Skip to main content
All research topics

Attack Methods and Offender Strategies

282 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 turn trust into payments

Romance scammers turn trust into money requests through emergencies or supposed investments. Some reported cases in India also involved physical encounters and coercion. These studies do not establish how common each pathway is or whether explaining the tactics prevents losses.

6 min read 15 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 282 approved publications
ClassificationPublications
Journal Article235
Book Chapter19
Proceedings Article15
Book3
Conference Paper3
Dataset3
Preprint1
Article1
Dissertation1
Not classified1

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 282 approved publications
ClassificationPublications
Interviews79
Literature Review72
Thematic Analysis71
Qualitative Research61
Sampling and Recruitment50
Qualitative Coding45
Surveys and Questionnaires44
Statistical Analysis36
Document and Case-File Analysis35
Case Studies33
Content Analysis31
Conceptual and Theoretical Analysis27
Regression Analysis25
Legal Analysis25
Computational and Text Analysis21
Secondary Data Analysis20
Quantitative Research19
Not classified18
Experiments13
Mixed Methods13
Comparative Analysis9
Discourse and Conversation Analysis8
Phenomenology8
Systematic Review8
Ethnography and Observation8
Crime Script Analysis7
Scoping Review7
Focus Groups4

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 282 approved publications
ClassificationPublications
Romance Scam Victims and Survivors147
Fraud and Scam Victims121
Offenders and Scammers85
Online Dating Users83
Women57
Social Media and Online Platform Users43
Older Adults35
Law-Enforcement Personnel28
Men25
Not classified17
General Public15
Young People15
Students14
Pig-Butchering Scam Victims13
Potential Victims and Targets12
Family Members and Friends9
General Online Users9
LGBTQ+ People7
Legal and Judicial Professionals5
Trafficked Scam Workers5
Service Providers and Clinicians4
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 282 approved publications
ClassificationPublications
Global53
United States48
United Kingdom39
Australia27
China17
Indonesia15
Malaysia14
Nigeria9
Ghana8
South Korea4
Poland4
India4
Not classified4
Italy3
Netherlands3
Japan2
Germany2
Spain2
Canada2
Czech Republic2
Hong Kong2
Iran2
Latvia1
Portugal1
Taiwan1
Bangladesh1
Hungary1
Costa Rica1
Switzerland1
Turkey1
Brazil1
Ireland1
Ecuador1
Finland1
Norway1
Philippines1
Malta1
Pakistan1

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.