Showing 50 results

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...

Love and Technology

Gauci, Christine; Vella, Mary Grace (2026) — The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems

Type: Book Chapter Country: Global Tags: romance_fraud, artificial_intelligence, deepfakes, online_dating, digital_literacy, emotional_manipulation, psychological_trauma, financial_fraud, romance fraud, artificial intelligence, online dating, emotional manipulation, digital intimacy, identity deception, psychological trauma, Romance fraud, Artificial intelligence, Deepfakes, Online dating, Emotional manipulation, Digital intimacy, Identity deception, Psychological trauma

Love and technology are presented as a field within a global social problems framework. The volume surveys how digital platforms, algorithmic systems, and connected devices shape intimate life, affection, and partnership...

Media Presentation of Online Romance Fraud in the Czech Republic: Visibility, Victim-Offender Framing, and Sentiment

Abubakari, Yushawu (2026) — European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research

Type: Journal Article Country: Czech Republic Tags: media representation, online romance fraud, Czech Republic, Relational Quantitative Content Analysis, cybercrime, media framing, sentiment analysis, victim framing, Media study, Online romance fraud, Media framing, Sentiment analysis, Victim-offender framing, Cybercrime, romance fraud, online dating scams, content analysis, offender framing

This catalog-style study surveys how online romance fraud is presented in Czech media, with a focus on visibility, victim-offender framing, and sentiment within coverage. Situating the analysis within the fields of crimi...

Pig Butchering Scams as Cyber-Enabled Financial Crime: A Scoping Review of Dimensions, Modus Operandi, and Victim-Offender Dynamics

Gujarathi, Palak; Verma, Shankey; Nair, Vipin Vijay (2026) — Deviant Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: Global Tags: pig butchering, Sha Zhu Pan, cyber-enabled financial crime, scoping review, victim-offender dynamics, crypto laundering, forensic analysis, policy gaps, romance scams, catfishing, crypto fraud, cyber-enabled crime, transnational crime

This piece examines Pig Butchering Scams as Cyber-Enabled Financial Crime: A Scoping Review of Dimensions, Modus Operandi, and Victim-Offender Dynamics within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communicatio...

Practitioner perspectives on what works in preventing fraud against older adults

Button, Mark; Karagiannopoulos, Vasileios; Shepherd, David; Kirby, Annie; Lee, Julak; Suh, Joon Bae; Jung, Jeyong; Koh, Chol Soo (2026) — Journal of Economic Criminology

Type: Journal Article Country: Global Tags: fraud prevention, older adults, crime policy, technology tools, education, third-party interventions, banking security, public–private partnerships, third-party intervention, banking fraud, public policy, crime prevention, experts' perceptions

This catalog-style synopsis examines the topic of practitioner perspectives on what works to prevent fraud against older adults, as discussed in the Journal of Economic Criminology. It aggregates viewpoints from professi...

“Simple job, high salary”: unveiling the complexity of scam-forced criminality in Southeast Asia

Luong, Hai Thanh (2025) — Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Type: Journal Article Country: Global Tags: pig-butchering, scam-forced criminality, cyber-enabled crime, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, human trafficking, victim-offender overlap, transnational crime

This catalog-style entry surveys the phenomenon commonly framed as “simple job, high salary” and its role in scam-forced criminality in Southeast Asia. The framing gathers a spectrum of recruitment narratives, promises o...

Analysis of a Cryptocurrency Investment Scam: Pig Butchering

Botha, Johannes George; Singh, Kreaan; Leenen, Louise (2025) — European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security

Type: Journal Article Country: South Africa Tags: victim experience, platform policy, money mules, AI misuse, offender tactics, social engineering, risk factors, prevention, cross-cultural

This catalog-style synopsis describes a scholarly examination of a cryptocurrency investment scam centered on a trading platform identified as Elite-Bit. The study employs a case-study approach focused on a single victim...

CHAPTER 10 The Online Mutual Help Practices of Romance Fraud Victims

Cantin, Pascale-Marie; Ream, Fyscillia; Dupont, Benoît (2025) — University of Ottawa Press eBooks

Type: Book Chapter

Chapter 10 surveys the online mutual-help practices engaged in by individuals who have experienced romance fraud. Across digital spaces such as forums, social networks, and informal groups, victims connect to share perso...

Forgiveness-Seeking Behaviors Among Online Romance Fraudsters: Insights from Sakawa Actors in Ghana

Abubakari, Y. (2025) — International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

Type: Journal Article Country: Poland Tags: victim experience, AI misuse

The study investigates forgiveness-seeking behaviors among online romance scammers operating in Ghana, concentrating on how Sakawa practitioners grapple with moral guilt. By applying Moral Disengagement Theory alongside...

Fraud as Legitimate Retribution for Colonial Injustice: Neutralization Techniques in Interviews with Police and Online Romance Fraud Offenders

Lazarus, Suleman; Hughes, Mariata; Button, Mark; Garba, Kaina Habila (2025) — Deviant Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: United Kingdom

This catalog-style study investigates the rhetorical framing surrounding fraud as a form of legitimate retribution for colonial injustice. The analysis situates online romance fraud and related encounters with law enforc...

Romance Scam Research Center (RSRC)
1100 W Cherry St
Vermillion, SD 57069
USA

We currently do not provide direct support. If you need immediate help or to report a crime, visit our curated resource list.

Resource List

© 2026 Romance Scam Research Center, a program of the Social Technology and Safety Foundation.