Skip to main content

“If U Don't Pay they will Share the Pics”: Exploring Sextortion in the Context of Romance Fraud

Cassandra Cross ; Karen Holt ; Roberta Liggett O'Malley (2024) — Scams, Cons, Frauds, and Deceptions

View Original Source (opens in a new tab)

DOI: 10.4324/9781003474982-2 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Book Chapter
Country:   Australia
Tags:   AI-Enabled Fraud, Blackmail, Financial Extortion, Gendered Victimization, Image Based Abuse, Image Based Sexual Abuse, Offender Tactics, Online Dating, Romance Scams, Scamwatch, Sextortion, Victim Experience
What do these research terms mean?
Preprint
A manuscript shared before formal peer review and publication. Check whether a later published version is available.
Dataset
A collection of data or examples for others to inspect or reuse. It can appear in Library search and topic mapping, but RSRC does not use dataset records as evidence in Research Insights.
Dissertation or thesis
Research submitted for an academic degree. This describes its format, not its reliability.
Journal article
An article published in a journal. This label alone does not establish peer review, study quality, or how well the findings apply elsewhere.
Qualitative research
Examines experiences, meanings, or processes, often through interviews or observations. It can explain how something happens without estimating how common it is.
Quantitative research
Uses numerical measurements to describe patterns or test relationships. A relationship between two measurements does not by itself show that one causes the other.
Systematic review
Uses a planned, documented method to find and assess research addressing a question. Its conclusions still depend on the included studies and what the search covered.
Meta-analysis
Statistically combines results from multiple studies. Combining studies does not remove weaknesses in their design or make unlike populations interchangeable.
Not classified
This record has no recognized label in this filter. It does not mean the publication used no method, or that no research exists.

Definitions draw on DataCite resource types; Cochrane review methods; NLM: association and causation. RSRC’s dataset and classification rules are explained in our methodology.

Citation tools
Download RIS Download BibTeX 


              
              

            

          

        


      

      

    

        
Transparency

        
Evidence and review status

        
This page contains AI-generated content. No human content review or subject-matter-expert review is recorded.

    


    

                    

                
Source basis

                

                    Downloaded PDF
                

            

                    

                
Source updates

                

                    No notice found at last check
                

            

                    

                
AI-generated page content

                

                    Yes
                

            

                    

                
Automated checks

                

                    Passed
                

            

                    

                
Administrative approval

                

                    Yes
                

            

                    

                
Human content review

                

                    Not recorded
                

            

                    

                
Subject-matter-expert review

                

                    Not recorded
                

            

            


    

        
            How this was prepared
        
        

                            

                    
Source basis

                    

                    
RSRC downloaded and privately stored a copy of the paper for internal analysis. The PDF is not offered to viewers from this page.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    PDF added to RSRC:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Source updates

                    

                    
No incoming update notice was found in the dated Crossref response. Coverage is incomplete, particularly for corrections and expressions of concern; this is not a guarantee that the source is valid or unchanged.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    Last source-status attempt:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
AI-generated page content

                    

                    
AI-generated research notes displayed on this page: Synopsis, Identified gaps, Methods, Limitations, Future work. The paper itself is not described as AI-generated.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    Document analysis recorded:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                            
  • 
                                    Page record updated:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Automated checks

                    

                    
The current, source-bound synopsis passed the recorded versioned publication checks.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    Checks completed:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                            

                            
                                View passed checks (3)
                            
                            
    
                                                                    
  • Length, completeness, repetition, refusal, boilerplate, and active-markup screening
    • 
                                                                    
  • Numerical claims checked against the available source text
    • 
                                                                    
  • English-source lexical grounding check
    • 
                                                            

                        

                                        

                

                            

                    
Administrative approval

                    

                    
The record is approved for public display, but a complete historical administrator action is not recorded.


                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Human content review

                    

                    
No human review is recorded for the AI-generated content displayed on this page.


                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Subject-matter-expert review

                    

                    
RSRC has not recorded review of this content by a subject-matter or methods expert.


                    
                                        

                

                    

    


    

        Review-state definitions

        Found a possible error?
        Request a correction.
    



    



              

        
                  

            
Synopsis

            
Qualitative thematic analysis of de-identified Scamwatch dating/romance-fraud reports supplied by the ACCC, July 2018-July 2019. After removing 204 duplicates, researchers manually reviewed free-text narratives from 3,259 distinct reports and coded 258 cases explicitly describing blackmail/extortion based on an intimate image or recording. The analysis identified two gendered sextortion narratives: rapid image capture and blackmail among men, and relationship-based threats involving previously shared material among women. In reports containing relevant demand information, sextortion demands were exclusively financial; no additional images or sexual activities were demanded. The self-reported, unscreened Scamwatch data are not generalizable and may include overseas reporters.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
Prior research had not empirically examined the romance-fraud/sextortion link in depth. Financially motivated sextortion is under-represented in empirical literature because offenders are difficult to identify, arrest, and prosecute. The study also identifies definitional uncertainty: many rapid, sexualised interactions reported as romance fraud may lack an established relationship or demonstrable deception and may instead constitute image-based abuse.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Qualitative thematic analysis of de-identified Scamwatch dating/romance-fraud reports supplied by the ACCC, July 2018–July 2019. After removing 204 duplicates, researchers manually reviewed free-text narratives from 3,259 distinct reports and coded 258 cases explicitly describing blackmail/extortion based on an intimate image or recording. Cases were coded with O’Malley and Holt’s cyber-sextortion codebook plus additional variables, then frequencies and thematic comparisons were used to assess typology fit and gendered victimization profiles.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The self-reported, unscreened Scamwatch data are not generalizable and may include overseas reporters. Reports were not triangulated or routinely verified, so details depend on complainants’ recollection and interpretation. Free-text descriptions had minimal guidance, variable detail, and a 1,500-character limit; sextortion was coded only when documented, likely underestimating prevalence. Offender locations are uncertain, and reporting expectations may have shaped narrative content. The authors also note the small selected sextortion sample.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Develop clear, consistent definitions distinguishing romance fraud, sextortion, and image-based abuse. Examine men’s sextortion victimization and gendered dynamics both within romance fraud and as a stand-alone offense. Use this understanding to improve prevention, intervention, education, and victim-centred responses; assess coordination between the ACCC and eSafety Commission.

          

              

    
    

        
Related Research Insights

        

            See how this publication connects to RSRC's living evidence syntheses through current citations and research-topic mapping.