By OWOLOLA ADEBOLA

Fraud stands as one of the most pervasive yet often underacknowledged crimes in contemporary society. Unlike violent offences that leave visible marks and generate immediate public outcry, fraud operates in shadows of deception, slowly eroding and corroding the financial security and psychological well-being of its victims.

From advance-fee schemes that prey on desperate job seekers to investment frauds that obliterate retirement savings, from romance scams that exploit emotional vulnerability to cybercrime that infiltrates personal data—fraud’s tentacles reach across every demographic, geography and socioeconomic stratum.

 Yet despite its prevalence and devastating impact, the question of adequate compensation for fraud victims remains inadequately addressed in many legal systems worldwide. The need for comprehensive, accessible and timely compensation mechanisms for fraud victims is not merely a question of legal principle; it is a moral imperative and an economic necessity that should command urgent attention from policymakers, legal institutions and society at large.

Come to think of it: The statistics on fraud are staggering. Global fraud losses are estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars annually, with cybercrime alone accounting for approximately $6 trillion in damages yearly according to various cybersecurity reports. In Nigeria, both the ICPC and EFCC Internet Crime Complaint Centres receive hundreds of thousands of fraud complaints annually, while actual fraud remains dramatically underreported. Individual nations report similar patterns: the United Kingdom’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau documents similar devastating figures, as do agencies across America , Europe, Asia, and Africa as a whole.

Yet numbers alone cannot capture the human dimension of fraud. Behind each statistic is a person whose life has been fundamentally altered. A retiree discovers their life savings have vanished to a sophisticated investment scam. A widow loses her inheritance to romance fraud perpetrated by someone she believed loved her. A small business owner’s enterprise collapses after falling victim to corporate fraud. A young professional has their credit destroyed through identity theft. These are not abstract economic losses—they represent shattered dreams, lost security, destroyed relationships and psychological trauma that can persist for years.

The collateral damage extends further still. Fraud victims often experience depression, anxiety and loss of trust in institutions and other people. Family relationships strain under financial stress. Career trajectories are derailed. Children’s educational opportunities are compromised. Communities lose economic vitality when fraud diverts resources from productive investment. The ripple effects of fraud extend far beyond the immediate victim to touch families, businesses, and entire economies.

Despite the magnitude of the problem, victims of fraud often find themselves with minimal recourse. Criminal justice systems, while important for deterrence and punishment, typically prioritise prosecution over victim compensation. Even when perpetrators are convicted, restitution orders frequently go unpaid. Perpetrators lack assets, appeal convictions that were later upheld, or simply ignore court orders with minimal consequences. Victims pursue civil litigation, but this requires financial resources, legal expertise, and emotional stamina that many cannot muster. Even successful civil judgements often prove worthless when defendants prove judgment-proof.

Victim compensation funds, where they exist, typically exclude fraud or impose such restrictive conditions that few victims qualify. Many programmes limit compensation to violent crimes, treating fraud—despite its devastating effects—as somehow less worthy of redress. Others impose arbitrary caps far below actual losses or demand that victims exhaust all other remedies first, a process that itself requires resources many lack.

It goes without saying that insurance provides partial protection for some fraud categories, but with significant limitations. Policies often exclude certain fraud types, impose high deductibles, or cap payments far below losses. Premiums themselves price adequate coverage beyond the reach of lower-income households, creating a system where the most vulnerable—those least able to absorb losses—receive the least protection. This inequity compounds the injustice fraud already inflicts.

Indeed,compensation for fraud victims rests on fundamental principles of justice that transcend technical legal categories. Society functions on implicit and explicit contracts promising that institutions and systems will operate with integrity and honesty. Financial institutions, technology platforms, government agencies and private enterprises all trade on the expectation that they will not deceive those they serve. When fraud occurs, this covenant is shattered.

Fraud victims are uniquely positioned to deserve compensation. They have not taken knowingly equal risks in exchange for potential reward. They have not engaged in transactions where both parties understand the possibility of loss. Instead, they have been deliberately deceived by someone who intended to profit through dishonesty. The perpetrator made a calculated choice to exploit another’s trust, ignorance, or vulnerability. Society cannot legitimately claim to operate on principles of fairness while allowing such wrongdoing to go uncompensated.

Consider particularly vulnerable populations: elderly individuals whose life experience did not prepare them for digital scams; immigrants whose language barriers and unfamiliarity with local systems render them easy targets; people with cognitive impairments; the economically desperate who become vulnerable to get-rich-quick schemes. Fraud disproportionately affects those least able to protect themselves or recover independently. A just society does not abandon such people to absorb losses inflicted through deliberate deception.

Moreover, permitting fraud victims to suffer uncompensated harm undermines the social fabric. It communicates that deception carries minimal penalty, that perpetrators can escape meaningful consequences, and that victims are on their own. This message erodes social trust, which is foundational to any functioning society.

Again,beyond moral considerations, sound economic reasoning supports comprehensive victim compensation. First, compensation serves crucial social welfare functions. When fraud victims lose everything, cascading social costs follow: increased dependence on public assistance, untreated mental health crises, family dissolution, reduced economic participation, and increased likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior from desperation. Providing compensation prevents these downstream costs, making it economically rational even from narrow cost-benefit analysis.

Second, compensated victims recover faster and more completely. They can rebuild financially, resume productive economic roles, and avoid downward spirals of desperation. This restoration of human capital benefits the broader economy through restored tax contributions, resumed consumer spending, and renewed investment.

Third, robust compensation systems strengthen market confidence and economic stability. When consumers fear fraud with no remedy, they withdraw from transactions and investment. Trust in financial systems erodes. 

 In a way,comprehensive compensation reassures market participants that harms will be remedied, encouraging the economic activity essential for prosperity and growth.

Fourth, from a crime prevention perspective, perpetrators make rational calculations about costs and benefits. When victims can recover through compensation systems and perpetrators face prosecution plus substantial restitution, the calculus shifts against fraud. Currently, weak victim recovery and inconsistent enforcement mean perpetrators face insufficient deterrence.

Yes,progressive jurisdictions are developing more comprehensive approaches. Some have expanded victim compensation funds to explicitly include fraud. Others have created dedicated fraud victim compensation programs funded through prosecution proceeds or penalties assessed against wrongdoers. Still others require financial institutions and technology platforms to maintain compensation reserves when their negligence facilitated fraud.

An ideal system would combine multiple elements: a baseline government-funded compensation program providing prompt relief regardless of perpetrator apprehension; requirements that financial institutions maintain compensation schemes reflecting their duty of care; mandatory reporting systems documenting fraud comprehensively; and restitution mechanisms prioritizing victim recovery from convicted fraudsters’ assets.

Technology offers additional opportunities. Enhanced fraud detection systems, improved digital identity verification, blockchain-based transaction transparency, and real-time monitoring can reduce fraud occurrence and minimize victim exposure. When paired with compensation mechanisms, technology creates layered protection.

Lest I forget,critics argue comprehensive compensation is too costly or encourages frivolous claims. These objections merit response but cannot withstand scrutiny. Many fraud victims are careful, diligent people wronged through no personal fault. Even where some contributory negligence exists, it does not erase perpetrator deliberateness or society’s responsibility. Regarding costs, proper program design with verification procedures can manage expenses while providing meaningful relief.

In a nut shell,the need for comprehensive compensation for fraud victims reflects both justice and practical necessity. Every defrauded person has been deliberately wronged; their loss is real and measurable; and society possesses both capacity and responsibility to provide redress. As fraud schemes grow more sophisticated, current system inadequacy becomes increasingly unjust and economically counterproductive.

Moving forward requires political commitment and institutional reform. Governments must expand victim compensation programs. Financial institutions must embrace customer protection. Regulators must enforce accountability. Most fundamentally, we must recognize that fraud victims deserve more than sympathy—they deserve justice. And justice requires compensation.

A society that claims to operate on fairness principles cannot legitimately allow deliberate wrongdoing to go uncompensated. Building systems that adequately compensate fraud victims is not a luxury but a necessity for any society aspiring to genuine justice and protection for all its members.

•Adebola, spokesperson for Nigeria Democratic Congress, wrote in from Ogbagi Akoko,Ondo State.