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Attack Methods and Offender Strategies

363 approved publications in the Library, including 3 datasets.

Each count opens the matching Library records. Classifications can overlap; they count publications, not unique studies, participants, or proven interventions. “Not classified” means that detail has no recognized label in the catalog.

Research Insight Published

How romance scammers exploit trust

Romance scammers can use emergencies or supposed investments to extract money, and some use romantic promises to obtain sexual contact or imagery. Reported cases also involve physical coercion. These studies describe tactics without establishing how common each pathway is or whether awareness lessons prevent harm.

7 min read 21 sources cited in this explanation

Publication types

Format describes the record. It is not a quality score. Datasets are available for discovery, not Insight synthesis.

What do these research terms mean?
Preprint
A manuscript shared before formal peer review and publication. Check whether a later published version is available.
Dataset
A collection of data or examples for others to inspect or reuse. It can appear in Library search and topic mapping, but RSRC does not use dataset records as evidence in Research Insights.
Dissertation or thesis
Research submitted for an academic degree. This describes its format, not its reliability.
Journal article
An article published in a journal. This label alone does not establish peer review, study quality, or how well the findings apply elsewhere.

Definitions draw on DataCite resource types; Cochrane review methods; NLM: association and causation. RSRC’s dataset and classification rules are explained in our methodology.

Publication types among 363 approved publications
ClassificationPublications
Journal Article238
Not classified79
Book Chapter19
Proceedings Article15
Book3
Conference Paper3
Dataset3
Preprint1
Article1
Dissertation1

Research methods

A publication may appear in more than one row.

What do these research terms mean?
Qualitative research
Examines experiences, meanings, or processes, often through interviews or observations. It can explain how something happens without estimating how common it is.
Quantitative research
Uses numerical measurements to describe patterns or test relationships. A relationship between two measurements does not by itself show that one causes the other.
Systematic review
Uses a planned, documented method to find and assess research addressing a question. Its conclusions still depend on the included studies and what the search covered.
Meta-analysis
Statistically combines results from multiple studies. Combining studies does not remove weaknesses in their design or make unlike populations interchangeable.
Not classified
This record has no recognized label in this filter. It does not mean the publication used no method, or that no research exists.

Definitions draw on DataCite resource types; Cochrane review methods; NLM: association and causation. RSRC’s dataset and classification rules are explained in our methodology.

Research methods among 363 approved publications
ClassificationPublications
Interviews103
Thematic Analysis96
Literature Review96
Qualitative Research76
Sampling and Recruitment66
Surveys and Questionnaires54
Qualitative Coding54
Document and Case-File Analysis43
Statistical Analysis43
Case Studies42
Content Analysis37
Legal Analysis34
Regression Analysis31
Conceptual and Theoretical Analysis29
Not classified26
Computational and Text Analysis26
Quantitative Research21
Secondary Data Analysis21
Experiments17
Discourse and Conversation Analysis15
Mixed Methods14
Ethnography and Observation12
Phenomenology11
Systematic Review11
Comparative Analysis10
Crime Script Analysis7
Scoping Review7
Focus Groups5

Groups studied

A publication may appear in more than one row.

What do these research terms mean?
Groups studied
People or groups described in the research, where recorded. One publication can have several labels. Missing labels are a catalog limitation, not evidence that a group has never been studied.

Definitions draw on DataCite resource types; Cochrane review methods; NLM: association and causation. RSRC’s dataset and classification rules are explained in our methodology.

Groups studied among 363 approved publications
ClassificationPublications
Romance Scam Victims and Survivors185
Fraud and Scam Victims151
Online Dating Users119
Offenders and Scammers102
Women81
Social Media and Online Platform Users56
Older Adults48
Law-Enforcement Personnel34
Men33
Young People20
Not classified17
Students17
Pig-Butchering Scam Victims16
General Public15
Family Members and Friends14
LGBTQ+ People14
Potential Victims and Targets13
General Online Users11
Service Providers and Clinicians7
Legal and Judicial Professionals5
Trafficked Scam Workers5
People with Acquired Brain Injury3

Recorded geographic focus

Recorded study focus, not authors’ addresses. Unrecorded geography does not mean worldwide coverage.

Recorded geographic focus among 363 approved publications
ClassificationPublications
Global84
United States55
United Kingdom41
Australia28
China26
Indonesia19
Malaysia16
Ghana11
Nigeria9
Not classified6
South Korea5
Netherlands5
Italy4
Poland4
Spain4
India4
Japan3
Germany3
Philippines3
Portugal2
Taiwan2
Canada2
Switzerland2
Czech Republic2
Hong Kong2
Iran2
Pakistan2
Latvia1
Bangladesh1
Hungary1
Costa Rica1
Turkey1
Brazil1
Ireland1
Ecuador1
Finland1
Norway1
Malta1
Austria1
Thailand1
Cote D Ivoire1
Morocco1
Myanmar1
Russia1

Coverage reflects RSRC’s approved records and current classifications. Several publications may use the same underlying data. Source notices remain visible on publication records. Read the methodology before using these counts to plan research.