Keep up with the research
Research updates
New Library records and the latest accepted explanation for each Research Insight, in one place.
Library dates show when RSRC added a record, not when the work was published. An explanation date marks an accepted editorial change; it does not necessarily mean new research was added. Routine metadata checks and unfinished drafts stay out of this list.
To follow updates without email or an account, copy the feed link into your feed reader. Each feed includes up to 50 recent entries. An Insight’s revision history provides additional detail about its synthesis versions.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
From scam reports to enforcement
Platforms can remove scam accounts, researchers can trace transactions, and police can pursue offenders across borders. But removing a profile, identifying a money trail, and securing a conviction are different achievements. The research reviewed here documents enforcement activity without establishing which responses reliably reduce romance-scam losses.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
What technology changes in romance scams
Scammers can use AI-generated identities to make deception harder to check, while investigators use software to flag suspicious material. But the studies reviewed here do not establish that these tools reduce victims’ losses, and how widely scammers use generative AI remains unknown.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
Why people get drawn into romance scams
Scammers can exploit a person’s need for connection, tailor their attention, and make a fraudulent relationship difficult to leave. Research links several emotional and personality characteristics with victimization, but it does not establish a reliable checklist for identifying who will be deceived.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
Why romance scams can be hard to report
People targeted by romance scams may fear judgment or struggle to find an agency that will listen. Research explains these obstacles, but it does not establish how often all victims report or which reporting and support changes prevent further harm.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
Recovering after a romance scam
Romance-scam survivors describe persistent distress and lost trust; broader cyberscam research also describes practical needs, such as help contacting banks and police. Supportive conversations and peer contact can feel helpful, but the research reviewed here does not establish which services produce lasting recovery.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
What can romance-scam prevention achieve?
Participants rated a romance-scam learning tool favorably, and monitored transfers decreased after warning letters. These findings show how people rated a tool and how payments changed after contact—not that either approach prevented financial loss.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
How romance scammers turn trust into payments
Romance scammers make a financial request feel like part of a relationship, including by introducing a supposed investment opportunity. Research documents both repeated scripts and changing demands. It does not establish how often each tactic succeeds or whether explaining these tactics prevents losses.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
How scammers turn closeness into financial pressure
Scammers can make sending money feel like caring for a partner or building a future together. Grooming means developing closeness that can later be exploited for money. Studies describe this process, but limited direct investigation leaves uncertainty about which tactics lead people to agree to requests or send money.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
Who experiences romance scams?
Women and middle-aged adults appear frequently in studied romance-scam reports, but other samples contain many men and younger adults. The evidence does not establish a single victim profile: which scam researchers count, who reports it, and whether they measure contact or financial loss all change the picture.
-
· Accepted reader explanation
What romance scams take beyond money
People deceived by a supposed romantic partner can lose money, a valued relationship, and a sense of safety. Some experience serious distress without losing money. Research documents these harms, but it does not establish how often each occurs across all victims.
-
· Added to Library
FedHeartShield Reviewed Romance Scam Corpus
Dataset added for discovery. Datasets are not used as evidence in Research Insights.
-
· Added to Library
Synthetic Dialogue Dataset for Romance Scam Detection
Dataset added for discovery. Datasets are not used as evidence in Research Insights.
-
· Added to Library
Analyzing Modern Scam Typologies: From Pig-Butchering and Nigerian Advance-Fee Fraud to Crypto Airdrop Schemes
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
-
· Added to Library
Three-Tier On-Chain Transaction Architecture in a Sanctions-Linked Pig-Butchering Network: A Blockchain-Forensics Case Study
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
-
· Added to Library
Language, Psychology, and New New Media: The Hyperpersonal Model of Mediated Communication at Twenty-Five Years
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
-
· Added to Library
Human‐supervised LLM triage of pig butchering complaints: A validation study of multi‐model identifier extraction
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
-
· Added to Library
Behind the Mask: The Devastating Emotional Fallout of Catfishing
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
-
· Added to Library
“CATFISHING” : EXPOSING TEEN RECEPTION ON MTV CATFISH ONLINE DATING
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
-
· Added to Library
Catfish: Exploring the Individual Predictors and Interpersonal Characteristics of Deceptive Online Romantic Relationships
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
-
· Added to Library
Digital Desire and the Cyber Imposter: A Psychoanalytic Reflection on Catfishing
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.