Romance Scam Research Center

An Examination of Digital Validation-Seeking Behaviors in Adolescents as Precursors to Romance Scamming

Ohu, Francis; Jones, Laura (2025) — Scientia Moralitas Conference Proceedings

Country: United States Tags: offender tactics, psychology, AI misuse, risk factors, measurement

This study investigates digital validation-seeking behaviors among adolescents and young adults as precursors to romance scamming. It argues that patterns of deceptive online self-presentation, reinforced by social media...

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...

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...

Digital Desires, Real Losses: The Complex World of Online Romance Fraud

Wiederhold, BK. (2024) — Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This catalog-like overview surveys the constellation of online romance fraud within the domains of cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking. It locates digital dating as a space where longing for connection can m...

Drawing on social approval as a linguistic strategy: A discourse semantic analysis of judgement evaluation in suspected online romance scammer dating profiles

Lee, KF; Chan, MY; Ali, Afida Mohamad (2024) — Psychology of Language and Communication

Type: Journal Article Country: Malaysia Tags: victim experience, AI misuse, prevention

This study examines the role of social approval as a linguistic resource in the construction of judgement within suspected online romance scammer dating profiles. Located in the field Psychology of Language and Communica...

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 Methods: interview, qualitative

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...

Unveiling the Patterns of Romance Scams in South Korea

Choi, SW.; Lee, J.; Choi, YJ. (2024) — International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning

Type: Journal Article Country: South Korea Tags: offender tactics

Romance scams are a form of cybercrime in which fraudsters cultivate online relationships to obtain money, personal information, or access to resources from targeted individuals. Global trends indicate a rising prevalenc...

What Money Can Do: Examining the Effects of Rewards on Online Romance Fraudsters’ Deceptive Strategies

Dickinson, T.; Wang, F.; Maimon, D. (2023) — Deviant Behavior

Type: Journal Article Country: United States

This catalog-style synopsis surveys a study that examines the relationship between monetary rewards and deceptive practices in online romance fraud. Positioned within Deviant Behavior, the analysis treats online dating f...

Do we need to know about cyberscams in neurorehabilitation? A cross-sectional scoping survey of Australasian clinicians and service providers

Gould, Kate Rachel; Carolan, Matthew; Ponsford, Jennie Louise (2022) — Brain Impairment

Country: Australia

This study investigates whether cyberscams—particularly romance scams—are a clinical issue in neurorehabilitation, focusing on adults with acquired brain injury (ABI). People with ABI often experience cognitive, emotiona...

Hello Pretty, Hello Handsome!: Exploring the Menace of Online Dating and Romance Scam in Africa

Eseadi, C.; Ogbonna, CS.; Otu, MS.; Ede, MO. (2021) — Crime, Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System in Africa

Type: Book Chapter Country: Nigeria Tags: psychology

Online dating and romance scams are examined within criminal psychology as a growing category of deception facilitated by information and communication technology. The landscape is shaped by anonymous and semi-anonymous...