Romance Scam Research Center

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, AB.; Lazarus, S.; Button, M. (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...

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

Fu, Z. (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...

Are fraud victims nothing more than animals? Critiquing the propagation of “pig butchering” (Sha Zhu Pan, 杀猪盘)

Whittaker, Jack M.; Lazarus, Suleman; Corcoran, Taidgh (2024) — Journal of Economic Criminology

Type: Journal Article Country: United Kingdom

The article explores the growing phenomenon of romance scams as a particularly harmful form of cybercrime that exploits emotional vulnerability for financial gain. The authors position romance scams within the wider land...

How Do Real Cybercrime Syndicates Operate?: The Case of Online Romance Fraud Syndicates

Andoh-Baidoo, FK.; Offei, MO.; Ayaburi, EW.; Siponen, M.; Gladyshev, P. (2024) — IEEE Security & Privacy

Type: Journal Article Country: United States Tags: AI misuse

Catalog entry: Online romance frauds originating from Africa are described as organized activities conducted by syndicates typically comprising 150 to 200 individual scammers. The material outlines a multi-tiered network...

Legal Policies for Eradicating Perpetrators of Online Romance Fraud in the Digital Sphere

Fikri, AM. (2024) — JCIC : Jurnal CIC Lembaga Riset dan Konsultan Sosial

Type: Journal Article Country: Indonesia Tags: law enforcement, platform policy, AI misuse, measurement, cross-cultural Methods: survey, interview, secondary data, qualitative

Online romance fraud represents a category of cybercrime that exploits emotional manipulation to extract financial resources or secure personal information. The conduct has grown alongside rising internet penetration in...