Romance Scam Research Center

Love as Bait: A Scoping Review and Crime Script Analysis of Online Romance Scams

Schokkenbroek, JM.; Snaphaan, T. (2025) — Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

Type: Journal Article Country: Netherlands Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, platform policy, AI misuse, prevention

This piece examines Love as Bait: A Scoping Review and Crime Script Analysis of Online Romance Scams within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the li...

Love Scam as a Manifestation of Online Gender-Based Violence: Aligning Legislation to Ensure Victim Protection

Maulidia Mulyani (2025) — Istinbath : Jurnal Hukum

Type: Journal Article Country: Indonesia Tags: victim experience, psychology, AI misuse, measurement Methods: interview, content analysis, secondary data, qualitative

Love scams have emerged as a notable form of gender-based violence within Indonesia’s digital sphere, drawing attention to harms that extend beyond financial loss to include psychological distress. This article seeks to...

Love Scamming in the Digital Era: Legal Protection and Challenges in Handling Love Scam Cases on Dating Applications in Indonesia

Soleha Liliani Malik; Fakhris Lutfianto Hapsoro (2025) — AT-TAKLIM: Jurnal Pendidikan Multidisiplin

Type: Journal Article Country: Indonesia Tags: victim experience, psychology, AI misuse, online dating platforms, prevention

This article investigates the regulatory landscape surrounding cyber-enabled romance fraud carried out through social media platforms in Indonesia. Love scams have risen as a notable problem, especially among younger adu...

Love, Lies, and Larceny: One Hundred Convicted Case Files of Cybercriminals with Eighty Involving Online Romance Fraud

Soares, Adebayo Benedict; Lazarus, Suleman; Button, Mark (2025) — Deviant Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: Nigeria

This article analyzes 100 convicted cybercrime case files prosecuted by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, with 80 cases involving online romance fraud. Many offenders engaged in multiple offenses, inclu...

Mental Health Impacts of Cybercrime

Burrell, Darrell (2025) — International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, psychology, platform policy, money mules, prevention, measurement

As online dating continues to evolve, deceptive practices have grown in breadth and sophistication, spanning from classic catfishing to more systemic forms such as pig-butchering and Intimacy Manipulated Fraud Industrial...

Modus Operandi and Blockchain Analysis of Romance Scams: Cryptocurrency-Driven Victimization

Lim, A.; Choi, KS. (2025) — International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This piece examines Modus Operandi and Blockchain Analysis of Romance Scams: Cryptocurrency-Driven Victimization within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns document...

Multimodal anti fraud education improves cognitive emotional and behavioral engagement in older adults

Zhou, Yan-Bang; Bu, Ya-Ru; Bao, Qing; Zhao, Hong-Jin (2025) — Scientific Reports

Type: Journal Article Country: China

This catalog-style synopsis summarizes a study reported in Scientific Reports that examines an educational program aimed at reducing fraud vulnerability among older adults. The program is described as multimodal, utilizi...

Online Romance Fraud as a Form of Emotional and Economic Partner Violence: A Social-Ecological Framework of Enabling Factors

Feng, Maja (2025) — Nordic Journal of Studies in Policing

Type: Journal Article Country: Norway

This piece examines Online Romance Fraud as a Form of Emotional and Economic Partner Violence: A Social-Ecological Framework of Enabling Factors within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It o...

Policing cross-border fraud ‘Above and below the surface’: mapping actions and developing a more effective global response

Button, Mark; Hock, Branislav; Suh, Joon Bae; Koh, Chol Soo (2025) — Crime, Law and Social Change

Type: Journal Article Country: United Kingdom Tags: platform policy, AI misuse, measurement, cross-cultural

Cross-border fraud represents a global challenge, spanning forms such as online retail fraud, pyramid schemes, romance fraud, and pig butchering. While there is clear evidence that these abuses are expanding across borde...

Poster: Longitudinal Analysis of Romance Scam Infrastructure Evolution: Evidence of Strategic Legitimization

Ryu, Nayeon; Suh, Heeyeong; Lee, Seyoung (2025) — Proceedings of the 2025 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security

Type: Proceedings Article Country: South Korea

This poster provides a longitudinal analysis of the infrastructure that underpins romance scams, tracing how the supporting systems and operational practices have evolved across an extended time frame. The discussion cen...