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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
218
Living syntheses
10
Quality-cleared synopses
216
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 Romance-Based Offenders Identify, Approach, Groom, Deceive, and Exploit Targets

Across the reviewed evidence, relationship-based online frauds follow a recurring multi-stage progression: scammers create attractive or fabricated profiles to initiate contact, use sustained grooming and tailored interaction to build trust, deploy small compliance probes to test...

Publications:
30
Evidence statements:
339
Read the living evidence synthesis
Living Evidence Synthesis

Prevention and Intervention

Prevention and Intervention for Romance-Related Online Scams: Evidence Synthesis

The reviewed evidence supports a layered, stage-aware prevention and intervention approach that centers on: (1) public education tied to repeatable scam stages (grooming, pre-transfer, extraction); (2) platform-level account-authentication and messaging controls combined with pra...

Publications:
24
Evidence statements:
122
Read the living evidence synthesis

Research Library

Recently curated publications

Individual studies and reports recently added to the approved collection.

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No laughing matter

This article investigates how online fraud victimization is framed and understood, focusing on the social dynamics that shape victims’ experiences. The study aims to illuminate the negativity surrounding online fraud and...

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The reporting experiences and support needs of victims of online fraud

This publication presents the results of in-depth interviews with a sample of 80 individuals from across Australia who lodged complaints about online fraud involving losses of $10,000 or more over the preceding four year...

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Online love fraud and the experiences of indonesian women: a qualitative study

This publication presents a qualitative, phenomenological examination of Indonesian women who experienced online love fraud. It aims to illuminate the psychosocial impact of such scams on victims, focusing on how decepti...

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Drug mule for love

This publication presents a detailed case study of a romance scam victim who was unknowingly used as a drug mule. Its stated purpose is to deepen understanding of the stages involved in such cases and to compare this ins...

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LOVE SCAMS ISSUES IN MALAYSIA: HOW TO OVERCOME IT FROM AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

The publication examines love scams in Malaysia and evaluates potential remedies from an Islamic perspective. Its stated aim is to identify factors driving the phenomenon, the impacts on victims and families, and Islamic...

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‘Should’ve known better’: Using Lerner’s Belief in a Just World to understand ho...

This article investigates how Lerner’s Belief in a Just World (BJW) helps explain how professionals within the Fraud Justice Network (FJN) perceive victims of online romance and investment fraud. Drawing on qualitative i...

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Lovextortion: Persuasion strategies in romance cybercrime

This publication analyzes online romance scams, focusing on how persuaders cultivate trust and elicit financial compliance from victims. The study uses a corpus of authentic English-language messages and template texts f...

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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