--- title: "SCARS Institute: Hypervigilance and Threat Perception Self-Assessment for Scam Victims – v2" canonical: https://scampsychology.org/hypervigilance-and-threat-perception-self-assessment-for-scam-victims/ type: post author: "SCARS Research Team" published: 2026-08-23 modified: 2026-09-26 categories: ["• PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA", "• VICTIM NEUROLOGY", "• VICTIM PSYCHOLOGY", "♦ NEUROLOGY", "♦ PSYCHOLOGY", "♦ SELF-TESTS", "2026", "ASSESSMENTS", "UPDATED 2026"] summary: "[raw] Hypervigilance and Threat Perception Self-Assessment for Scam Victims Staying on Alert · 20 Questions across 5 Areas Your Privacy Is Protected We never see your identityYour responses are processed in your browser and your email. Only you see any…" organization: "Official SCARS Institute Journal of Scam Psychology & Recoverology" organization_url: https://scampsychology.org/ llms: https://scampsychology.org/llms.txt --- # SCARS Institute: Hypervigilance and Threat Perception Self-Assessment for Scam Victims – v2 # Hypervigilance and Threat Perception Self-Assessment for Scam Victims Staying on Alert · 20 Questions across 5 Areas ## Your Privacy Is Protected #### We never see your identity Your responses are processed in your browser and your email. Only you see any identifying information about you. #### De-identified data supports research With your permission and your identity removed, your de-identified answers are sent to the SCARS Institute for scientific research only. Data is never shared with third parties. #### Keep your own copy When you finish, you can save, email, or print your results on your own device — to keep, or to share with your therapist or mental health professional. The SCARS Institute provides this tool to help you notice patterns of hypervigilance and threat sensitivity following a scam, and to decide whether extra support would help. You can save it to share the results with your therapist or mental health professional. I give my consent for my fully de-identified assessment data to be used for research purposes only. I understand that all personal identifiers have been removed from my responses, this information will not be shared with any third parties, and my participation is completely voluntary. ## About This Assessment This self-assessment helps you notice how much your body and mind are staying on alert after a scam, and how often ordinary situations feel threatening. Being scammed is a genuine breach of your safety and trust, and it is natural for the nervous system to respond by staying ready for danger. Some of that vigilance is protective. This tool is here to help you see when it has become constant enough to tire you, disturb your rest, or interfere with daily life. The questions follow the way trauma researchers describe heightened arousal and threat sensitivity, across five areas: scanning and staying alert, startle and bodily tension, expecting and perceiving threat, sleep and rest, and the effect on focus and daily life. It is informed by the arousal and sense-of-threat features described in trauma frameworks such as the DSM-5-TR hyperarousal cluster and the ICD-11 International Trauma Questionnaire. The items are original and adapted for scam recovery, and this is not a copy of any clinical instrument. Reflect on the **past month** as you answer each statement. A pattern across areas matters more than any single answer. - **1** Strongly Disagree - **2** Disagree - **3** Neutral - **4** Agree - **5** Strongly Agree **Please note.** This assessment is educational. It is not a diagnostic test and it does not diagnose PTSD or any condition. It measures how often certain experiences show up for you, not their cause, which only a qualified professional can assess. We recommend sharing your results with a counselor or therapist. **Do not refresh or reload this page.** Your answers are held only in this browser session, and reloading will erase your progress. Select an answer to continue Your Result # ### By area ### A word to hold onto Being scammed is a real threat to your safety and trust, and a body that answers it by staying alert is doing what it evolved to do. Heightened vigilance is not a character flaw, and it is not the same as being unable to cope. This tool cannot diagnose anything. It is a mirror to help you see a pattern. When alertness stops protecting you and starts exhausting you, disturbing your sleep, or shrinking your life, that is a good reason to talk with a professional who understands trauma. A nervous system can learn safety again, and that is a real part of recovery. **Support.** If any part of this raised difficult feelings, you do not have to sort it out alone. SCARS Institute offers free support and recovery groups at [support.againstscams.org](https://support.againstscams.org) and trauma-informed counselors at [counseling.againstscams.org](https://counseling.againstscams.org). If you ever feel unsafe, or you have thoughts of harming yourself, please contact your local emergency number or a crisis line right away, or reach out to someone you trust. **Save your results before leaving this page.** Reloading or closing this page will erase them. Use the button below to keep a copy. Hypervigilance and Threat Perception Self-Assessment | Educational use only. Not a clinical diagnosis. | www.ScamPsychology.org ##### V2