Ending the Stigma: ‘National Scam Survivor Day’ raises awareness for consumer protection

(InvestigateTV) — In Washington, D.C., consumer advocates, legal experts and scam survivors gathered on what’s now being called “National Scam Survivor Day.”

The goal: End the stigma associated with scams and share stories.

“So the BBB Institute works with partners across all kinds of areas, but our scam survivors are our most important people because they let us know the scam activity that’s going on,” BBB Spokesperson Melanie McGovern says.

“They share their stories so that other people may be in the same thing. They may be in the middle of it- and they hear, this is happening to me right now and they are able to help prevent scams from happening down the road.”

McGovern says the BBB wants to put the power back in the hands of the consumer.

“Even if you didn’t lose money, it’s so important to report scams to us, so that we can identify the trends, patterns, and work with the media. Get the message out to let people know that this is the tactic they’re using.”

McGovern has worked with scam survivors for over 11 years and has seen the change in demeanor and awareness when scam survivors speak up.

“Seeing them just become empowered by telling their story. By hearing after the fact, hey, I saw your story on the news. I was in the middle of this, I was considering this. But I realized this was a scam because I heard this person talking about it on the news and I saw the BBB talking about it. So, it’s amazing to see Scam survivors become empowered and become spokespeople for themselves.”

Jennifer Hill traveled from Henry County, Georgia, to Washington, D.C. for the event. She spoke on stage about her experience dealing with bad actors in the real estate business. Hill now uses her voice to spread the word and inform others.

“To have a room of professionals, of people who are able to make changes and to do something into, you know, not just a room of community people, but, you know, actual spearheads and industry and stuff that they can they can make some significant changes and impact in this. It was very empowering to me to share my story with them,” Hill says.

She said if she could reach out to others, she would let them know that they are not alone.

“It definitely helps you to know that there are others out there.”

Legal experts were also on hand at the one-day event.

Joanna Plichta Boisen is the Chief Pro Bono & Social Impact Officer at Davis Wright Tremaine. She also works with the Scam Justice Legal Clinic.

“Up until we launched the Scam Justice Legal Clinic, there was no resource available for survivors to be able to access. A legal tool in terms of being able to speak with attorneys to understand their rights and responsibilities. So, creating something that fills a void in terms of access to justice really helped us, not just understand where all the needs exist, but how we could be part of the healing process for the survivors from a legal perspective,” Boisen says.

As scammers continue to find crafty and innovative ways to trick people into getting their personal information, there’s a survival movement taking place as well. Sending a strong message to scammers that they will no longer be silenced and put to shame.

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