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The victimology of online fraud: A focus on romance fraud victimisation

Drew, Jacqueline M. ; Webster, Julianne (2024) — Journal of Economic Criminology

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconc.2024.100053 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   Australia
Tags:   Financial Loss, Online Dating, Online Fraud, Police Disruption, Prevention, Psychological Vulnerability, Romance Scams, Victimology
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Synopsis

            
Researchers partnered with a specialist fraud and cyber police group in an Australian state. They drew a de-identified database of 413 victims from three proactive advance-fee-fraud operations, screened cases, and obtained 17 telephone interviews; analysis here concerns 13 romance-fraud victims. Twelve of 13 victims reported an early sense that the relationship might be fraudulent, but doubts were set aside. The most common initial money request was for travel to Australia to meet the victim, accompanied by reasons the offender could not access their own money. Participants were victims previously contacted through a police operation who agreed to a police-mediated research request; they were not randomly selected and may differ from broader romance-fraud victim populations.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The paper identifies limited evidence on communication strategies that successfully interrupt romance fraud, including their timing and delivery. It also notes insufficient understanding of the uptake and impact of dating-site verification and monitoring guidance. More broadly, it calls for research to disentangle complex psychological manipulation and translate knowledge into actionable prevention strategies.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Researchers partnered with a specialist fraud and cyber police group in an Australian state. They drew a de-identified database of 413 victims from three proactive advance-fee-fraud operations, screened cases, and obtained 17 telephone interviews; analysis here concerns 13 romance-fraud victims. Semi-structured interviews lasting 45–60 minutes were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically coded. The study examined transfer decisions, cessation, disclosures and support, warnings, and interventions.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
Participants were victims previously contacted through a police operation who agreed to a police-mediated research request; they were not randomly selected and may differ from broader romance-fraud victim populations. This also makes it unknown whether views on police contact affected participation. Interview accounts relied on retrospective recall, creating potential hindsight bias about events, emotions, and psychological states at the time of victimisation.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Trial and evaluate innovative, well-timed prevention and disruption strategies. Test communication methods and training for police, banks, money remitters, and other stakeholders to identify what can interrupt victimisation effectively. Assess whether advanced technology and analytics can accelerate police identification of potential victims. Examine dating-site compliance with profile-verification and monitoring guidance and whether stronger regulation is required.

          

              

    
    

        
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