WHO ARE THE VICTIMS OF FRAUD?
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The National Institute of Justice conducted a study of fraud in 1991* and found that almost one-third of the 1,246 people in the study has been a victim of fraud or attempted fraud.  

• Of these people, 48% said that the attempt had succeeded.  

• 13% reported monetary losses ranging from $25.00 to $65,000.

• Only 15% of the crimes were reported to the authorities.

• Individuals were less likely to become victims if they were educated about the fraud or investigated the situation before becoming involved.

Contrary to popular belief, the National Institute of Justice found that the young were more likely to be the object of attempted fraud. They were also more likely to lose money or property when the fraud succeeded.  The results also indicated that individuals with higher levels of education were especially vulnerable to fraud.

This does not mean that older or less-educated individuals are not the target of white collar criminals.  In fact, mature adults also make attractive targets because they are most likely to have money, property, and savings and are more likely to be at home to receive the fraudulent call or salesman.  In fact, a large segment of illegal telemarketers often target the elderly simply for these reasons and may prey on the elder's loneliness as a way to bilk him or her out of thousands.

Often individuals may be easy targets for fraud due to personality characteristics or other mannerisms.  Criminals may seek out individuals who have an trusting nature, respect authority, or are overly compassionate.  They may tailor their scam to fit these characteristics and, in effect, use a person's best qualities against them.  This is another reason why crimes of fraud are especially insidious and may have such long-lasting psychological effects. 

However, with an increase of  crimes such as identity fraud, no one can be excluded as a potential target.  Victims of fraud can come from a variety of racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds.  Victims can be any age, either gender, or of any religious persuasion.   

Finally, victims of fraud are especially vulnerable to repeated fraud.  Often, criminals will maintain a list of successful attempts and will sell these names to other criminals.  Thus, the victim is vulnerable to repeated attempts, many of which may be entirely different scams.  If you have been a victim of fraud once and did, in fact, lose property or money, be especially cautious of schemes that promise to "reclaim" or "recover" your lost items for an advance fee.  This is a popular fraud that adds insult to injury.

*(Titus, Richard M., Fred Heinzelmann, and John M. Boyle, "Victimization of Persons by Fraud," Crime and Delinquency, 41:1 (January, 1995):58. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, Washington, D.C.)