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Evolving networks of deception: The case of Ghanaian romance scammers

Jonathan Barnor (2025) — Journal of Economic Criminology

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconc.2025.100204 (opens in a new tab)

Country:   Ghana
Tags:   Actor Network Theory, AI Enabled Deception, Cybercrime Networks, Fraud Scripts, Ghana, Offenders, Romance Scams, Social Engineering
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Synopsis

            
This study uses longitudinal qualitative methods and Actor-Network Theory to examine how romance fraud networks operate in Ghana. Drawing on sixteen self-identified offenders interviewed between 2018 and 2022, the research maps how individuals enter, consolidate, realign, fracture, or withdraw from online deception. Instead of treating fraud as a linear, purely individual process, the findings describe romance scams as evolving socio-technical assemblages in which humans and nonhuman actants—mentors, VPNs, pre-scripted formats, AI-generated videos, female voice proxies, forged documents, internet cafés, and digital platforms—co-constitute access, legitimacy, and continuation. Internet cafés are portrayed not only as past sites but as persistent symbolic nodes and obligatory passage points that shape participation and learning. Across three analytical phases, the study details the networked division of labor and how actors become stabilized within specialized roles. Early exposure often occurs through peers in shared spaces; scripts and formats serve as durable templates that unify action and normalize deception. Nonhuman actants, such as VPNs and voice/video manipulation tools, function as core components that are repeatedly relied upon and “black-boxed” as routine practice. As networks mature, operations become distributed among two to five collaborators with explicit roles (e.g., client interaction, document fabrication, logistics). The analysis also notes fractures driven by internal tensions, shifts in technology, or moral concerns, and discusses the implications for theory and policy, arguing that effective interventions must address the broader infrastructural and relational contexts that enable cybercrime, not just individual behavior. The findings contribute to a context-sensitive understanding of Ghanaian romance fraud and its place within West Africa’s evolving cybercrime landscape.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The paper identifies limited offender-derived romance-fraud research, especially from Africa and Ghana. It notes insufficient accounts of how tools, spaces, actors, and financial infrastructures interact to sustain fraud over time. It also identifies underexamined material infrastructures, including remittance systems, money-transfer networks, and shipping intermediaries, and calls for network-theoretic analysis of evolving West African fraud ecosystems.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
A longitudinal qualitative study, grounded in Actor-Network Theory, examined Ghanaian romance-fraud networks from 2018 to 2022. Sixteen self-identified offenders were recruited through trust-based referrals and snowball sampling initiated through a former internet-café network. Data came from in-person semi-structured interviews, participant-led demonstrations, screenshots, mock workflows, and redacted artifacts. Analysis iteratively traced changing relationships among offenders, technologies, spaces, scripts, and operational roles.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The study involves a small, nonrandom sample of 16 self-identified offenders recruited through interconnected referrals, so accounts may not represent Ghanaian romance scammers more broadly. Evidence relies substantially on participant descriptions and demonstrations rather than observation of operational settings, which researchers did not visit for ethical reasons. Sensitive artifacts were masked or redacted, and underlying data cannot be shared because of confidentiality agreements.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Investigate how offenders disengage from fraud networks, including personal transformation, trust breakdown, and changing risk perceptions. Examine transnational ties with diaspora-based actors and international financial conduits. Conduct dedicated empirical research on AI-generated content and automation, especially how these technologies reshape the performance of romance and the creation of trust at scale.

          

              

    
    

        
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