Romance Scam Research Center

The Trajectory of Romance Scams in the U.S

Herrera, LD.; Hastings, J. (2024) — 2024 12th International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security (ISDFS)

Type: Proceedings Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, platform policy, prevention Methods: quantitative

Romance scams inflict financial and emotional harm by defrauding victims under the pretense of meaningful relationships. The study explores trends of RS in the United States through a quantitative synthesis of diverse so...

Victim-offender overlap: the identity transformations experienced by trafficked Chinese workers escaping from pig-butchering scam syndicate

Wang, Fangzhou (2024) — Trends in Organized Crime

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, platform policy, AI misuse, social engineering, prevention

This study explores the intersection of human trafficking and online romance fraud within the context of the pig-butchering scam (Sha Zhu Pan, 杀猪盘). While the scam is widely recognized for combining romance and invest...

A Game-Theoretic Approach to Detecting Romance Scams

Nwafor, E. (2023) — New Perspectives in Behavioral Cybersecurity

Type: Book Chapter Country: United States

This piece examines A Game-Theoretic Approach to Detecting Romance Scams within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the literature, describes how offe...

Neutralizations, Altercasting, and Online Romance Fraud Victimizations

Dickinson, T.; Wang, F. (2023) — Deviant Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This piece examines Neutralizations, Altercasting, and Online Romance Fraud Victimizations within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the literature,...

Profiling consumers who reported mass marketing scams: demographic characteristics and emotional sentiments associated with victimization

DeLiema, Marguerite; Witt, Paul (2023) — Security Journal

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, AI misuse, risk factors

This piece examines Profiling consumers who reported mass marketing scams: demographic characteristics and emotional sentiments associated with victimization within the broader context of online fraud and mediated commun...

What Money Can Do: Examining the Effects of Rewards on Online Romance Fraudsters’ Deceptive Strategies

Dickinson, T.; Wang, F.; Maimon, D. (2023) — Deviant Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This catalog-style synopsis surveys a study that examines the relationship between monetary rewards and deceptive practices in online romance fraud. Positioned within Deviant Behavior, the analysis treats online dating f...

Correlates of responding to and becoming victimized by fraud: Examining risk factors by scam type

DeLiema, Marguerite; Li, Yiting; Mottola, Gary (2022) — International Journal of Consumer Studies

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, AI misuse, risk factors, prevention, measurement Methods: survey

The study notes a continuing rise in consumer fraud reports across North America, accompanied by higher median losses. It analyzes survey data from 1,375 American and Canadian consumers who had previously reported a scam...

Cyber victimization during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A syndemic looming large

Shoib, Sheikh; Philip, Sharad; Bista, Seema; Saeed, Fahimeh; Javed, Sana; Ori, Dorottya; Bashir, Adil; Chandradasa, Miyuru (2022) — Health Science Reports

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

The commentary highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic increased online presence due to lockdowns and social isolation, which in turn escalated incidents of cyber victimization. This includes cyberbullying, harassment, stal...

Online Romance Scammers

Shapiro, LR. (2022) — Cyberpredators and Their Prey

Type: Book Chapter Country: United States Tags: AI misuse

The topic describes a contemporary form of online deception in which a romance-themed relationship is manufactured by a scammer to obtain resources from a target. The typical actor may be an individual or a member of a l...

Persuasive Schemes for Financial Exploitation in Online Romance Scam: An Anatomy on <i>Sha Zhu Pan</i> (杀猪盘) <i>in</i> China

Wang, F.; Zhou, X. (2022) — Victims & Offenders

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This catalog-style synopsis surveys persuasive schemes behind Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘), the online romance scam phenomenon observed in China that concentrates on financial exploitation. The entry outlines a broad interaction...