The man on the phone knew my home address, my Social Security number, the names of my family members, and that my 2-year-old son was playing in our living room

idk - when somebody knows all your personal information, says they're monitoring you and is actively telling you that you and your family are in danger - being rational is very difficult - it may not seem that way in hindsight but everyone thinks only a moron falls for scams until you're the one that gets suckered

I read that self-laceration is typical; half of victims blame themselves for being gullible, and most experience serious anxiety, depression, or other stress-related health problems afterward. I heard about victim support groups. I went to therapy.

“Everyone was so patronizing,” she told me. “The response was basically ‘It’s your fault that this happened.’”

Also yeah blaming victims sure is helpful...