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Tainted Love: Characteristics, Dynamics and Effects of Online Dating Scam in China

Bao Han ; Philip Magtaan (2026) — Asia Pacific Journal of Management and Sustainable Development

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DOI: 10.70979/hqur7632 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   China
Tags:   AI-Enabled Fraud, China, Financial Harm, Measurement, Offender Tactics, Platform Policy, Prevention, Psychological Harm, Psychology, Romance Scams, Victim Experience
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Synopsis

            
The article examines online dating scams in China, aiming to describe the characteristics of the scam, the dynamics by which it unfolds, and the resulting effects on victims. The researchers used a quantitative descriptive design, surveying 415 individuals who had experienced online dating scams in the prior three years, with data gathered in Anhui Province. The instrument was validated for reliability, translated for local use, and analyzed with nonparametric tests due to non-normal distributions. The study tracks participants’ demographics, online social habits, and perceptions of the epidemiological, relational, psychological, and economic aspects of scams. Key findings indicate a typical victim profile of middle adulthood, male, single, with at least a junior college education and a low-to-middle income, living in ordinary urban areas. Respondents predominantly used social apps such as Tantan and Soul, spending moderate to high daily screen time, and reporting exposure to narratives involving emergencies, investment opportunities, and requests for gifts. The analysis suggests that vulnerability arises from emotional needs (loneliness, desire for companionship) and that perpetrators employ affective language to foster trust, squeeze financial resources, and sustain online interactions. Victims reported both psychosocial distress (anxiety, shame, depression) and financial losses, with the economic impact closely tied to psychological effects. Across demographic and behavioral groupings, perceptions of scam characteristics, dynamics, and effects were notably consistent, indicating a shared understanding of how these scams operate regardless of age, sex, income, or platform. The authors advocate multisectoral action, including digital fraud literacy, stronger platform safeguards, victim-support services, and public education to mitigate victimization and its psychological and financial consequences. The study notes limitations in causal inference and emphasizes that relationships among variables are correlational.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The paper identifies a need to examine scam characteristics, dynamics, and effects together in the Chinese context, rather than treating them separately. It also points to the need for culturally and gender-sensitive interventions that integrate victim vulnerabilities, offender behavior, and psychological and economic consequences.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
This quantitative descriptive survey studied 415 online-dating-scam victims in Anhui Province, China, recruited through snowball sampling. A Mandarin-translated adapted questionnaire measured demographics, online habits, scam characteristics, dynamics, and effects on four-point scales. The instrument underwent validation, ethics review, pilot testing, and reliability testing. Analyses used descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis, and Spearman’s rho in SPSS 28.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The evidence is based on a nonprobability snowball sample of self-identified victims from Anhui Province, limiting generalizability to China as a whole. The cross-sectional descriptive design and self-reported perceptions cannot establish causation. Although correlations were very high, the authors explicitly caution that correlational results do not demonstrate causal relationships.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Collaborative stakeholders and policymakers should strengthen digital fraud literacy, platform security, victim support services, financial safeguards, public awareness campaigns, accessible reporting systems, cybersecurity measures, and victim-centered psychosocial interventions.

          

              

    
    

        
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