The charade of discreetness: Exploring the paradoxical lifestyles of romance fraudsters

This article investigates the mechanisms that shape why romance fraud perpetrators publicly display wealth, a line of inquiry that has received limited attention in prior research. The study gathered data through semi-structured interviews with eight offenders drawn from two Ghanaian cybercrime hotbeds and supplemented these insights with perspectives from three law enforcement officials. Employing a qualitative framework grounded in critical realism, the researchers analyzed the data via thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and explanations behind ostentatious affluence. The aim was to illuminate the social and structural forces that drive offenders to project wealth in public contexts. The analysis identifies several interwoven factors that influence the public display of wealth by cybercriminals. The social environment and peer influence emerged as substantial determinants, as did ties to high-net-worth individuals described through the lens of upper-structure clientelism. Additional significant contributors include the role of social media in amplifying displays of wealth and the involvement of some corrupt state officials through collaborative arrangements. Taken together, these factors suggest that the display of affluence is not simply a personal choice but is shaped by broader networks, incentives, and opportunities within the illicit ecosystem and its interaction with legitimate institutions. The findings point to systemic weaknesses in financial institutions, encapsulated by the notion of upper-structure clientelism, as an area that requires attention to curb online romance fraud. The study also underscores the critical function of social media in enabling public displays of wealth, highlighting the potential value of education and awareness campaigns as preventative measures. From a policy and practice perspective, the results imply that more effective prevention hinges on enhanced interagency collaboration and greater transparency among governmental institutions. Strengthening communication channels and reducing information asymmetries across agencies may help dismantle the networks that support wealth display and, by extension, the broader activity of online romance fraud.