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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.
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· 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. A study of scams aimed at sexual access also describes sexual violence. Harm can occur without a financial loss, but these studies do not establish how often each consequence occurs across all victims.
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· Accepted reader explanation
How scammers turn closeness into pressure
Scammers can make sending money or complying with sexual demands feel like protecting a relationship and a shared future. Grooming develops closeness that can later be exploited. Studies describe these tactics, but limited direct investigation leaves uncertainty about which approaches lead people to comply.
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· 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.
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· Added to Library
From cultural scripts to financial compliance: Sociotechnical mechanisms and narrative reconstruction in Chinese “pig-butchering” Romance-Investment scam victim accounts
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
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· 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.
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· 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.
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· 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.
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· Accepted reader explanation
Why romance scams can be hard to report
People targeted by romance scams may struggle to find help. In some settings, disclosing an intimate relationship can also expose them to punishment or reveal their sexual identity. Research describes these barriers but cannot establish how often victims report worldwide.
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· 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.
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· 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.
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· Accepted reader explanation
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.
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· Added to Library
SPEAKING BEHAVIOUR OF INTERNET DATING SCAMMERS
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
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· Added to Library
Tainted Love: Characteristics, Dynamics and Effects of Online Dating Scam in China
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
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· Added to Library
Comprehensive Analysis of Online Social Network Frauds
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
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· Added to Library
Towards Effective Local Financial Cybercrime Detection using Machine Learning
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
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· Added to Library
Bibliometric Mapping of Scientific Production and Conceptual Structure of Cyber Sextortion in Cybersecurity
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
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· Added to Library
The scammer’s playbook: Exploring the psychological techniques and tactics used by scammers in the social engineering of cryptocurrency fraud
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
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· Added to Library
Online Dating
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
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· Added to Library
An Artificial Intelligence-Driven Temporal Network Analysis of Myanmar’s Cyber Scam Ecosystem
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.
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· Added to Library
Cyberkriminalität im Kontext von Partnerschaft, Sexualität und Peerbeziehungen: Zur Cyberkriminologie des digitalen sozialen Nahraums
Approved publication added to the Library. This date is when RSRC added the record, not the work’s publication date.