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Anatomy of the online dating romance scam

Whitty, MT. (2013) — Security Journal

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DOI: 10.1057/sj.2012.57 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   United Kingdom
Tags:   Financial Fraud, Grooming, Money Laundering, Online Dating Romance Scam, Prevention, Psychology, Romance Scams, Scam Stages, Victim Experience, Victim Impact
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Synopsis

            
The article synthesised three qualitative studies: 200 posts from a public online support site, 20 in-depth victim interviews lasting 3-5 hours, and a two-hour interview with a UK Serious Organised Crime Agency officer. It compared financial and non-financial victims' accounts with the officer's experience to derive scam stages and trajectories. The study identified five scam stages and four Stage 3 money-request trajectories. Scams began with an attractive profile, followed by grooming, and all identified Stage 3 variations involved requests for money. The analysis is qualitative and based on self-described victims from a public support site, 20 interviewees, and one law-enforcement expert, limiting representativeness.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The paper identifies a lack of detailed research mapping the anatomy of online dating romance scams. Earlier work is described as only sketching or providing a basic summary. It also notes broader scarcity of research on mass-marketing frauds other than Nigerian advance-fee fraud.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
The article synthesised three qualitative studies: 200 posts from a public online support site, 20 in-depth victim interviews lasting 3–5 hours, and a two-hour interview with a UK Serious Organised Crime Agency officer. It compared financial and non-financial victims’ accounts with the officer’s experience to derive scam stages and trajectories. Themes mentioned by fewer than 10% of participants were excluded from results.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The analysis is qualitative and based on self-described victims from a public support site, 20 interviewees, and one law-enforcement expert, limiting representativeness. Participants were predominantly UK residents and the reported results focus solely on the scam’s anatomy, despite the wider studies addressing victim profiles, persuasion, and psychological impact. Excluding themes reported by fewer than 10% may omit less common tactics or experiences.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Test whether other mass-marketing frauds share the relationship-building and money-request trajectories identified here. Evaluate whether stage-based warnings, early in-person-meeting advice, and practitioner training help prevent losses or improve victim support.

          

              

    
    

        
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