People with brain injuries are at high risk for romance scams: Report

Melbourne:

Romance scams – where scammers create fake identities and use dating or friendship to gain your trust and money – costs Australians Last year $201 million.

But the emotional impact of romance scams can often be worse than losing money. Those who have been scammed may experience shame and embarrassment and have difficulty accepting that the relationship was not real.

People who have suffered a brain injury, for example after a stroke or a car accident, may be more vulnerable to these scams. My research with colleagues shows that they are often less aware of scams and find it more difficult to recognize warning signs.

But our project has discovered that there are benefits when people with brain injuries who have been scammed share their experiences. It can raise awareness, reduce stigma and help prevent future scams.

Some groups are more vulnerable

Anyone can be scammed. But some groups are more at riskincluding people with disabilities such as acquired brain injuries.

We questioned 101 doctors in Australia and New Zealand who work with people who have suffered brain injuries. More than half (53%) had a customer who was affected by a cyber scam. The most common type was a romance scam.

How do romance scams work?

Romance scams involve a scammer (or sometimes several people) luring someone into a fake relationship to exploit them, often to get money. Scammers can use online dating platforms to connect, or social media, gaming and even online shopping sites.

Romance scammers build trust and strong emotions using techniques such as love bombing (early and frequent declarations of affection), grooming, and manipulation over an extended period of time. They share common interests and even similar types of trauma, so people trust them. Like one Romance scam survivor with acquired brain injury explained:

My mindset was kind of skewed because all I saw was the love, the money, all the things I wanted, so I didn’t worry about all those other little things.

The scammer’s identity usually seems very attractive and trustworthy, but is often fake, stolen from a real person or AI generated. They present a lot of evidence and exciting details about their daily lives to seem real and keep people hooked into the relationship.

Scammers use pre-written scripts with compelling stories describing significant financial success, being widowed or orphaned, or working abroad to attract people. Flirty language and flattery make people want to continue communicating with the scammer. They may tell you that they think you have a beautiful smile and their dog or cat would love you.

Scammers will invest weeks and months to build a connection, after which scammers offer exciting ‘opportunities’. This may include investments and requests to cover international flights for a first meeting. Or paying medical bills for a sick family member. As a fraud survivor with an acquired brain injury explained:

She actually started having quite an intimate relationship with me, even though we haven’t met yet, but she promises that we will one day. All I have to do is send money.

Why are people with brain injuries more at risk?

One in 45 Australians sympathizes brain injury sustained during an event such as a car accident or stroke. This can damage a specific part of the brain, widespread brain cells (neurons), or both.

The impact of a brain injury varies, but can affect cognition, emotions, behavior, and neurological functioning. As a result, people may experience changes in their ability to care for themselves, work, socialize, and make complex decisions.

Cognitive problems – such as memory problems and impaired information processing – can make it more difficult to learn, notice and respond to alarm signals in real time. People may have difficulty understanding new or complex information, have impaired judgment and are more impulsive.

Like other vulnerable Australians, this could include people with brain injuries are bored, lonely and need care. This may mean that the scammers’ constant online availability, coverage, attention, praise and acceptance of the person, regardless of their disability, is even more attractive.

Shame and embarrassment

People with acquired brain injuries may also have difficulty taking the step from knowing or planning to do something to actually performing that behavior. This is called the frontal lobe paradox. As one of our interviewees explained:

I realize some big things and then forget about them, like… “don’t do that again.” And then I’m going to do it again.

When the scam is exposed, family, friends and frontline services such as police and banks may respond with blame, condemnation and ridicule. This contributes to even more distress:

They just say how stupid I was for getting scammed.

Scams are likely under-reported to authorities such as Scam watch due to shame and lack of awareness about scams.

Family and doctors of people with brain injuries are allowed to do this limit or restrict their access to money or the internetadding to the financial and emotional fallout of the scam.

As one doctor explained:

The depression (…) was not the result of fraud. It came out exactly the opposite, almost like he (…) feels like it’s his right to have access and open himself up to those things.

Authentic partnerships with people with lived experience

Our research team has developed a series of tailor-made tools called CyberAbilitythat were co-designed with people who have brain injuries and experience with fraud. We call them “Scambasadors”.

The Scambassadors alleviate some of the stigma and shame associated with scams by holding community education sessions, speaking to the media and co-facilitating therapy groups. They also spread awareness among other people with brain injuries about what to look out for – but the advice is useful for everyone.

You can watch for signs that someone in your life is being scammed. This could be a new unfulfilled lover, large unexpected purchases or loans, or an increase in secrecy about online activities.

Approach difficult conversations about possible scams with curiosity, care, and patience. Share your own experiences with scams or scams to normalize it and reduce judgement.

No matter who gets scammed, the real fault lies with the criminals who commit this fraud. But discussing scams regularly can help reduce the stigma and protect our community.

(Author: Kate Gould, Senior Research Fellow and Clinical Neuropsychologist, Monash University)

(Disclosure Statement: Kate Gould has received grants from the Transport Accident Commission, Lifetime Support Authority, Summer Foundation, auDA Foundation and Monash University.)

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