Romance Scam Research Center

“If U Don't Pay they will Share the Pics”: Exploring Sextortion in the Context of Romance Fraud

Cross, C.; Holt, K.; O'Malley, RL. (2024) — Scams, Cons, Frauds, and Deceptions

Type: Book Chapter Country: Australia Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, AI misuse

This piece examines “If U Don't Pay they will Share the Pics”: Exploring Sextortion in the Context of Romance Fraud within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns docum...

Crypto Romance Scams and Pig Butchering

Scharfman, J. (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...

Explore the Causes of Crime and Social Impact of Romance Fraud in Mainland China from 2019–2021

Yan, Y. (2024) — Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research

Type: Book Chapter Country: China

This catalog-style study examines the causes of crime and the social impact of romance fraud in Mainland China from 2019 to 2021. Grounded in recent research across social science, education, and humanities, it surveys t...

HeartGuard VR: Immersive Romance Scam Education

Lea, O.; Shepherd, LA.; Szymkowiak, A. (2024) — Lecture Notes in Computer Science

Type: Book Chapter Country: United Kingdom Tags: victim experience, social engineering

This piece examines HeartGuard VR: Immersive Romance Scam Education within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the literature, describes how offenders...

Love at First Sleight: A Review of Scammer Techniques in Online Romance Fraud

Kydd, M.; Shepherd, LA.; Szymkowiak, A.; Johnson, GI. (2024) — Springer Proceedings in Complexity

Type: Book Chapter Country: United Kingdom Tags: victim experience, law enforcement, AI misuse

This piece examines Love at First Sleight: A Review of Scammer Techniques in Online Romance Fraud within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the liter...

A Game-Theoretic Approach to Detecting Romance Scams

Nwafor, E. (2023) — New Perspectives in Behavioral Cybersecurity

Type: Book Chapter Country: United States

This piece examines A Game-Theoretic Approach to Detecting Romance Scams within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the literature, describes how offe...

Open Access: Exploring Fear of Crime for Those Targeted by Romance Fraud

Cross, C.; Lee, M. (2023) — The Link between Specific Forms of Online and Offline Victimization

Type: Book Chapter Country: Australia Tags: victim experience, AI misuse

This study analyzes a set of 3,259 romance fraud reports submitted by individuals to Scamwatch, the Australian online platform for reporting fraud, for the period spanning July 2018 through July 2019 inclusive. The aim i...

Romance Through Digital Avatars: Online Courtship, Representation and “Catfishing” Amongst Irregular Female Migrants in Sabah

Somiah, V. (2023) — New Media in the Margins

Type: Book Chapter Country: Singapore Tags: victim experience

This chapter explores the phenomenon of romance scams, situating it within broader discussions of online fraud, victim vulnerabilities, and the lived experiences of those deceived. Romance scams are defined as fraudulent...

Online Romance Scammers

Shapiro, LR. (2022) — Cyberpredators and Their Prey

Type: Book Chapter Country: United States Tags: AI misuse

The topic describes a contemporary form of online deception in which a romance-themed relationship is manufactured by a scammer to obtain resources from a target. The typical actor may be an individual or a member of a l...

Open Access: The Use of Military Profiles in Romance Fraud Schemes

Cross, C.; Holt, TJ. (2022) — The New Technology of Financial Crime

Type: Book Chapter Country: Australia Tags: victim experience, military, prevention, measurement Populations: military

This piece examines Open Access: The Use of Military Profiles in Romance Fraud Schemes within the broader context of online fraud and mediated communication. It outlines common patterns documented in the literature, desc...