In today's digital world, scams are a growing menace as more and more individuals fall for their deceitful methods. Despite this, frauds continue to rank among the least reported criminal activities globally. In actuality, only 3% to 17% of scams are reported, depending on the nation. This alarming statistic indicates that many scam victims may suffer in silence and without the required assistance.
While raising awareness is an important step in fighting scams, sadly it is not enough on its own. Public awareness campaigns are important in helping people avoid falling victim to fraud, but it does not address the root cause of the problem. Scammers are often able to operate with impunity which allows them to prey on the weak and exploit legal gaps. Stronger legislation and enforcement actions must be put in place, together with a determined effort to find and bring to justice those involved, in order to effectively combat fraud.
Additionally, there needs to be a bigger focus on helping victims and giving them the tools they need to recover from the psychological and financial effects of being conned. Only by employing a multifaceted strategy can we expect to successfully combat the scourge of scams. Read more about our ten recommendations to turn the tide on online scams.
Join us as we do an in-depth country-to-country analysis that includes how to report scams, where to report, where scam victims can get the help required and some of the popular scams in each country.