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Hello Pretty, Hello Handsome!: Exploring the Menace of Online Dating and Romance Scam in Africa

Eseadi, C. ; Ogbonna, CS. ; Otu, MS. ; Ede, MO. (2021) — Crime, Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System in Africa

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-71024-8_4
Type:   Book Chapter
Country:   Nigeria
Tags:   psychology, online dating, romance scam, Africa, victim mental health, scammer tactics, prevention, internet regulation, Nigeria, romance scams, offender tactics

Synopsis (AI-Generated)

Online dating and romance scams are examined within criminal psychology as a growing category of deception facilitated by information and communication technology. The landscape is shaped by anonymous and semi-anonymous online environments, profile fabrication, and persistent messaging that can sustain emotional engagement over extended periods. Typical patterns involve misrepresented identities, strategic self-presentation, and requests for financial or logistical assistance, with variations across platforms and cultural contexts. From a psychological standpoint, researchers describe offender strategies, victim vulnerabilities, and the social dynamics of online courtship. Central concepts include impression management, pace of relationship development, and the gradual erosion of suspicion through positive reinforcement. The digital setting enables scalable reach, asynchronous communication, and the creation of believable false personas, while also shaping how individuals assess risk, disclose information, and decide whether to respond to requests. Implications for research and practice focus on classification, risk assessment, prevention, and response. Cataloging cases supports understanding typologies, identifying protective factors, and informing policy and platform design choices. Approaches emphasize digital literacy, user education, and coordinated reporting and support systems, with attention to ethical considerations and the balance between awareness and stigma. The overarching aim is to map the interplay between technology, psychology, and crime in order to reduce harm and improve resilience.

Identified Gaps (AI-Generated)

The text identifies a broader shortage of African criminology scholarship and calls for more empirical work on crime risk/protective factors and prevention. For online dating scams specifically, the chapter is framed as a review and the supplied text does not report original victim, offender, or platform data; this supports a cautious need for context-specific empirical research.

Methods (AI-Generated)

This chapter is described as a review of contemporary online dating and romance scam issues in Africa. It examines relevant concepts and platforms, victims’ commonly observed mental-health issues, perpetrators’ frequent tricks, and strategies for tackling scams, then offers future research and policy recommendations.

Limitations (AI-Generated)

The supplied text provides only a summary of the chapter, not its full methods, search strategy, sources, inclusion criteria, or original data. Because it is described as a review, its conclusions appear dependent on the available literature rather than a reported primary African sample.

Future Work (AI-Generated)

Future research should examine risk and protective factors for online dating/romance scams and evaluate prevention measures in African contexts. The chapter is described as offering recommendations for future research and policy development or refinement, while the conclusion calls for more studies of crime risk/protective factors and prevention in Africa.

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AI-Generated Content Notice

The synopsis and research notes on this page were generated with AI from available publication information and, when available, the uploaded paper text. They may contain errors, omissions, or interpretation issues. Readers should follow the DOI or source link, review the original publication, and make their own judgment about the content.

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