Romance Scam Research Center

Deconstructing a form of hybrid investment fraud: Examining ‘pig butchering’ in the United States

Maras, Marie-Helen; Ives, Emily R. (2024) — Journal of Economic Criminology

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This piece examines Deconstructing a form of hybrid investment fraud: Examining ‘pig butchering’ in the United States within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns doc...

Digital Desires, Real Losses: The Complex World of Online Romance Fraud

Wiederhold, Brenda K. (2024) — Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This catalog-like overview surveys the constellation of online romance fraud within the domains of cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking. It locates digital dating as a space where longing for connection can m...

Evaluating Privacy & Security of Online Dating Applications with a Focus on Older Adults

Noah, Naheem; Thakur, Supriya; Beck, Jason; Das, Sanchari (2024) — 2024 IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy Workshops (EuroS&PW)

Type: Proceedings Article Country: United States

Evaluating Privacy & Security of Online Dating Applications with a Focus on Older Adults examines how dating apps collect, store, and share personal data, and how secure and trustworthy interactions are supported across...

How Do Crypto Flows Finance Slavery? The Economics of Pig Butchering

Griffin, John M.; Mei, Kevin (2024) — SSRN Electronic Journal

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This piece examines How Do Crypto Flows Finance Slavery? The Economics of Pig Butchering within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the literature, de...

How Do Real Cybercrime Syndicates Operate?: The Case of Online Romance Fraud Syndicates

Andoh-Baidoo, Francis Kofi; Offei, Martin Otu; Ayaburi, Emmanuel W.; Siponen, Mikko; Gladyshev, Pavel (2024) — IEEE Security & Privacy

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: AI misuse

Catalog entry: Online romance frauds originating from Africa are described as organized activities conducted by syndicates typically comprising 150 to 200 individual scammers. The material outlines a multi-tiered network...

Hyperpersonal feedback and online romance fraud: an empirical examination

Wang, Fangzhou; Dickinson, Timothy (2024) — Journal of Crime and Justice

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This catalog-style synopsis surveys an empirical investigation into hyperpersonal feedback in online romance and its relationship to fraud. The study frames online dating interactions through hyperpersonal dynamics, wher...

More Than Just a “Bad” Online Experience: Risk Factors and Characteristics of Catfishing Fraud Victimization

Snyder, Jamie A.; Golladay, Katelyn (2024) — Deviant Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This study examines the relatively underexplored area of catfishing victimization—cases where individuals are deceived online but not necessarily defrauded financially. Using survey data from 1,511 social media and datin...

Pig Butchering in Cybersecurity: A Modern Social Engineering Threat

L. Burton, Dr. Sharon; D. (Vickerson) Moore, Dr. Pamela (2024) — SocioEconomic Challenges

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, psychology, law enforcement, platform policy, AI misuse, online dating platforms, social engineering, risk factors, prevention, measurement, cross-cultural Methods: interview, qualitative

Pig butchering represents an expanding cybersecurity threat that relies on social engineering to establish trust and execute financial fraud. The relevance of this issue lies in the growing frequency and sophistication o...

Scammed by Love: The Role of Loneliness, Trust, and Age in Financial Losses from U.S. Online Romance Scams

Cole, R. (2024) — Innovation in Aging

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, older adults, AI misuse, measurement, cross-cultural Populations: older adults Methods: survey, quantitative

This piece examines SCAMMED BY LOVE: THE ROLE OF LONELINESS, TRUST, AND AGE IN FINANCIAL LOSSES FROM U.S. ONLINE ROMANCE SCAMS within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common pat...

The cyber-industrialization of catfishing and romance fraud

Wang, Fangzhou; Topalli, Volkan (2024) — Computers in Human Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, platform policy, AI misuse

The article investigates a contemporary variant of online fraud that builds on romance scams and catfishing but is distinguished by its industrialized form, enabled by corporate practices, software platforms, and service...