Comprehensive forensic psychological and psychiatric examination of victims of telephone fraud: expert assessments

Context and relevance. Telephone fraud has assumed the character of a threat to national security. The number of studies devoted to this problem has increased dramatically in the last 5 years, but only a few studies have been devoted to the issues of forensic examination of victims of remote fraud. Goal. Identification of possible expert assessments of the mental and psychological state of victims of telephone fraud in the course of a comprehensive forensic psychological and psychiatric examination. Theoretical approaches. The principles of forensic clinical and psychological expertise are used, which determine a consistent legal, expert and psychological analysis in identifying the subject of expertise. Results. Victims of telephone fraud have different procedural status: victim, plaintiff and accused. In many situations, they act as the victim and the plaintiff, or the victim and the accused at the same time. The variants of the mental states of the subjects during the legally significant period of interaction with remote fraudsters are described. The legal significance of the examination of fraud victims as victims, plaintiffs and defendants has been established. In each of these types of examinations, private research subjects and possible psychiatric and psychological forensic expert assessments of the mental state of the subjects in a legally significant situation are highlighted. Conclusion. As the material of forensic examinations and court decisions and sentences accumulates, it is possible to clarify the characteristics of the mental state of such victims who become defenseless during the actions of telephone fraudsters.

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