Taking trauma into account

Interviews are essential to gathering detailed information during a fraud examination. But some interviews require special care, especially when it comes to victims of fraud. Trauma-informed interviewing practices take into account the emotional upheaval that fraud victims often face. In this article, the author explains why trauma-informed interviews are important and how their principles can be incorporated into interviewing practices.

When people think of crime-related trauma, they often think of experiencing or witnessing violent crimes. But financial crimes can take a significant mental and emotional toll on victims, as well. Financial fraud isn’t a victimless crime, and those who fall victim to it aren’t to blame. In fact, victim interviews and empirical research show that financial crime victims do experience trauma, and at times significantly.