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The Role of Love stories in Romance Scams: A Qualitative Analysis of Fraudulent Profiles

Kopp, Christian ; Layton, Robert ; Sillitoe, Jim ; Gondal, Iqbal (2016) — Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.56227 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   Nigeria
Tags:   AI-Enabled Fraud, Cross Cultural, Emotional Grooming, Financial Requests, Fraudulent Dating Profiles, Fraudulent Profiles, Grooming, Love Stories, Offender Tactics, Online Dating, Personal Love Stories, Qualitative Analysis, Romance Scams, Trust, Trust Development, Victim Experience
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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.
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Synopsis

            
The study used exploratory qualitative analysis of 37 known fraudulent dating profiles from a website serving European users seeking international partners. Researchers grouped profiles by stated gender and age, repeatedly read the texts, marked key paragraphs based on disclosed information, and interpreted their intended or overt messages. The paper characterizes online romance scams as causing considerable financial and emotional harm to victims. Personal affinities linked to romantic imaginations, described as personal love stories, are presented as important to romance-scam success. The evidence is limited to 37 profiles posted as known scams on one dating website, rather than direct observations of offender-victim exchanges or victim interviews.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The paper states that little research has examined romance scams. It identifies a need to understand the framework and phase structure of scams, especially how profiles, grooming, and the sting operate together and how personal love stories influence victims’ financial compliance.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Exploratory qualitative analysis of 37 known fraudulent dating profiles from a website serving European users seeking international partners. Researchers grouped profiles by stated gender and age, repeatedly read the texts, marked key paragraphs based on disclosed information, and interpreted their intended or overt messages. The analysis examined profile structure and narrative elements in relation to personal love-story theory.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The evidence is limited to 37 profiles posted as known scams on one dating website, rather than direct observations of offender–victim exchanges or victim interviews. The qualitative interpretive approach examines profile text and inferred messages, so conclusions about victim responses, scammer intent, and effectiveness are largely theoretical or drawn from cited prior research.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Study the scam’s profile, grooming, and sting phases as a coherent strategy, with closer examination of the mechanics of love stories and victim behaviour when sending money. This understanding is positioned as a basis for countermeasures and early warning to reduce victim engagement.

          

              

    
    

        
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