Colin was lonely, depressed and recovering from a motorbike accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury when he was scammed by ‘Doris’. Now he’s part of a world-first program to help other victims recover.
Colin was left devastated after a romance scam drained his life savings, but the Melbourne man is now part of a world-first fraud victim recovery program to help those who were conned to get back on their feet.
Clinical neuropsychologist Dr Kate Gould said it took Colin, who has a traumatic brain injury from a motorbike accident, almost a year to recognise his online relationship was not real. “She had difficulty really understanding how serious that situation was and why her children were so worried,” Gould said.
Australians lost a record $3.1 billion to scams last year. The AFP this year warned that criminals were increasingly using dating apps for romance scams, scouring for victims to financially defraud, launder money or transport illicit drugs.Become a scam ambassador by sharing your story. Neuropsychologist Dr Kate Gould said sharing your experience with others, who have been scammed, or helping protect people from being conned in the future was the best way to re-build up your self esteem.
Colin was lonely and depressed when he met “Doris” on an online dating website in 2005. For two years, Colin and Doris –who claimed to be a Canadian nurse living in Ghana – spoke online, sharing stories and photos of their lives. Colin was the catalyst for more than a decade of research that has seen Gould and her colleagues, including Professor Jennie Ponsford and PhD candidate Kimberly Chew, develop free resources and techniques such as early intervention and prevention programs to help people avoid and recover from fraud.
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