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Mapping romance fraud research – a systematic review

Rasha Kassem ; Elisabeth Carter (2023) — Journal of Financial Crime

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DOI: 10.1108/jfc-06-2023-0160 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   United Kingdom
Tags:   AI-Enabled Fraud, Grooming, Offender Tactics, Platform Policy, Prevention, Psychology, Romance Scams, Systematic Review, Victim Experience, Victim Impacts, Victim Support
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Synopsis

            
The publication provides a neutral, source-grounded synopsis of Mapping romance fraud research – a systematic review by Kassem and Carter (2023). Its purpose is to survey more than two decades of peer‑reviewed articles on romance fraud to offer a holistic view of the crime and to identify gaps in the literature. The authors describe a systematic literature review of English-language, peer‑reviewed works published from 2000 to 2023, drawing on multiple databases and searching terms such as romance fraud and online dating fraud. Their analysis groups 41 papers into ten thematic areas, aiming to map the field rather than to assess methodologies or extrapolate quantitative findings. The principal findings present a comprehensive taxonomy of romance fraud research. The ten themes cover: definitions and terminology; the impact on victims; profiles of criminals and victims; methods and techniques used by offenders; why victims become susceptible; the psychology of criminals; links between romance fraud and other crimes; investigative challenges; prevention and victim protection; and how victims can be supported. The review notes that romance fraud is a substantial but under‑researched crime with harms extending beyond financial loss to psychological suffering, and it highlights significant inconsistencies in terminology that impede clear understanding and policy coordination. The authors identify several literature gaps, including varied victim and perpetrator profiles, limited understanding of criminal psychology, a need for research on online identity misrepresentation, and a call for better linkage to related crimes and protective interventions. In terms of implications, the review suggests directions for policy and practice, including addressing under‑reporting, reducing victim blaming, fostering international collaboration, and developing technologies to counter romance fraud. It emphasizes viewing romance fraud as a form of grooming and abuse and calls for more targeted support for victims and more rigorous future study of protections, prevention, and the broader societal impact.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The review identifies limited and conflicting evidence on victim and offender profiles, especially victim age. Offender psychology and rationalization, investigative challenges, predictors of recognizing fraudulent profiles, victim identity-verification practices, and impacts on third parties whose identities are stolen remain under-researched. Links between romance fraud and related grooming-based crimes, effective victim support after reporting, tailored protections for diverse groups including neurodivergent victims, and technologies to identify fictitious profiles also lack sufficient research.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
This systematic literature review searched multiple databases and search engines for English-language, peer-reviewed academic articles published from 2000 to 2023. Searches used romance-fraud-related terms and scam variants, supplemented by reference-list review. Articles had to have an empirical or theoretical focus on romance fraud; papers focused on online fraud generally were excluded. Researchers read relevant sources to establish focus, scope, and methodology, producing a final sample of 41 articles grouped into 10 themes.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The review is limited to English-language peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2000 and 2023 and therefore may omit relevant non-English, gray-literature, book, or post-2023 evidence. Its conclusions also reflect an uneven underlying literature: studies of victim and offender profiles yield conflicting results, and several domains, including offender psychology and investigation, have received little research attention.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Future research should examine diverse victim and offender profiles; offender psychology, motives, opportunities, and rationalizations; investigative challenges; profile-authenticity verification; harms to people whose identities are misappropriated; links with grooming-based crimes; and post-reporting support. It should test protections for heterogeneous victim groups, including neurodivergent victims, shift attention from victim weakness to offender power, and develop technologies that identify fictitious profiles and counter fraud.

          

              

    
    

        
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