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Distort, Extort, Deceive and Exploit: Exploring the Inner Workings of a Romance Fraud

Carter, E. (2020) — The British Journal of Criminology

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DOI: 10.1093/bjc/azaa072 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   United Kingdom
Tags:   AI-Enabled Fraud, Coercive Control, Discourse Analysis, Financial Exploitation, Offender Tactics, Online Grooming, Prevention, Romance Scams, Victim Experience, Victim Isolation
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Synopsis

            
A qualitative single-case study used discourse analysis and narrative frameworks to analyse 79,616 words of WhatsApp communications from a six-month romance fraud. The victim voluntarily supplied messages after informed consent; data were ethically approved and anonymized. Social engineering reinforced credibility, weakened support links, and disguised money requests. The case involved six months of communication and GBP 60,000 extorted from the victim before she ended contact. The study analyses one romance fraud case, so its detailed insights may not represent all romance-fraud interactions.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
Romance fraud has received little academic exploration. Existing work primarily addresses fraud generally, psychological impact, or victims’ accounts, while perpetrators’ language, the dynamics after contact, and the inner workings of fraudsters’ tactics remain underexplored. The paper also identifies limited evidence for designing effective barriers to victimization and remediating harm.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
A qualitative single-case study used discourse analysis and narrative frameworks to analyse 79,616 words of WhatsApp communications from a six-month romance fraud. The victim voluntarily supplied messages after informed consent; data were ethically approved and anonymized. Analysis of nine extracts and 26 quotations examined three inductively developed themes: early false-information ‘set-up and drip feed’; visceral, health-focused language; and isolation from family and friends.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The study analyses one romance fraud case, so its detailed insights may not represent all romance-fraud interactions. Communications were obtained through self-selecting victim contact after media exposure, following unsuccessful access attempts through agencies and police. The written WhatsApp data also lack vocal tone and other non-verbal interactional cues.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Develop awareness and prevention strategies using insights into interaction and decision-making in coercive, reality-distorting environments, rather than focusing narrowly on requests for money. The paper also suggests viewing romance fraud through a domestic violence and abuse lens to deepen understanding of grooming and manipulation.

          

              

    
    

        
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