Romance Scam Research Center

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 Scams and Older Adults: A Health and Social Care Perspective

Sorinmade, Oluwatoyin; Emmett, Charlotte; Elugbadebo, Olufisayo; Okolo, Chidera (2025) — Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

Type: Journal Article Country: United Kingdom Tags: victim experience, psychology, older adults Populations: older adults

The proliferation of online interaction has expanded opportunities for connection and encounter, alongside increasingly sophisticated forms of exploitation. This article centers on romance scams as a significant threat,...

Strategic business movements? The migration of online romance fraudsters from Nigeria to Ghana

Lazarus, S.; Button, M.; Garba, KH.; Soares, AB.; Hughes, M. (2025) — Journal of Economic Criminology

Type: Journal Article Country: United Kingdom

This catalog entry surveys the topic of cross-border movement among actors involved in online romance fraud, focusing on a shift from Nigeria to Ghana. The article situates the phenomenon within the broader field of econ...

The effect of true crime docuseries on romance fraud reporting to the police

Grant, S.; Buil-Gil, D. (2025) — Crime Science

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

Romance fraud is a crime in which an individual is deceived for financial gain by someone they believe to be a romantic partner. Despite its reach and impact on victims, this form of wrongdoing remains markedly underrepo...

The Mental Health Impacts of Internet Scams

Balcombe, Luke (2025) — International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Type: Journal Article Country: Australia Tags: victim experience, AI misuse, risk factors, prevention Methods: case study

Cyber fraud schemes have grown in sophistication and are increasingly prevalent in affluent countries such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Within this landscape, Australia has demonstrate...

Therapeutic but toxic spaces: Romance fraud victimization from a psychosocial perspective

Yoshida, Y. (2025) — Journal of Economic Criminology

Type: Journal Article Country: United Kingdom

Therapeutic but toxic spaces: Romance fraud victimization from a psychosocial perspective is positioned within economic criminology to explore how intimate-deception operates at the junction of individual psychology and...

“What action should l take?”: Help-seeking behaviours of those targeted by romance fraud

Meikle, W.; Cross, C. (2024) — Journal of Economic Criminology

Type: Journal Article Country: Australia

This catalog-style synopsis summarizes a peer-reviewed article published in the Journal of Economic Criminology, examining help-seeking behaviours among people targeted by romance fraud. The piece surveys how victims res...

“Why did I fall for it?” Exploring internet fraud susceptibility in the pig butchering scam

Xie, Z.; Duan, Z. (2024) — Security Journal

Type: Journal Article Country: China Tags: victim experience, platform policy, prevention Methods: interview

Pig butchering scam, known also as Sha Zhu Pan or 杀猪盘, represents a contemporary form of online fraud that initially targeted Asian victims. With the expansion of Southeast Asian fraud networks, the scheme has achieve...

A qualitative investigation of the emotional, physiological, financial, and legal consequences of online romance scams in the United States

Cole, R. (2024) — Journal of Economic Criminology

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This catalog-style study provides a qualitative examination of the consequences associated with online romance scams in the United States, emphasizing emotional, physiological, financial, and legal dimensions. Situated w...

A Quantitative Analysis on the Sentencing Disparity in Online Romance Scam Cases in United States: A Focal Concern Theory Perspective

Wang, F. (2024) — Crime & Delinquency

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: victim experience, AI misuse, cross-cultural Methods: quantitative

This piece examines A Quantitative Analysis on the Sentencing Disparity in Online Romance Scam Cases in United States: A Focal Concern Theory Perspective within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communicat...