• Giving victims a return on their initial investment, 
• Being charming,
• Emphasising time sensitivity (i.e., act fast or miss out). 

If you have been scammed once before, there is a chance you could be targeted again. Ofcom found that 29% of victims have been contacted by strangers more often since their experience, and 38% noticed a higher-than-usual amount of suspicious content on sites they visit since their experience. This may be due to victims being placed on lists of targets that can be shared between scammers. 

From research, four in ten respondents who had been victims of online scams felt they had experienced a major negative impact on their mental health. 

If you have been a victim of scamming you can feel a wide range of emotions and thoughts which can influence your behaviour – these can also change over time, such as:  

• angry or stressed,
• ashamed or embarrassed,
• sad or depressed,
• reluctance to accept it was a scam,
• feel that it was your fault,
• have trouble sleeping,
• feel unsafe or want to withdraw,
• worried or preoccupied that it could happen again,
• discomfort engaging with people or situations like the scamming incident, 
• a sense of loss or betrayal towards the scammer that you may have trusted,
• loss of confidence or avoidance of situations that remind you of the incident. 

If you have fallen victim to an online scam, it’s important to remember how common they are, and how sophisticated scammers’ tactics are.  

If you have been scammed, it is not only important to report it but also to seek support for yourself, whether that is reaching out to a trustworthy person or seeking help from your GP or a counsellor.  

Victim Support also offers emotional support after becoming a victim of a crime. 

Victim Support: 08 08 16 89 111 (24 hours a day, 365 days) or you can submit a request for support