The prevention of online romance scams using a crime script analysis from the victim’s perspective

Online romance scams (ORS) have grown in severity, exploiting human vulnerabilities and trust through social engineering, which underscores the need for robust preventive strategies. This study advances the field by developing a victim script through Crime Script Analysis to map the decision-making pathway of victims and to highlight intervention points that could prevent scams. Grounded in a prior comprehensive dataset of verified victim testimonials, the research articulates a detailed script that traces the full arc of ORS from the earliest digital encounters to the culmination of financial exploitation. By charting how offenders’ tactics align with victim responses, the study identifies where interventions could most effectively disrupt scammer strategies. The victim script presented captures the entire trajectory of ORS, outlining how initial contact on online platforms evolves into trust-building and eventual financial extraction. The analysis assesses the correspondence between attacker methods and victim reactions, revealing critical stages at which preventive action can interrupt the scammers’ approach. These stages include points where awareness, scrutiny, or safeguards could alter the outcome, thereby weakening the offenders’ leverage over victims. The findings emphasize that targeted interventions at these junctures have the potential to significantly hinder the progression of the scam. Based on these insights, the study advocates practical measures to reduce harm from ORS. Recommendations include expanding awareness programs, implementing stronger platform security measures, and empowering potential victims through educational outreach, all aimed at reducing the financial and emotional damage inflicted by online romance scams. The proposed approach demonstrates how integrating Crime Script Analysis with verified testimonial data can yield actionable guidance for policymakers, platform operators, and educational initiatives, supporting prevention strategies that adapt to evolving tactics used by offenders.