Showing 21 results

Fake it till you make it: the psychological and communication tactics behind “Pig Butchering” scams

Asyalı, Ayşe Nur; Frank, Muriel-Larissa; Hölzmer, Pol (2026) — Journal of Cybersecurity

Type: Journal Article Country: Global Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, psychology, AI misuse, social engineering, prevention, Sha Zhu Pan, pig butchering, romance baiting, cybercrime, psychological theories, communication theories, qualitative methods, cryptocurrency investment fraud, pig_butchering, romance_scam, Sha_Zhu_Pan, social_engineering, psychological_theories, communication_theories, scam_manuals

Pig butchering is characterized as an advanced form of cyber-enabled social engineering that blends romantic engagement with investment schemes. While much of the existing scholarship emphasizes the experiences of victim...

Romance Scam Reporting and Support: Help-Seeking Timing, Trust, and Escalation

Herrera, LD (2026) — 2026 14th International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security (ISDFS)

Type: Proceedings Article Country: United States Tags: romance scams, online fraud, cybercrime reporting, victim support, incident response, digital forensics

Built on social engineering and identity deception, romance scams often create financial loss and distress. For victims, it can be difficult to know where to go, what information is needed, and what outcomes are realisti...

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

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...

Leveraging Naive Bayesian Machine Learning for Detecting Pig Butchering Scams: A Cybersecurity Social Engineering Perspective in Africa

Diallo, Ousmane; Hassan, Hasnani; Najeeb Zaidan, Muslim (2025) — The 5th International Scientific Conference on Administrative and Financial Sciences (CIC-ISCAFS'2025)

Type: Proceedings Article Country: Malaysia Tags: victim experience, psychology, AI misuse, social engineering, prevention, measurement

This piece examines Leveraging Naive Bayesian Machine Learning for Detecting Pig Butchering Scams: A Cybersecurity Social Engineering Perspective in Africa within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communic...

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...

The Deceptive Allure: Understanding and Combating Cryptocurrency Pig Butchering Scams

Krause, David (2025) — SSRN Electronic Journal

Type: Journal Article

The Deceptive Allure: Understanding and Combating Cryptocurrency Pig Butchering Scams provides a neutral, catalog-style examination of a form of online fraud that has emerged within cryptocurrency ecosystems. The work de...

The prevention of online romance scams using a crime script analysis from the victim’s perspective

Wang, Fangzhou; Kelsay, James D (2025) — International Review of Victimology

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

Online romance scams (ORS) have grown in severity, exploiting human vulnerabilities and trust through social engineering, which underscores the need for robust preventive strategies. This study advances the field by deve...

Uncovering vulnerability to fraud and scams among adult victims in online and offline contexts: A systematic review

Dadà, Chiara Barbara; Colautti, Laura; Rosi, Alessia; Cavallini, Elena; Antonietti, Alessandro; Iannello, Paola (2025) — Computers in Human Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: Italy

This catalog-style synopsis summarizes a systematic review of adult vulnerability to fraud and scams in online and offline contexts, as published in Computers in Human Behavior. The review aggregates empirical work to ma...

A Sinister Fattening: Dissecting the Tales of Pig Butchering and Other Cryptocurrency Scams

Ordekian, Marilyne; Papasavva, Antonis; Mariconti, Enrico; Vasek, Marie (2024) — 2024 APWG Symposium on Electronic Crime Research (eCrime)

Type: Proceedings Article Country: United Kingdom

This catalog entry surveys pig butchering scams within cryptocurrency ecosystems and related fraud schemes as discussed at the 2024 APWG Symposium on Electronic Crime Research (eCrime). The focus is a broad examination o...

Bridging the Protection Gap: Innovative Approaches to Shield Older Adults from AI-Enhanced Scams

Herrera, LD; Van Sickle, London; Podhradsky, Ashley (2024) — 2024 Cyber Awareness and Research Symposium (CARS)

Type: Proceedings Article Country: United States Tags: artificial intelligence, hypothetical case, vingette, defense strategy, future threats, cybercrime, trends, diffusion Of innovation theory, federal trade commission, deepfake, AI-enhanced scams, older adults, romance scam, tech support scam, defensive strategies, scam components, case analysis, policy implications

Bridging the Protection Gap: Innovative Approaches to Shield Older Adults from AI-Enhanced Scams is presented as a session at the 2024 Cyber Awareness and Research Symposium (CARS). The catalog entry notes a cross-discip...

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