Scam victim

Ask a Therapist Seeking Help
1

Hi,

I was scammed by a Law officer who told me to transferred 58K from my life savings account to a crypto account. Now I don’t know how to move on with life after being scammed. Somehow I hide from my family members and friends on this case

2

Dear @user687154

Thank you for reaching out and I’m sorry this happened to you. It is understandable that you are in pain and I sense you are in a state of shock, disbelief and feeling ashamed.

Please be gentle with yourself and know that scammers who impersonate law enforcement officers have been trained to be extremely convincing, aggressive and manipulative.

I think anyone in your situation would also initially be hesitant to tell family and friends and thus hide it. However, doing so may mean you do not get their support or insights on what you could do.

May I gently encourage the following:

  1. Ground yourself first. Take slow breaths (in 4, out 6). You don’t need to fix everything immediately. But breathing will help bring the thinking brain back online, so you make better decisions.

  2. Report it. Contact your bank and the crypto platform. File a police report and call ScamShield (Singapore) at 1799 or use the ScamShield app/website.

  3. Tell one safe person you trust. You can say: “I was scammed and I’m not coping.”

  4. Separate the loss from your worth.

  5. Get emotional support. Scam trauma is real, and counselling can help.

Please do not bear this burden unsupported any further. You fully deserve care and understanding.:yellow_heart: