Without hanging on to hope, victims are left with nothing and must face reality. By denying what has happened, victims do not have to again face the fact that they were deceived by a person they trusted. Victims may try to make the problem disappear by shifting the blame to a third person. Victims may rationalize as a last effort to avoid acceptance of a violation of trust and loss of money. They display anger and decide to strike back.
Victims begin to feel the stress involved from the significant loss of funds and trust.
There is an inability for the victim to deal with the loss. They may be unable to think clearly, have difficulty focusing, give up on life, question their judgement, become lethargic and ask why they allowed this to happen. Victims of white collar crime have difficulty speaking openly regarding their victimization because they face a judicial system and a society that feel there no victims of this type of crime. Eventually the victims will blame themselves for allowing the situation to occur. Victims understand and recognize that they are in fact victims of crime.