The Trajectory of Romance Scams in the U.S

Herrera, LD. ; Hastings, J. (2024) — 2024 12th International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security (ISDFS)

DOI: 10.1109/isdfs60797.2024.10527224

Synopsis

Romance scams inflict financial and emotional harm by defrauding victims under the pretense of meaningful relationships. The study explores trends of RS in the United States through a quantitative synthesis of diverse sources, including web search activity, news coverage, scholarly publications, and government reports, covering 2004 through 2023. It marks the first effort to integrate multiple data streams for RS trend analysis. The analysis reveals that public interest and media attention surrounding romance scams have grown over time, even as reports of incidents to authorities have recently declined. Although the body of RS-focused research has expanded, the majority of work remains oriented toward documenting the problem rather than developing concrete remedies. The findings point to an escalation of RS activity despite a drop in official reports, a mismatch that is likely driven by low rates of victim reporting. These results underscore the need for heightened awareness to encourage reporting, which in turn would enable more accurate data to inform policy decisions. They also indicate that future research should place greater emphasis on developing techniques to counter these crimes. With improved awareness, preventive measures, and responses guided by more reliable data, the rising threat of romance scams may be mitigated.

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