Therapeutic but toxic spaces: Romance fraud victimization from a psychosocial perspective

This qualitative psychosocial study used two rounds of in-depth interviews with 13 women who had experienced romance fraud in Japan. It situated their accounts within individual life histories and Japanese norms concerning intimacy, gender, work, and self-reliance. The analysis describes fraud communication as "therapeutic but toxic": it could seem to provide attention, affirmation, or an imagined route to independence while also enabling manipulation and severe financial and emotional harm. The findings challenge explanations that place responsibility solely on individual targets by showing how personal distress and wider social expectations can reinforce the appeal of fraudulent relationships. Recruitment through one support organization and the women-only qualitative sample limit statistical generalization.