Romance Scam Research Center

Catfishing and Its Implications for Romance Scams by Simon Leviev in Netflix Documentary 'Tinder Swindler' According to the Perspective of Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions and the Criminal Code

Rizka Alifia Zahra; Reggina Salsabila Putri Gunawan; Nizda Azzima Fauzianti (2022) — Padjadjaran Law Review

Type: Journal Article Country: Indonesia Tags: AI misuse, online dating platforms

In the contemporary era, fraudulent activities are increasingly visible and proliferate alongside globalization, digitalization, and the ongoing evolution of the technological landscape through Industry 5.0, which has ma...

Correlates of responding to and becoming victimized by fraud: Examining risk factors by scam type

DeLiema, Marguerite; Li, Yiting; Mottola, Gary (2022) — International Journal of Consumer Studies

Type: Journal Article Tags: victim experience, AI misuse, risk factors, prevention, measurement Methods: survey

The study notes a continuing rise in consumer fraud reports across North America, accompanied by higher median losses. It analyzes survey data from 1,375 American and Canadian consumers who had previously reported a scam...

Cyber victimization during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A syndemic looming large

Shoib, Sheikh; Philip, Sharad; Bista, Seema; Saeed, Fahimeh; Javed, Sana; Ori, Dorottya; Bashir, Adil; Chandradasa, Miyuru (2022) — Health Science Reports

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

The commentary highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic increased online presence due to lockdowns and social isolation, which in turn escalated incidents of cyber victimization. This includes cyberbullying, harassment, stal...

Exploring Fear of Crime for Those Targeted by Romance Fraud

Cross, C.; Lee, M. (2022) — Victims & Offenders

Type: Journal Article Country: Australia

Exploring Fear of Crime for Those Targeted by Romance Fraud is a cataloging-style examination of how fear of crime arises and persists among individuals who engage with or fall victim to online romantic deception. The di...

Online Dating Scam Victims Psychological Impact Analysis

Wang, C. (2022) — Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences

Type: Journal Article Tags: victim experience, psychology, AI misuse, prevention, measurement

Across an era defined by widespread mass marketing scams conducted on the Internet, victims report varying degrees of financial loss and psychological harm after encounters with lottery scams and advance payment schemes....

Persuasive Schemes for Financial Exploitation in Online Romance Scam: An Anatomy on <i>Sha Zhu Pan</i> (杀猪盘) <i>in</i> China

Wang, F.; Zhou, X. (2022) — Victims & Offenders

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This catalog-style synopsis surveys persuasive schemes behind Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘), the online romance scam phenomenon observed in China that concentrates on financial exploitation. The entry outlines a broad interaction...

Self and desired partner descriptions in the online romance scam: a linguistic analysis of scammer and general user profiles on online dating portals

Lee, KF.; Chan, MY.; Mohamad Ali, A. (2022) — Crime Prevention and Community Safety

Type: Journal Article Country: Malaysia Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, psychology, AI misuse, prevention Methods: content analysis

This study investigates how online romance scammers construct their dating profiles linguistically, comparing them with genuine users on mainstream dating platforms. The focus is on self-descriptions and desired partner...

Understanding Romance Scammers Through the Lens of Their Victims: Qualitative Modeling of Risk and Protective Factors in the Online Context

Wang, F.; Topalli, V. (2022) — American Journal of Criminal Justice

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, AI misuse, prevention

This piece examines Understanding Romance Scammers Through the Lens of Their Victims: Qualitative Modeling of Risk and Protective Factors in the Online Context within the broader context of online fraud and mediated comm...

Using artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes to deceive victims: the need to rethink current romance fraud prevention messaging

Cross, C. (2022) — Crime Prevention and Community Safety

Type: Journal Article Country: Australia Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, AI misuse, prevention

Romance fraud exploits the appearance of a genuine romantic connection to lure individuals into financial exploitation. Each year, a large number of people worldwide lose money to such schemes. Current prevention messagi...

“I Suspect That the Pictures Are Stolen”: Romance Fraud, Identity Crime, and Responding to Suspicions of Inauthentic Identities

Cross, C.; Layt, R. (2021) — Social Science Computer Review

Type: Journal Article Country: Australia Tags: victim experience, platform policy, AI misuse Methods: interview, qualitative

Romance fraud affects a large number of people around the world, with financial losses measured in millions of dollars each year and a trend of continued growth. The offense unfolds when a perpetrator presents the preten...