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The BBB Institute for Marketplace TrustSM (BBB Institute), the educational foundation of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, is marking “National Scam Survivor Day” this year by launching a new online resource aimed at helping people who scams have impacted.
The Scam Survival Toolkit connects people with the information they need to help restore their financial, mental, and emotional health. The online toolkit was made possible with support from two BBB Institute’s Corporate Trust Council members: Amazon and Capital One.
“When a person is targeted by a scam, they’re not only impacted financially, but in other ways as well,” said Melissa Lanning, executive director of BBB Institute. “We know from our research that they can also experience stress/anxiety and loss of confidence, as well as an impact to their financial stability and credit health. With more and more people being impacted by scams, we need to work together to help them in all the ways they need assistance.”
“The BBB is right to focus on scam prevention because it is a huge source of financial hardship. Nationwide, the Federal Trade Commission estimates that scammers stole between $21 billion and $137 billion in 2022 – with between $6 billion and 48 billion stolen from adults 60 and older,” said Nicholas Smyth, Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General, Pennsylvania, during an event on May 9th in Arlington, Virginia to mark Scam Survivor Day. “In Pennsylvania, consumers reported over $40 million stolen by scammers in the last twelve months. But we know the vast majority of scams are not reported to us.”
“The Scam Survival Toolkit is a first step in addressing the mental health concerns of scam survivors,” said Lanning. “Scam Survivor Day allows us to celebrate the brave men and women who are using their experiences to assist others.”
BBB’s Scam Survival Toolkit, which can be found on the homepage of BBB Scam Tracker, provides tailored guidance and resources based on a person’s specific situation. It includes steps they should take to prevent further financial impact and guidance for restoring their long-term financial and emotional well-being.
“Amazon is committed to protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance,” said Scott Knapp, Director of Worldwide Buyer Risk Prevention at Amazon. “Scams can happen to anyone, and we are grateful to partner with the Better Business Bureau to provide valuable recovery resources to those who may have been impacted by a scammer.”
“Capital One is proud to continue our support of the Better Business Bureau’s important education efforts around scams,” said Travis Moseley, Senior Business Director, Scam Prevention. “The new Scam Survival Toolkit fills a critical gap by connecting people who have been impacted by scams to the resources and support tools they need.”
The new online resource was developed with input from a wide range of subject matter experts, including mental health counselors, fraud prevention specialists, and cybersecurity professionals.
Recent research published by BBB Institute highlighted the broad impact of experiencing a scam incident. Survey respondents reported losing personal information (37.7%), experiencing financial instability (8.1%), and/or having their credit hurt (6.9%). When asked about the emotional impact of being targeted by a scam, respondents reported feeling anger (69.0%), anxiety/stress (66.7%), loss of trust (58.0%), shame/embarrassment (39.4%), loss of confidence (28.7%), guilt (19.6%), strained relationships (7.5%), and loss of reputation (4.6%).
Questions about the project or how to get involved should be directed to BBB Institute at [email protected].