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A qualitative investigation of the emotional, physiological, financial, and legal consequences of online romance scams in the United States

Cole, R. (2024) — Journal of Economic Criminology

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconc.2024.100108
Type:   Journal Article
Country:   United States
Tags:   online romance scams, romance fraud, victim consequences, qualitative research, financial loss, mental health, legal consequences, United States, post-victimization consequences, financial harm

Synopsis (AI-Generated)

This interpretive phenomenological study used 30-60 minute online interviews with 19 U.S. adults who had experienced online romance scams. Iterative analysis identified four consequence domains: mental health, including emotional dysregulation, treatment, and suicidal ideation; physiological health, including sleep and other bodily changes; financial harm, constrained autonomy, and debt repayment; and legal experiences, including negative police encounters, civil litigation, and vulnerability to revictimization. The findings show that consequences extend well beyond the transferred money and can interact across health, debt, and justice systems. The small self-selected sample was predominantly heterosexual, White, highly educated women, and retrospective accounts may reflect recall and social-desirability bias.

Identified Gaps (AI-Generated)

U.S.-specific ORS scholarship remains limited, particularly on experiences after fraud revelation. Existing ORS conceptualizations end at scam discovery and omit extensive post-victimization consequences. The paper also identifies insufficient evidence on how law enforcement and health/help-service providers understand ORS, including gaps and biases that may reinforce stigma. Civil litigation consequences, including eviction and bankruptcy, are described as largely unexplored in prior research.

Methods (AI-Generated)

Interpretive phenomenological analysis, guided by hermeneutic phenomenology, examined perceived post-victimization consequences among 19 U.S. adult ORS victims. Participants were purposively recruited through professional, community, social-media, and peer-support channels. They completed 30–60 minute recorded Microsoft Teams semi-structured interviews; transcripts were deidentified and analyzed iteratively through repeated reading/listening, coding, grouping, and theme development. Rigor procedures included reflexive journaling, an audit trail, expert review, member checking, and transcript review by subject-matter experts.

Limitations (AI-Generated)

The small, self-selected U.S. qualitative sample was predominantly heterosexual, White, highly educated women, limiting generalizability to all U.S. victims and victims outside the United States. The study may omit male, non-White, and LGBTQ+ experiences. Retrospective accounts are susceptible to recall bias, and stigma surrounding scams may produce social-desirability bias. The author also notes that the researcher’s social location may have encouraged participation by some people while discouraging others.

Future Work (AI-Generated)

Further research should conceptualize and test “disenfranchised victimization”; compare ORS with economic intimate partner violence and coercive control; develop a holistic ORS model incorporating pre-scam experiences and post-victimization consequences; examine law-enforcement and health-provider knowledge and biases; and use stratified, diverse sampling to include underrepresented victim voices.

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AI-Generated Content Notice

The synopsis and research notes on this page were generated with AI from available publication information and, when available, the uploaded paper text. They may contain errors, omissions, or interpretation issues. Readers should follow the DOI or source link, review the original publication, and make their own judgment about the content.

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