Romance Scam Research Center

Romance Through Digital Avatars: Online Courtship, Representation and “Catfishing” Amongst Irregular Female Migrants in Sabah

Somiah, V. (2023) — New Media in the Margins

Type: Book Chapter Country: Singapore Tags: victim experience

This chapter explores the phenomenon of romance scams, situating it within broader discussions of online fraud, victim vulnerabilities, and the lived experiences of those deceived. Romance scams are defined as fraudulent...

Service, game and livelihood, the new dimensions of neutralization techniques in Internet Romance Fraud: Extending the Neutralization Theory in Modern Internet crimes.

Toku, L.; Otu Offei, M. (2023) — International Journal of Technology and Management Research

Type: Journal Article Country: Ghana Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, law enforcement, AI misuse, risk factors, measurement, cross-cultural Methods: survey

This piece examines Service, game and livelihood, the new dimensions of neutralization techniques in Internet Romance Fraud: Extending the Neutralization Theor within the broader context of online fraud and mediated comm...

Tainted Love: a Systematic Literature Review of Online Romance Scam Research

Bilz, A.; Shepherd, LA.; Johnson, GI. (2023) — Interacting with Computers

Type: Journal Article Country: United Kingdom Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, law enforcement, platform policy, AI misuse, measurement, cross-cultural Methods: interview, content analysis, experiment, qualitative, quantitative

Romance scams are orchestrated by online criminals who cultivate a deceptive romantic relationship on dating platforms with the aim of extracting money from victims. This form of cybercrime is harmful and often leaves th...

The Affective Need and the Social Illusion: the assumptions and the practices of the Romance Scam

D'Ambrosio, M.; Barba, D. (2023) — Rivista di Criminologia, Vittimologia e Sicurezza

Type: Journal Article Country: Italy

This article explores the intersection of affective needs, digital relationships, and the manipulation of online intimacy through the lens of the romance scam. The authors situate the phenomenon within a socio-criminolog...

The client’s consent strengthens the ‘Gamers’ hand; The deterrence theory’s perspective of the Internet romance fraudsters.

Toku, L.; Otu Offei, M. (2023) — International Journal of Technology and Management Research

Type: Journal Article Country: Ghana Tags: victim experience, law enforcement, AI misuse, measurement, cross-cultural Methods: survey

Internet romance fraud (IRF) is presented as an international crime with far-reaching consequences for individuals, organizations, and national systems. It arises from a online romantic relationship between a victim who...

The Cyber-Industrialization of Catfishing and Romance Fraud

Wang, F.; Topalli, V. (2023) — CrimRxiv

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, platform policy, AI misuse

The article investigates a contemporary variant of online fraud that builds on romance scams and catfishing but is distinguished by its industrialized form, enabled by corporate practices, software platforms, and service...

The Espouse of Women in the Online Romance Fraud World: Role of Sociocultural Experiences and Digital Technologies

Abubakari, Y. (2023) — Deviant Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: Poland

This piece examines The Espouse of Women in the Online Romance Fraud World: Role of Sociocultural Experiences and Digital Technologies within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines co...

The Role of the National Central Bureau (NCB)–Interpol Indonesia in Handling Cybercrime (Romance Scam) 2018–2021

Pangalila, FCYY.; De Fretes, CHJ.; Seba, ROC. (2023) — Intermestic: Journal of International Studies

Type: Journal Article Country: Indonesia

This piece examines Peran National Central Bureau (NCB)-Interpol Indonesia dalam Penanganan Cybercrime (Romance Scam) Tahun 2018-2021 within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines com...

The tinder swindler: Analyzing public sentiments of romance fraud using machine learning and artificial intelligence

Lokanan, ME. (2023) — Journal of Economic Criminology

Type: Journal Article Country: Canada

This article surveys public responses to romance fraud in online dating contexts, with a case-frame inspired by the phenomenon popularly summarized as "The Tinder Swindler." Positioned within the field of economic crimin...

The Transformation of LGBTQ+ Relationships in Turkey from Digital Dating to Digital Violence

Gümüş, Burcu (2023) — Journal of Family Violence

Type: Journal Article Country: Turkey

This study explores how dating apps both enable and endanger LGBTQ+ individuals in Turkey, focusing on how relationships initiated online can lead to violence. While digital matchmaking offers opportunities for LGBTQ+ pe...