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CHAPTER 10 The Online Mutual Help Practices of Romance Fraud Victims

Cantin, Pascale-Marie ; Ream, Fyscillia ; Dupont, Benoît (2025) — The Security of Self

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DOI: 10.1515/9780776645636-014 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Book Chapter
Country:   Global
Tags:   Digital Traces, Discussion Forums, Fraud Reporting, Online Mutual Help, Peer Support, Prevention, Romance Scams, Victim Recovery
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Identified Gaps

            
Research on romance fraud remains limited, especially in Canada. Prior work largely addresses fraud networks and victim consequences rather than post-incident experiences, victim agency, and online peer support. Few empirical studies examine online mutual help among crime victims, and the effectiveness of fraud-focused mutual-help forums is largely unknown.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
The chapter used a hybrid design combining automated collection of public forum data with inductive qualitative content analysis. A customized Python script extracted post metadata and content from ScamWarners, ScamSurvivors, and Signal-Arnaques. The authors selected 1,000 conversations (335 per forum) based on original-post length and interactions, imported them into QDA Miner, and derived three themes: supporting victims, identifying fraudulent profiles, and raising awareness.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The chapter acknowledges that its platform-use analyses are limited in scope. The platform ranking uses ScamWarners posts from 2012–2021 and may have changed since 2021. The qualitative sample was restricted to 1,000 threads selected partly for post length, views, and responses, so less visible conversations may be underrepresented. The study does not test whether forum practices improve recovery or prevention outcomes.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Systematically and rigorously evaluate the benefits, shortcomings, and effectiveness of online mutual-help practices for fraud victims. Extend research to other platforms, including social media, where such practices arise organically. Examine protective measures by email providers that may limit fraudulent account creation.

          

              

    
    

        
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