Romance Scam Reporting and Support: Help-Seeking Timing, Trust, and Escalation

Built on social engineering and identity deception, romance scams often create financial loss and distress. For victims, it can be difficult to know where to go, what information is needed, and what outcomes are realistic. This paper reports results from an anonymous survey of people who were targeted by or experienced a romance scam (completed surveys: n=386), focusing on (1) when and whether victims first reach out for help, (2) perceived difficulty and confidence in navigating support, (3) how trust relates to expectations of assistance, and (4) how loss severity relates to transfer-method complexity. When help was sought, it was often after money was sent rather than earlier in the scam. Many respondents also reported low confidence in finding support and navigational difficulty. Trust in formal organizations is positively associated with expectations of assistance, while perceived reporting difficulty is negatively associated with expectations. Loss severity increases with transfer method complexity, highlighting the value of time-sensitive harm reduction guidance. Based on these findings, this paper outlines design requirements and proposes a coordinated model centered on a structured incident record, a minimal evidence bundle, and “report once, route many” workflows that connect victims to platforms, financial institutions, and reporting channels with minimal additional burden.