Romance Scam Research Center

Unveiling the Patterns of Romance Scams in South Korea

Choi, SW.; Lee, J.; Choi, YJ. (2024) — International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning

Type: Journal Article Country: South Korea Tags: offender tactics

Romance scams are a form of cybercrime in which fraudsters cultivate online relationships to obtain money, personal information, or access to resources from targeted individuals. Global trends indicate a rising prevalenc...

A Game-Theoretic Approach to Detecting Romance Scams

Nwafor, E. (2023) — New Perspectives in Behavioral Cybersecurity

Type: Book Chapter Country: United States

This piece examines A Game-Theoretic Approach to Detecting Romance Scams within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the literature, describes how offe...

Open Access: Exploring Fear of Crime for Those Targeted by Romance Fraud

Cross, C.; Lee, M. (2023) — The Link between Specific Forms of Online and Offline Victimization

Type: Book Chapter Country: Australia Tags: victim experience, AI misuse

This study analyzes a set of 3,259 romance fraud reports submitted by individuals to Scamwatch, the Australian online platform for reporting fraud, for the period spanning July 2018 through July 2019 inclusive. The aim i...

Romance baiting, cryptorom and ‘pig butchering’: an evolutionary step in romance fraud

Cross, C. (2023) — Current Issues in Criminal Justice

Type: Journal Article Country: Australia

This article examines the recent convergence of romance fraud and investment fraud, resulting in what has been termed romance baiting, cryptorom, or pig butchering. These schemes use the façade of a romantic relationship...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Do we need to know about cyberscams in neurorehabilitation? A cross-sectional scoping survey of Australasian clinicians and service providers

Gould, Kate Rachel; Carolan, Matthew; Ponsford, Jennie Louise (2022) — Brain Impairment

Country: Australia

This study investigates whether cyberscams—particularly romance scams—are a clinical issue in neurorehabilitation, focusing on adults with acquired brain injury (ABI). People with ABI often experience cognitive, emotiona...