(gentle music) <v ->Hi, this is Derek McGinty with AARP.</v> Every year scammers steal billions of dollars from consumers, and the impact can be financially, and emotionally devastating, especially for older adults and their families. Magnifying their devastation is something that victims of other crimes don't typically experience; that is shame. We inadvertently blame when we asked how they got duped, or how much money they gave to the scammer. Even victims when they aren't too ashamed to talk about their experience commonly blame themselves when describing the crime. But nobody is immune to fraud which is growing more pervasive and more sophisticated all the time. Fraud victims deserve the dignity and sympathy we typically grant other folks who experience other kinds of crimes. Let's direct the blame where it belongs: on the criminal. Now, despite the perception that so many of us have that a scam could never happen to us, anyone can fall victim to a scam. These criminals are sophisticated and they don't work alone. Much of this activity, in fact comes from transnational organized crime rings. They have money, they have employees and they have the playbook on how to get a target to become a victim. You see, the goal in the scam operation is to get the target into a heightened emotional state. What the scammers themselves have referred to as getting them under the ether. Tactics include instilling fear or excitement, or even love. Why? Because once you're there, it is very hard to access your logical thinking and the scammer succeeds. You see, the criminal is using our own thought processes and emotions against us, and they're pretty good at that. And the way our brains work when emotion takes over makes all of us susceptible, yet many of us don't realize just how susceptible we are and we use language that reinforces the notion that the victim is at fault. In 2020, the AARP Fraud Watch Network team researched the prevalence of fraud victim blaming and its impact, and we found that victim blaming for financial crimes permeates our society at multiple levels. The cultural norms, the systemic practices and media reporting and the way individual people talk about fraud all play important roles in reinforcing the myth that the victim is at fault. We as a society heed blame on fraud victims, but empathize with the victims of other crimes and it shows up in our language. For example, friends and family may ask how they were "duped" or "fooled," others may downplay the crime by asking fraud victims how much they gave the criminal who stole from them. In the media, financial criminals may be described or portrayed as cunning and clever masterminds. News reports tend to focus on the role of the victim rather than the crime committed by the scammer. In the headlines, victims are swindled, and scammed and they're rarely met with empathy, and we know that this creates the illusion that it can't happen to us and that victims absorb all these shaming messages. As a result, victims' health and emotional wellbeing suffers, we know the all too human toll. Research from FINRA Foundation shows that two in three fraud victims report at least one serious health or emotional impact, and tragically thousands have died by suicide. We can all address how society talks about fraud victimization. To discuss how you can make a difference is Liz Buser, Senior Advisor at AARP's Fraud Prevention Programs. <v ->For friends and family of victims, reframing your words</v> is an important first step. Most victim-blaming language is unintentional and reflects the societal norms we've all become used to. You can start by reframing your language to convey empathy and respect. For example, instead of saying, "I can't believe you got duped," "how could you fall for that," or "they tricked you," Say, "it's not your fault," "you are a victim of a crime," or "scammers are good at what they do." Show them care and understanding rather than feelings like anger, disappointment, scorn, or blame. Change begins with each of us. Encourage others you see or hear using language that blames victims to reframe their word choice. Use words that acknowledge the crime, and the sophistication of the criminal attack. Encourage and help people who tell you their story to report the fraud. When fraud victims hear and see your support, they might feel empowered to report the crimes and they might also feel empowered to share their story more widely. <v ->How you talk to your loved one doesn't just impact them</v> and your relationship with them. If we all do our part to flip the victim-blaming narrative we could have a cascading effect on how society treats fraud victims. At the criminal justice level police may be more inclined to take scam reports and investigate them. With more victims reporting, prosecutors may take and pursue more criminal cases against scammers. Finally, as more lawmakers get the message about fraud that it is a crime and its impact is profoundly devastating, they may do more to address the scourge of scams. Now, experiencing a scam can be devastating, but it doesn't have to define you. Our trained volunteer specialists on our AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline talk with tens of thousands of people every year who have suffered a financial loss from a scam and often learn about the resultant emotional wounds that victims carry with them. Thanks for watching. (gentle music)

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reframing language