Neurodivergent? You are more likely to be a fraud victim

Are you neurodivergent? Or know someone who is?  They or you could be more likely to become a victim of a scam.

Our newest research found that the different ways that neurodivergent people process information and interact with the world may make them more susceptible to fraud and scams.  

It’s important to remember that anyone can be a victim of fraud and scams, but circumstances can make some people more likely to respond to the criminals trying to steal people’s money.

We had some evidence to suggest that neurodivergent people could be at a higher risk of fraud and scams. We wanted to look at this further and see if we could find clear evidence that neurodivergent individuals are more likely to respond to fraud, and whether the impact of fraud was different compared with neurotypical people.

Neurodiversity – what is it?

A quick run through terms first of all as it can be confusing!

“Neurodiversity” describes the whole spectrum of human brain ability and potential. Everyone’s brain is different: we process information, think, learn, and interact in different ways.

A neurodivergent person is someone who has a medical diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition or is self-diagnosed. This can include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism (also known as ASD), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia, Tourette’s syndrome, and others.

Neurotypical describes someone who has what is considered a “typical” brain.

The NHS now estimates that 1 in 7 people are neurodivergent, but the numbers could be higher. Diagnoses have increased as people become more aware of neurodiversity. 

Neurodivergence and fraud

A review of the academic research on neurodiversity suggests that neurodivergent individuals may be particularly susceptible to being exploited. Criminals who perpetrate fraud are expert emotional manipulators. Neurodivergent individuals may have difficulty in recognising this manipulation. Research suggests that fraud online may be particularly difficult for neurodivergent people to recognise because they may respond to online threats differently.

We found that neurodivergent people are 50% more likely to be a victim of fraud that neurotypical individuals. Our survey found that 1 in 5 neurodivergent people had been a victim of fraud in the last five years.

Neurodivergent victims were also more severely impacted by the fraud – across emotional, financial and health impacts. Neurodivergent victims were twice as likely as neurotypical victims to report the most severe financial impact.

Click the links to view the full research findings and a short summary of the report.

What we don’t yet know

There is clear evidence from the quantitative research that neurodivergent people are at a higher risk of fraud and scams, but we don’t yet know exactly why this is. There are some clues in the research, but we need to do more to fully understand this. 

Neurodivergence encompasses a range of different conditions which affect how individuals interact with the world. People with different neurotypes (such as Autism, ADHD, and Dyslexia) may be more susceptible to fraud for different reasons. 

To find out how neurodivergence – and neurotypes – can affect susceptibility to fraud, we need to talk to more neurodivergent people, especially those who have been victims of fraud and scams.

Support for victims

Because neurodivergent people are at a higher risk of becoming a victim of fraud and scams, anyone supporting victims as part of their job should be trained to understand neurodiversity. Neurodivergent victims may need adjustments to best access support and process information. Training should be focused on strategies to help professionals effectively communicate with and support neurodivergent victims.

Confidence and education on prevention

While we found that neurodivergent individuals were more likely to be victims of fraud and scams, they were very confident that they could protect themselves. 31% of neurodivergent people said that they were very confident in their ability to spot a fraud, compared with 24% of neurotypical people.

Confidence in spotting a fraud may not mean that you can do so consistently, and that you can spot every attempt to steal your money through fraud and scams.

The higher confidence that neurodivergent people have in being able to spot a fraud may mean that current fraud prevention information is not effective for them. We need to revisit our messages about fraud and scams to make them more inclusive.

Making fraud prevention messages suitable for everyone – neurodivergent and neurotypical – means making them clear and accessible. We must embrace different formats (written information, videos, pictures, and more), avoid ambiguous language, and share actionable steps to help people to protect themselves. 

Finally…

Are you neurodivergent? We would love to hear from you – please share your lived experience and thoughts using the contact form.