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The living evidence base for romance scam research

Find the studies, inspect the evidence, understand what is known, and see the questions that still need answers.

We do not host documents. All items link to publisher or repository pages.

Research corpus at a glance

Approved publications
259
Living syntheses
7
Quality-cleared synopses
259
Corpus updated

How RSRC Uses AI

AI helps RSRC organize and summarize research. Outputs may contain errors; verify findings in the linked original source.

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Explore the research

Search approved publications by title, author, DOI, topic, year, or research method.

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See what the evidence says

Read living syntheses that connect findings across publications and identify uncertainties and research gaps.

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Research Insights

Synthesis and analysis across the corpus

Corpus-level findings that connect evidence across multiple publications and make uncertainties and research gaps visible.

Living Evidence Synthesis

Attack Methods and Offender Strategies

Attack Methods and Offender Strategies: How Offenders Identify, Approach, Groom, Deceive, and Exploit Targets (Evidence‑Grounded Synthesis)

Across the reviewed, human‑approved evidence, relationship‑based frauds show a reproducible staged interactional process that begins with profile construction and target-finding, proceeds through initial contact and screening, continues with prolonged grooming that uses identifia...

Publications:
21
Evidence statements:
259
Read the living evidence synthesis
Living Evidence Synthesis

Prevention and Intervention

Prevention and Intervention for Relationship‑Based Scams: Evidence Synthesis

The reviewed evidence supports a layered, stage‑aware approach to preventing and responding to relationship‑based scams that combines stage‑targeted education, platform and financial‑sector mitigations, detection/OSINT tools, and tailored victim support. Multiple qualitative and...

Publications:
16
Evidence statements:
68
Read the living evidence synthesis

Research Library

Recently curated publications

Individual studies and reports recently added to the approved collection.

View 1

Catching a Catfish

The article examines how old-media texts, particularly the MTV reality show Catfish: The TV Show, contribute to normative notions of how people should present themselves on social media. Using episodes from the first two...

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Cyberfraud and the implications for effective risk-based responses: themes from...

This article investigates the nature of cyberfraud—fraud with a cyber dimension—by analyzing data reported to Action Fraud and other UK sources to illuminate how a risk-based response might be improved. The authors aim t...

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Online Scammers and Their Mules in Malaysia

This article examines how online scammers in Malaysia use money mules to facilitate fraud, and analyzes the relevant criminal-law provisions that apply to both scammers and their aides. The author concentrates on specifi...

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Ethical and Social Challenges with developing Automated Methods to Detect and Wa...

The publication presents an interdisciplinary effort to develop automated methods for detecting mass-marketing fraud (MMF) and warning potential victims, with a focus on mass-market scams including romance scams. Its cen...

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Follow Me, What’s the Harm? Considerations of Catfishing and Utilizing Fake Onli...

This publication examines catfishing and the use of fake online personas in the context of sports, focusing on how deceptive profiles have appeared in both collegiate and professional settings. Grounded in case examples...

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Learning to Circumvent the Limitations of the Written-Self: The Rhetorical Benef...

This publication examines how writing identities are formed and perceived within the constraints of authority, authenticity, and moral accountability, arguing that fragmentation of the self can illuminate the complex, fl...

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“Catfishing,” cyberbullying, and coercion: An exploration of the risks associate...

This publication reports a qualitative study examining the online dating app experiences of rural sexual minority males in the United States. The researchers aimed to understand negative online dating experiences—specifi...

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About RSRC

Built to make romance scam research usable

Founded by LD Herrera, PhD, RSRC organizes romance scam scholarship into a searchable public library and living evidence syntheses for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and the public.

Learn about RSRC and its founder