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“I Suspect That the Pictures Are Stolen”: Romance Fraud, Identity Crime, and Responding to Suspicions of Inauthentic Identities

Cross, C. ; Layt, R. (2021) — Social Science Computer Review

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DOI: 10.1177/0894439321999311 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   Australia
Tags:   AI-Enabled Fraud, AI Generated Images, Identity Crime, Inauthentic Identities, Platform Policy, Prevention Messaging, Reverse Image Search, Romance Scams, Scamwatch, Victim Experience
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Synopsis

            
Romance fraud affects a large number of people around the world, with financial losses measured in millions of dollars each year and a trend of continued growth. The offense unfolds when a perpetrator presents the pretense of an intimate relationship in order to secure a financial gain. Offenders engage through a variety of platforms and communication channels to establish the trust and rapport necessary to defraud their victims, and a core element of the scheme is the use of false identities. These false identities may involve misusing a real person’s identity or stealing photos and other imagery to craft a deceptive, invented persona. Consequently, romance fraud creates two primary victim groups: individuals who lose money in the context of a relationship and individuals who become victims of identity crime through romance fraud activities. The article investigates how people respond when they suspect that the person they are communicating with online is not genuine. It draws on romance fraud complaints submitted to Scamwatch, an Australian online fraud reporting portal, during the period from July 2018 to July 2019 (inclusive). Through qualitative analysis, the research finds that a large portion of complainants turn to internet searches as a method to verify or disprove their suspicions about their online partner. This search-based verification process yields substantiated outcomes in numerous cases, with results indicating that the offender’s identity was not authentic. In examining the implications of this victim-centered detection approach, the article contends that internet searches can be effective for victims seeking to ascertain authenticity. However, it also notes that responses tied to online verification may intensify ongoing harms experienced by individuals whose identities have been compromised by romance fraud offenders. The discussion extends to consider the future role of internet searches in reducing romance fraud and the broader consequences for third parties whose identities have been affected by these schemes, highlighting the limits and potential unintended effects of this strategy. The article concludes with reflections on how reliable online verification might be as a tool going forward, and how its application could shape the handling of identity-related harms in romance fraud contexts.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The paper identifies no prior explicit research on how romance-fraud targets respond to suspected inauthentic identities or verify online partners. It also identifies no research on third parties whose identities are misappropriated by romance-fraud offenders. The authors further note limited consideration of AI-generated images in fraud profiles, compared with deepfakes and social bots. Evidence on complainants’ suspicion responses remains limited and requires more systematic study.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Qualitative analysis of de-identified free-text Scamwatch romance-fraud reports supplied by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The dataset covered 1 July 2018 to 31 July 2019; after duplicate removal and exclusions, 2,671 online-dating reports remained. The study analyzed the 509 reports mentioning possible identity inauthenticity. Researchers used NVivo 12, first deductively coding comments by offender, complainant, and third-party identity, then inductively coding actions, including internet searches, third-party assistance, and whether searches substantiated suspicion.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
Findings reflect only what complainants chose to enter in a nonmandatory, unprompted free-text field; people may have held suspicions without reporting them. Narrative detail and quality varied, and longer accounts did not necessarily provide better data. Theme frequencies should be interpreted cautiously and may underestimate prevalence. The analysis did not differentiate people who lost money, sensitive information, both, or neither. The small subset of 509 reports limits broader inference; the underlying dataset is unavailable because of ethics and ACCC restrictions.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Conduct more rigorous, systematic research on actions people take when they suspect an online partner’s identity is inauthentic. Examine experiences, harms, and support needs of third parties whose identities or images are misappropriated for romance fraud. Develop prevention responses that protect prospective fraud victims without perpetuating identity-crime harms, and assess how AI may be used by offenders and all parties to improve responses.

          

              

    
    

        
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