Abstract
The study of online romance scam is still at its infancy in Malaysia, despite the increase in the number of reported cases in this country. This research primarily aims to identify the steps and strategies involved in the online romance scam in Malaysia. Apart from that, it also aims to identify the pattern of deceptive language used in online romance scam in Malaysia through a comprehensive linguistic analysis of actual online conversations between scammers and victims. The empirical investigation of this research focuses on the language strategies used by scammers as a modus operando in deceiving their targets. With the help of the Malaysian Police Department, a database of romance scam cases was gathered and established. From the database, 30 sets of online communication between scammers and 30 Malaysian victims were selected and analysed using content analysis method. One of the aspects involved in data analysis was scammers’ linguistic styles and patterns in manipulating their targets. This was analysed using Brown and Levinson Politeness Model as well as Whitty’s Scammers Persuasive Techniques Model. The findings indicate a common linguistic pattern and style of conversation used by online scammers in persuading and deceiving their victims.
Highlights
The online romance scam is intimidating since it leaves double impacts to the victims
A set of authentic online communication was selected using a purposive sampling technique- sample was selected based on certain characteristics and the objective of the study
A set of data was gathered from the following resources: 1. A Facebook page known as Romance Scam Research Malaysia that was established in 2015
Summary
The online romance scam is intimidating since it leaves double impacts to the victims. The first impact is the loss of money and the second one would be the loss of a relationship that involves a deep emotional and psychological trauma (Whitty & Buchanan, 2016). They further state that some victims find it difficult to leave the relationship, even when they have been informed that it is not even real (Whitty & Buchanan, 2016). In July 2014, the TIME magazine reported that Malaysia was regarded as a global hub for Internet scams due to several reasons such as lax student visa regulations and a sophisticated banking system (Campbell, TIME Magazine, July 9, 2014)
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