Industrialized heartbreak: how generative AI enables romance fraud at scale
Dominguez Castillo, Lorena (2026) — AI and Ethics
Type: Journal Article
Country: Global
Tags: Romance fraud, Generative AI, Deepfake, AI governance, Platform accountability, Technology-facilitated abuse, Sextortion, Cryptocurrency laundering, Online safety, Fraud detection, Deepfakes
Industrialized heartbreak describes a trend in which generative AI tools amplify romance fraud by enabling scalable creation of convincing digital personas and outreach. Proponents and critics alike discuss how text-base...
An Examination of Digital Validation-Seeking Behaviors in Adolescents as Precursors to Romance Scamming
Ohu, Francis; Jones, Laura (2025) — Scientia Moralitas Conference Proceedings
Country: United States
Tags: offender tactics, psychology, AI misuse, risk factors, measurement, Romance Scams, Forensic Cyberpsychology, Validation-Seeking Behaviors, Social Media Deception, Dark Triad Traits, Cyber Fraud, Algorithmic Biases
This study investigates digital validation-seeking behaviors among adolescents and young adults as precursors to romance scamming. It argues that patterns of deceptive online self-presentation, reinforced by social media...
Romanssihuijaus - rakkauden varjolla tehty kyberrikos
Kanervo, Riikka; Normann, Maria; Korhonen, Helmi (2025) — Kriminologia
Type: Journal Article
Country: Finland
Tags: AI misuse
The paper analyzes romance scams as a distinct and serious form of cybercrime, emphasizing that these schemes rely on emotional manipulation rather than purely financial deception. Offenders build fabricated romantic rel...
Bridging the Protection Gap: Innovative Approaches to Shield Older Adults from AI-Enhanced Scams
Herrera, LD; Van Sickle, London; Podhradsky, Ashley (2024) — 2024 Cyber Awareness and Research Symposium (CARS)
Type: Proceedings Article
Country: United States
Tags: artificial intelligence, hypothetical case, vingette, defense strategy, future threats, cybercrime, trends, diffusion Of innovation theory, federal trade commission, deepfake, AI-enhanced scams, older adults, romance scam, tech support scam, defensive strategies, scam components, case analysis, policy implications
Bridging the Protection Gap: Innovative Approaches to Shield Older Adults from AI-Enhanced Scams is presented as a session at the 2024 Cyber Awareness and Research Symposium (CARS). The catalog entry notes a cross-discip...
Victim-offender overlap: the identity transformations experienced by trafficked Chinese workers escaping from pig-butchering scam syndicate
Wang, Fangzhou (2024) — Trends in Organized Crime
Type: Journal Article
Country: United States
Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, platform policy, AI misuse, social engineering, prevention
This study explores the intersection of human trafficking and online romance fraud within the context of the pig-butchering scam (Sha Zhu Pan, 杀猪盘). While the scam is widely recognized for combining romance and invest...
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...
