--- title: "SCARS Institute: Trust Impairment and Social Reconnection Self-Assessment Test for Scam Victims – v2" canonical: https://scampsychology.org/trust-impairment-and-social-reconnection-self-assessment-test-for-scam-victims/ type: post author: "SCARS Research Team" published: 2026-08-23 modified: 2026-09-26 categories: ["• PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA", "♦ PSYCHOLOGY", "♦ SELF-TESTS", "2026", "ASSESSMENTS", "UPDATED 2026"] summary: "[raw] Trust Impairment and Social Reconnection Self-Assessment for Scam Victims Rebuilding Trust and Connection · 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…" organization: "Official SCARS Institute Journal of Scam Psychology & Recoverology" organization_url: https://scampsychology.org/ llms: https://scampsychology.org/llms.txt --- # SCARS Institute: Trust Impairment and Social Reconnection Self-Assessment Test for Scam Victims – v2 # Trust Impairment and Social Reconnection Self-Assessment for Scam Victims Rebuilding Trust and Connection · 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 in trust and social connection 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how much a scam has affected your ability to trust, both in other people and in your own judgment, and how connected or withdrawn you feel from others. A scam is a betrayal by someone you trusted, and it is natural for trust and closeness to feel risky afterward. Some guarding is protective. This tool is here to help you see when broken trust and withdrawal have grown large enough to keep you isolated or to slow your recovery. The questions look at five areas: trusting other people, trusting your own judgment, letting people close, withdrawing from others, and reaching out and reconnecting. It is informed by research on interpersonal trust, on epistemic trust, mistrust, and credulity, on betrayal trauma, and on social connectedness after adversity. 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 any condition. It measures how you are experiencing trust and connection right now, which can change as you recover, not a fixed trait. 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 A scam is a betrayal, and losing trust afterward, in other people and in your own judgment, is a real injury, not a flaw. Guarding yourself and pulling back are natural ways the mind tries to stay safe. This tool cannot diagnose anything. It is a mirror to help you see a pattern. Trust can be rebuilt, slowly and carefully, and reconnecting with people who are safe is one of the strongest parts of recovery. You do not have to open every door at once, and you do not have to do it alone. **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. Trust and Reconnection Self-Assessment | Educational use only. Not a clinical diagnosis. | www.ScamPsychology.org ##### V2