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Relationship fraud: Romance, friendship and family frauds

Mark Button ; Elisabeth Carter (2024) — Journal of Economic Criminology

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconc.2024.100069 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   United Kingdom
Tags:   Financial Abuse, Pig Butchering, Relationship Based Investment Fraud, Relationship Fraud, Romance Scams, Sextortion, Victim Blaming
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Synopsis

            
This editorial introduces a special issue through a narrative overview of relationship fraud. It presents a preliminary typology built from known cases, describes common relationship-fraud mechanisms, and synthesises the focus and contributions of ten included papers. Victim-blaming narratives deepen harm and create barriers to reporting and aftercare. The proposed typology is explicitly described as a non-definitive starting point to be developed further.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
Research has concentrated narrowly on online dating fraud and female victims in heterosexual relationships. Male and same-sex victims have received little research. Several relationship-fraud categories in the typology, offenders, and public sentiment are also described as under-researched. The authors state that relationship fraud more broadly remains under-researched.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
This editorial introduces a special issue through a narrative overview of relationship fraud. It presents a preliminary typology built from known cases, describes common relationship-fraud mechanisms, and synthesises the focus and contributions of ten included papers. It does not report a standalone empirical sample, data collection procedure, or formal systematic review.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The proposed typology is explicitly described as a non-definitive starting point to be developed further. The article is an editorial overview rather than a standalone empirical study, so its claims primarily synthesise examples and referenced scholarship rather than presenting new original data or testing prevalence, causation, or intervention effectiveness.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Conduct research across the broader range of relationship frauds beyond online romance fraud, including under-researched categories in the proposed typology. Priorities include male and same-sex romance-fraud victims, offender rationalisations, public attitudes and blame, sextortion, inheritance-focused fraud, and victim experiences and help-seeking.

          

              

    
    

        
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