Romance Scam Research Center

A scoping review of online romance scams: Conceptual construction and comparative analysis

Wang, Fangzhou (2026) — International Review of Victimology

Type: Journal Article Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, psychology, platform policy, money mules, prevention

This scoping review synthesizes findings from a body of 62 empirical investigations to construct a framework that differentiates two primary forms of online romance scams: advance fee romance scams and investment-based r...

Online romance scam victimization fear: theorizing the causes and the consequences

Alam, Nabid; Dhillon, Gurpreet; Oliveira, Tiago (2026) — Internet Research

Type: Journal Article Tags: victim experience, psychology, platform policy, risk factors, measurement Methods: survey, interview, qualitative, quantitative

The study seeks to illuminate the causes and effects of fear of victimization from online romance scams, treating it as a form of psychological stress that matters for both individuals who date online and the platforms t...

Amor, dependencia y aislamiento: El impacto psicológico del romance scam

Pacheco Unguetti, Antonia Pilar; Miranda Gálvez, Azahara Leonor (2025) — Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Type: Book Chapter Country: Spain

This record offers a general and neutral view of the phenomenon known as romance scam, with an emphasis on the triad between love, emotional dependence and social isolation. The dynamics of seduction, deception and manip...

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...

Problems and Solutions of Telecommunications and Internet Fraud Crimes of the Type of "Pig Butchering Scams" in Criminal Law Regulation Based on Criminal Law Elements Analysis

Li, Xinyan (2025) — Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media

Type: Journal Article Country: Hong Kong Tags: victim experience, AI misuse, measurement, cross-cultural

This piece examines Problems and Solutions of Telecommunications and Internet Fraud Crimes of the Type of "Pig Butchering Scams" in Criminal Law Regulation Base within the broader context of online fraud and mediated com...

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

Yoshida, Yutaka (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, Zhenglang (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, Brenda K. (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...