euroconsumers’ Post

🥁 And that’s a wrap! It was an incredible experience co-hosting the panel at the Global Anti-Scam Summit (GASS) that put scam victims' experiences at the heart of the conversation. A huge thank you to our panellists for sharing their insights and lived experiences! "The aftermath of my fraud experience has been victim blaming 101. That has traumatised me. I wished for peer support. I wished for others to understand. I wasn’t seen as a victim, I was seen as a stupid person and even a suspect." -Cecilie Fjellhøy, Co-Founder, LoveSaid "As a victim, when you realise someone had a fake life and identity, you feel lost and powerless. I went to the police and was laughed at for two years. In that time, 14 more people became victims. The common thread in these cases is emotional manipulation. Our organisation, ‘LoveSaid,’ is created by victims, for victims." - Anna Rowe, Founder and Manager at Catch The Catfish, Co-Founder of LoveSaid "When I first started working on fraud, everything academically and practically focused on what the victim did wrong. There is a huge disconnect between the lived experience of fraud, the police response, and public understanding. The level of victim blaming in the public sphere is atrocious. Language itself becomes a tool of abuse against victims." - Dr Elisabeth Carter, Associate Professor of Criminology, Kingston University "Across the UK and Wales, we work with 43 police forces to identify vulnerable victims and tailor support accordingly. We’ve helped 16,000 victims, escalating 833 cases for specialised intervention. Preventing repeat victimisation is crucial. Our efforts have saved an estimated £10.4 million." - Neil Postins, Service Delivery Manager, National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit, City of London Police "Fraud is just one step in a much longer journey, yet that’s where the focus often stays. This reinforces the false idea that individuals are solely responsible for keeping themselves safe ignoring the broader systemic issues. People need to know that when they report fraud, they have rights, entitlements, and support available." - Wayne Stevens, Victim Support, UK "It’s about framing - victim support isn’t a cost. It’s an investment in preventing re-victimization." - Matthew Niblett, Senior Policy Advisor, Which? "If you truly want to support victims, you have to focus on their experiences. There’s nothing more powerful than listening to lived experience." - Kole Gjikolaj, ChildNet Youth Advisory Board "Young people are largely absent from this conversation. 9% of respondents have been victims of scams, yet 26% felt they would be blamed for what happened." - Will Gardner OBE OBE, CEO, ChildNet "Getting crucial information back up the chain remains a challenge." - Giles Derrington, Senior Government Relations and Public Policy Manager, TikTok Moderator: Jekatyerina Maszlova, Euroconsumers Let’s keep pushing for change 💪 Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA)