Romance Scam Research Center

Educating students on the behavioral and psychological aspects of romance scam victimization via a social engineering competition

Bleiman, Rachel; Park, Hwanhee; Rege, Aunshul (2025) — Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Type: Journal Article Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, psychology, platform policy, AI misuse, social engineering Populations: students

The online dating sector generated 2.98 billion USD in 2023 and is projected to reach about 3.6 billion USD by 2025. Within this space, romance scams impose substantial financial losses, estimated at 1.3 billion USD in 2...

Love Scamming in the Digital Era: Legal Protection and Challenges in Handling Love Scam Cases on Dating Applications in Indonesia

Soleha Liliani Malik; Fakhris Lutfianto Hapsoro (2025) — AT-TAKLIM: Jurnal Pendidikan Multidisiplin

Type: Journal Article Country: Indonesia Tags: victim experience, psychology, AI misuse, online dating platforms, prevention

This article investigates the regulatory landscape surrounding cyber-enabled romance fraud carried out through social media platforms in Indonesia. Love scams have risen as a notable problem, especially among younger adu...

Love, Lies, and Larceny: One Hundred Convicted Case Files of Cybercriminals with Eighty Involving Online Romance Fraud

Soares, Adebayo Benedict; Lazarus, Suleman; Button, Mark (2025) — Deviant Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: Nigeria

This article analyzes 100 convicted cybercrime case files prosecuted by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, with 80 cases involving online romance fraud. Many offenders engaged in multiple offenses, inclu...

Mental Health Impacts of Cybercrime

Burrell, Darrell (2025) — International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, psychology, platform policy, money mules, prevention, measurement

As online dating continues to evolve, deceptive practices have grown in breadth and sophistication, spanning from classic catfishing to more systemic forms such as pig-butchering and Intimacy Manipulated Fraud Industrial...

Modus Operandi and Blockchain Analysis of Romance Scams: Cryptocurrency-Driven Victimization

Lim, A.; Choi, KS. (2025) — International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This piece examines Modus Operandi and Blockchain Analysis of Romance Scams: Cryptocurrency-Driven Victimization within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns document...

Recognizing the Evolving Cybercrime Threats in South Africa

Mpuru, Lebogang; Kgoale, Charles (2025) — African Security

Type: Journal Article Country: South Africa

This article investigates recent cybercrime trends in South Africa (2019–2023) and highlights the persistent threats facing the country’s economy and financial markets. Using a systematic literature review organized thro...

Romance Scam Victimization: A Survey-Based Examination of Financial, Psychological, and Reporting Factors

Herrera, LD (2025) — 2025 13th International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security (ISDFS)

Type: Proceedings Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, psychology, AI misuse, Artificial Intelligence Methods: survey, quantitative

Romance scams constitute a rising form of cybercrime in which perpetrators cultivate deceitful romantic relationships to extract financial resources, causing substantial economic and psychological harm while remaining ma...

Romanssihuijaus - rakkauden varjolla tehty kyberrikos

Kanervo, Riikka; Normann, Maria; Korhonen, Helmi (2025) — Kriminologia

Type: Journal Article Country: Finland Tags: AI misuse

The paper analyzes romance scams as a distinct and serious form of cybercrime, emphasizing that these schemes rely on emotional manipulation rather than purely financial deception. Offenders build fabricated romantic rel...

Análisis Jurídico del Catfishing en Transacciones de Comercio Telemático en Ecuador: Desafíos y Soluciones en el Contexto de la Seguridad Cibernética

Coronel-Rivera, Katerine Alexandra; Arévalo-Vásquez, Carmen Elizabeth; Villavicencio, Marcel (2024) — MQRInvestigar

Type: Journal Article Country: Ecuador Tags: victim experience Methods: experiment

In recent years, Ecuador has experienced economic growth driven by the expansion of Internet connectivity, the widespread use of mobile devices, digital transformation, and the technological impact of the Covid-19 pandem...

Analysis of "Pig-Butchering Scam" Type of Network Fraud from the Legal Perspective

Fu, Zhenglang (2024) — Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media

Type: Journal Article Country: China Tags: victim experience, AI misuse

This paper examines pig-butchering scams (Sha Zhu Pan) from a legal perspective, focusing on their causes, operation, challenges for China’s legal system, and possible countermeasures. Pig-butchering scams are distinguis...