More than one in four fraud victims have not told their partner what happened out of shame, a study has found.
Researchers also found a further one in 10 chose not to reveal anything about it amid a fear they would be judged by friends and family.
The study of 1,500 adults who have fallen prey either to financial, identity or online fraud, shows 32 per cent feel there is a stigma attached to anyone who has been ‘taken in’ by a fraudster.
One in four admitted hiding being a victim of fraud from friends or family out of shame, while one in ten said they told nobody for fear of being judged (file image)
Overall one in four victims admitted feeling hugely embarrassed by what happened, and 31 per cent said they felt ‘stupid’.
Another 38 per cent felt angry at themselves for letting the scam happen, while 12 per cent felt ‘gullible’.
The poll suggests the average adult has been a victim of fraud twice.
On the occasion where money was taken, the average amount lost was £893.34 – and worryingly only six in ten people managed to get their cash back.
Ashok Vaswani, of Barclays UK, has launched the Embarrassing Fraud Clinic in a bid to reduce the stigma surrounding fraud.
Research also suggested that the average adult has bee a victim of fraud twice in their life
‘We want to encourage people to talk more openly about scams, so that we can work together to lift the stigma of fraud,’ said Mr Vaswani.
‘If people are too embarrassed to even tell their friends and family, then how can we expect them to report it to their banks?
‘We hope that the Embarrassing Fraud Clinic gives people a safe environment to discuss their fraud concerns and get advice and tips on how to protect themselves.’
The project will offer seminars on protecting youself from fraud, along with other measures.