Showing 30 results

Romance Fraud: Its Repercussions on Victims’ Wellbeing

Gauci, Christine; Vella, Mary Grace (2025) — Women & Criminal Justice

Type: Journal Article

Romance fraud refers to deceitful manipulation in which a perpetrator uses a fabricated romantic persona to induce trust and financial or other gain from an unsuspecting partner. The phenomenon unfolds across online dati...

Shifting routines and the industrialisation of scams: the impact of Covid-19 on deception crimes in Hong Kong

Akartuna, Eray Arda; Yeung, Felix Sin Wai; Manning, Matthew; Bish, Alexandre (2025) — Trends in Organized Crime

Type: Journal Article Country: Hong Kong Tags: Deception, Fraud, Pig butchering, Romance scams, Covid-19, Hong Kong, Routine Activity Theory, Crime displacement, victim experience, risk factors, measurement, cross-cultural

This study analyzes how the Covid-19 crisis affected deception-related crime in Hong Kong by examining a period from February 2020 to June 2023. The researchers apply an Auto ARIMA time series approach to contrast crime...

Understanding the Characteristics of Pig Butchering Scams: Impact on Victims and Challenges for Law Enforcement in Indonesia

Aissyach, Aissyach Noor Chairinovadanti; Sigid, Sigid Suseno; Budi, Budi Arta Atmaja (2025) — KRTHA BHAYANGKARA

Type: Journal Article Country: Indonesia Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, law enforcement, platform policy, money mules, AI misuse, online dating platforms, cross-cultural

The study analyzes the pig-butchering scam, a cyber-enabled form of investment fraud that has expanded rapidly in Indonesia since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also known as Sha Zhu Pan, this manipulative scheme bl...

An Explorative Study of Pig Butchering Scams

Acharya, Bhupendra; Holz, Thorsten (2024) — arXiv (Cornell University)

Type: Journal Article Country: Global Tags: pig-butchering, romance scams, investment fraud, social engineering, cryptocurrency scams, online scams, abuse reports, scam lifecycle, victim experience, law enforcement, platform policy, AI misuse, prevention, measurement, data collection

This piece examines An Explorative Study of Pig Butchering Scams within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the literature, describes how offenders cu...

Catfishing, Is it Unregulated Crime in Indonesia?

Shaqilla, Nikita; Reda, Yahia (2024) — Neoclassical Legal Review: Journal of Law and Contemporary Issues

Type: Journal Article Country: Indonesia Tags: AI misuse, prevention, cross-cultural

Catfishing is presented as a form of international cybercrime, yet it lacks a clear definition within Indonesia’s national legal framework. The practice involves using false identities on the internet and can be treated...

Crypto Romance Scams and Pig Butchering

Scharfman, Jason (2024) — The Cryptocurrency and Digital Asset Fraud Casebook, Volume II

Type: Book Chapter Country: United States Tags: money mules, AI misuse

This chapter provides a neutral overview of crypto romance scams and pig butchering, placing them within a broader history of online fraud. The opening sections trace the historical thread of romance- and advance-fee sch...

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

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...

Romance Scam as one of the main Challenges of cybercrime

Khukhunaishvili, Dina (2024)

Type: Article

Romance scams are a form of cybercrime in which a perpetrator cultivates a personal relationship with a target through online platforms, with the aim of financial gain or theft of sensitive information. The pattern typic...

The charade of discreetness: Exploring the paradoxical lifestyles of romance fraudsters

Barnor, J. (2024) — Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling

Type: Journal Article Country: Ghana Tags: law enforcement, AI misuse, prevention, measurement

This article investigates the mechanisms that shape why romance fraud perpetrators publicly display wealth, a line of inquiry that has received limited attention in prior research. The study gathered data through semi-st...

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