Silent suffering: the hidden pain of fraud victims

Anti-fraud expert Isaac Obour has shed light on the often overlooked and silent suffering of fraud victims.

According to Obour, many victims endure great pain in silence, fearing judgment and criticism from society if they share their stories, making it difficult for them to seek support or share their experiences.

Obour, an IT auditor and cybersecurity analyst, pointed out that fear of criticism often stems from the substantial financial losses involved.

“These victims cannot talk about their difficult situation; “They suffer in silence because they are criticized and can potentially be described as fools, victims of fraud suffer greatly because our society judges them a lot,” Obour said on Onua FM’s Yen Nsempa show on June 25 .

“Most of the time the money taken from them is huge and they cannot disclose the amount out of fear. Revealing to someone that they were in possession of such an amount can be very difficult for the victims,” explained Obour.

Interestingly, the IT auditor pointed out that it is often well-educated and highly regarded people who fall prey to fraudulent schemes.

“There are very important men, intellectuals who find themselves in such situations,” he said. “I have met lawyers, doctors, people we hold in high esteem who have been scammed a lot. The simple fact that people can say to them ‘why did you allow this to happen to you?’ or ‘an all you?’ it is difficult for victims to talk about it,” he revealed, emphasizing the omnipresent and non-discriminatory nature of fraud, which affects individuals from various professional and social strata.

This difficulty in sharing their plight not only hinders their ability to seek help, he says, but also contributes to their continued suffering.

According to Obour, this societal tendency to judge and blame victims rather than offering empathy and understanding further isolates those affected.

He compared this to the societal response to victims of theft, who typically receive more empathy and support. Fraud victims, on the other hand, are frequently criticized and potentially labeled as idiots for falling victim to scams, despite their intelligence and often substantial accomplishments.

Obour called for a more compassionate and understanding approach towards victims of fraud. “Society needs to be more careful when dealing with people who find themselves victims of scammers because people get lost and lose the will to continue in life. It’s just too sad when it comes to victims of fraud,” he insisted.