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Psychology and Law
2026. Vol. 16, no. 1, 1–16
doi:10.17759/psylaw.2026160101
ISSN: 2222-5196 (online)

Involuntary criminals: a pathopsychological syndrome of increased emotional stress with affective and personal involvement in victims of telephone fraud

 
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Abstract

Context and relevance. Remote crimes have become the most frequently-committed criminal activity in Russia. There is a new category of criminals who have committed illegal acts under the influence of fraudsters. To determine the feasibility of prosecution of remote crime victims, various complex psychological forensic evaluations take place. Objective. Criteria development for clinical psychology-based forensic assessment of psychological and mental state of defendants — victims of phone fraud. Methodology. The principles of forensic expertology are used in the research. Results. The research results in the phone fraud victims being diagnosed with pathological syndrome of affect-stricken increased emotional stress. The hierarchic diagnostics of informative personality traits and emotional state is described. The diagnostics statistically proves to distinguish the victims from those forensic participants who have maintained their ability for arbitrary regulation of activity. The subject of forensic evaluation of the phone fraud victims is defined as the ability to be conscious of posing social danger with their actions (harm). Conclusion. The study allows identifying psychological mechanisms of the affect-stricken behavior that have been used by telephone fakers to commit a crime.

General Information

Keywords: comprehensive forensic psychological and psychiatric examination, forensic psychological examination, telephone fraud, victims of telephone fraud, imaginary emergency, innocent harm

Journal rubric: Methodological Problems of Legal Psychology

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/psylaw.2026160101

Funding. The study was conducted within the framework of the State Task № 124020800063-2 "Integrative models of forensic psychiatric and complex psychological and psychiatric examinations in civil proceedings conducted in the interests of the most vulnerable groups of the population" (2024-2026).

Received 19.09.2025

Revised 30.09.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Safuanov, F.S., Filippov, D.V., Savina, O.F., Shirokova, V.V., Vasilishina, O.M. (2026). Involuntary criminals: a pathopsychological syndrome of increased emotional stress with affective and personal involvement in victims of telephone fraud. Psychology and Law, 16(1), 1–16. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/psylaw.2026160101

© Safuanov F.S., Filippov D.V., Savina O.F., Shirokova V.V., Vasilishina O.M., 2026

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

References

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Information About the Authors

Farit S. Safuanov, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Head of Chair of Clinical and Forensic Psychology, Department of Legal Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Head of the Laboratory of Psychology, Federal Medical Research Center of Psychiatry and Addiction of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1703-7956, e-mail: safuanovf@rambler.ru

Danil V. Filippov, Candidate of Science (Law), Major General of Justice, Deputy Head, Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1672-8442, e-mail: danilfilips@yandex.ru

Olga F. Savina, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Senior Researcher, Laboratory of Psychology, V.P. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7548-5239, e-mail: psyhol1@yandex.ru

Veronika V. Shirokova, Junior Researcher of Laboratory of Psychology, V.P. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9614-2293, e-mail: veshirokova@yandex.ru

Olga M. Vasilishina, Colonel of Justice, Senior Investigator for Particularly Important Cases, Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2664-6016, e-mail: ovasilishina@mvd.ru

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