The Gamification of Online Romance Fraud through Offenders’ Cards

With the advent of the internet, romance fraud – or instances wherein individuals use fake identities and sham romantic relationships to defraud others – has moved online. Victims of this crime experience harms to their financial, social, and personal well-being. While researchers have made strides in exploring this crime from the perspective of victims, little research has investigated it using data drawn from the persons committing the crime. Moreover, little is known about how these offenders may alter their strategies in response to variations in perceived reward. In this study, we explore these processes utilizing data collected via a series of sequential e-mail exchanges with 94 online romance fraudsters. More specifically, we investigate the deception strategies used by these fraudsters and examine whether and how these strategies shift in response to changes in the prospect of receiving financial reward from a victim. Our results add to current understanding of online romance fraud and have implications for theories of interpersonal deception and rational choice.

The growing proportions of older people in rural areas have implications for the provision of health and social care services. Older people are more likely to have complex health needs compared with other age groups, requiring a full range of primary, community and acute hospital services. The provision of services to older people in rural areas is challenged by diseconomies of scale, travel costs and difficulties in attracting staff. Policy-makers are requested to include the 'voice' of older people to help provide services that match needs and context. In spite of this, what older people want from health and social care services is a neglected area of investigation. The reported study was conducted in 2005/2006 as part of a European Union Northern Periphery Programme (EU NPP) project called Our Life as Elderly. Its aims were to explore the views of those aged 55 years and over and living in remote communities about current and future health and social care service provision for older people. Evidence was to be collected that could inform policy-makers about changing or improving service delivery. This article summarises emergent themes and considers their implications. The study selected two small remote mainland Scottish Highland communities for in-depth case study. Semi-structured interviews (n = 23), 10 'informal conversations' and 4 focus groups were held with community members aged 55 years and over, in order to provide different types of qualitative data and 'layers' of data to allow reflection. Data analysis was assisted by computerised data management software and performed using the 'framework analysis' approach. Participants did not consider themselves 'old' and expressed the need for independence in older age to be supported by services. Several aspects of services that were undergoing change or restructuring were identified, including arrangements for home care services, meals provision and technological support. Participants valued elements of the traditional model of care they had been receiving: these were local, personal emphasis and continuity. They were suspicious of new arrangements perceived to emphasise technical efficiency. Health and care services were described as inter-linked with other aspects of rural living, including transport and housing (which might have to be relinquished to pay for care). Proximity to family was desired for social and domestic support only; health and related support should be from generic service providers. Community members were involved in reciprocal help-giving of many types. The findings compare with results of other studies of older rural people internationally, and generic 'principles' of service derived could guide restructuring. There may be systemic challenges to empowering older people's 'voice' in designing sustainable rural services that stem from society's views of older people, attitudes of communities to collective roles and responsibilities, and the fragmented ways that services are sometimes provided.

Purpose Understanding the causes and the consequences of online romance scam victimization fear, a psychological stress, is crucial for online daters to achieve a positive experience and for online dating platforms to provide that experience. This research contextualized and tested a theory concerning the negative psychological factors of online romance scams and their consequences on online dating positive psychology. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a developmental mixed-method design. The first phase was a qualitative study following a positivist paradigm. The second phase was a survey-based quantitative study. After the quantitative results, this research combined the understanding from both phases to develop the meta-inferences and finalized the antecedents and consequences of online romance scam victimization fear in online dating. Findings An increase in online romance scam-related anxiety and social vulnerability is positively associated with cognitive vulnerability. An increase in online romance scam-related anxiety, cognitive vulnerability and social vulnerability is positively associated with online romance scam victimization fear. An increase in online romance scam-related anxiety, cognitive vulnerability, social vulnerability and victimization fear is negatively associated with online dating psychological capital. Practical implications Utilizing this study’s findings, dating platforms can develop strategies to reduce users’ fear of online romance scam victimization and provide them with higher psychological capital to continue online dating. Originality/value The study contributes to cybercrime and online dating literature by capturing the psychological antecedents of scam victimization fear and showing how fear stimuli can lead to responses, which in turn cause a detrimental effect on online dating psychological capital.

Itzhak Gilboa (Tel Aviv, 1963) is currently professor of economics at the Eitan Berglas School of Economics at Tel-Aviv University and professor of economics and decision sciences at the Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Paris. He earned undergraduate degrees in mathematics and in economics at Tel Aviv University, where he also obtained his MA and PhD in economics under the supervision of David Schmeidler. Before joining Tel Aviv University in 2004 and the HEC in 2008, Gilboa taught at the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University. Gilboa’s main area of interest is decision-making under uncertainty, focusing on the definition of probability, notions of rationality, non-Bayesian decision models, and related issues. He has published broadly in areas such as decision and game theory, microeconomics, philosophy, social choice theory, and applied mathematics. He has written over 90 articles in these fields. Gilboa has furthermore written a textbook entitled Rational choice (Gilboa 2010a), in which he lays out what he takes to be the main toolbox for studying and improving human decision-making. Additional books include A theory of case-based decisions (Gilboa and Schmeidler 2001), Theory of decision under uncertainty (Gilboa 2009), Making better decisions (Gilboa 2010b), and Case-based predictions (Gilboa and Schmeidler 2012). Professor Gilboa was interviewed by Catherine Herfeld at the department of economics of the University of Mainz (Germany) on July 13, 2013. In this interview, Gilboa lays out his perspective on the nature and purpose of the rational choice paradigm, discussing it in the context of recent philosophical questions about the advantages of axiomatization and its relation to empirical research, the usefulness of unrealistic assumptions, the future of neuroeconomics, the status of economics as a science, and his view of truth.

Appears in: EDULEARN19 Proceedings Publication year: 2019Page: 1648 (abstract only)ISBN: 978-84-09-12031-4ISSN: 2340-1117doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2019.0483Conference name: 11th International Conference on Education and New Learning TechnologiesDates: 1-3 July, 2019Location: Palma, Spain

Objective Financial exploitation of older adults results in devastating emotional, health, and economic consequences for victims, their families, and society at large. Examining reactions of Holocaust survivors to financial exploitation can provide informative insights into the effects of re-traumatization in highly traumatized older adults. This study examined the personal experiences and meaning that Holocaust survivors attribute to being victims of financial exploitation, thereby assessing an underexplored issue: the effects of financial exploitation on previously traumatized older adults. Method Fifteen Israeli Holocaust survivors (10 females; 5 males) aged 79–92 (M = 84.66), participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed according to the phenomenological approach. Results Analysis yielded four themes. Negative emotional reactions toward financial exploitation included feelings of anger, hurt, shock, and helplessness. Coping mechanisms included adaptive (i.e. acting for the benefit of the self and offspring, helping others, alertness, and caution), and maladaptive (i.e. self-blame and rationalization) mechanisms. Positive life motto relates to participants perceiving themselves as vital and optimistic, grateful, helping the weak, and content with little. Protective and risk factors included family and community protection (versus living alone without resources), education (versus lack of), and taking preventive measures. Conclusions This study adds to the literature on the experience of revictimization among previously traumatized older adults, Holocaust survivors exposed to financial exploitation, by highlighting adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms alongside positive mottos in life, and victims’ perceptions of risk and protective factors. Overall, findings indicate that the participants were characterized by both resilience and vulnerability in the face of financial exploitation.

The paper addresses the ‘rational choice only’ reconstruction, characterization, and interpretation of classical and neoclassical economics. It argues that such a reconstruction is inaccurate failing to do justice to the dual theoretical character of classical/neoclassical economics. The paper instead proposes and shows that the latter involves not only elements of ‘rational choice theory’ but also those of an alternative conception. It identifies various and important ideas, observations, and implications of irrational choice and action within classical/neoclassical economics. One class of such ingredients involves forms, expressions, and cases—i.e. specification and classification—of irrational choices in the economy. Another class comprises the social and other factors—i.e. economic sociology or social economics—of irrational choices in the economy. The paper’s intended contribution is to help identify and clarify the extant sources and alternatives of rational choice theory in conventional economics. Generally, it aims to contribute to identifying and better understanding sociological implications in economics.

Late-life adverse events may be particularly impactful in Holocaust survivors (HS) as they may be reminiscent of certain conditions that existed during the Holocaust. Financial exploitation (FE) is one such adverse event that may lead to losses reminiscent of Holocaust conditions. Research has demonstrated that the experience of FE has devastating consequences on the mental health of older adults. However, few research studies have examined the consequences of FE in older adults with a traumatic past. In a quantitative study, we showed that anxiety and depressive symptoms associated with an FE experience were significantly greater in HS with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms relative to comparisons (HS without PTSD symptoms who experienced FE and HS without an FE experience). However, research of HS has also shown that they exhibit certain resiliencies vis-à-vis stress. Accordingly, we used a qualitative approach to further examine vulnerability and resilience among HS who experience FE. The following questions guided our inquiry: What are the feelings and perceptions of HS following an experience of FE? How did they cope with FE? What are their perceptions of protective and risk factors for FE? Fifteen HS (10 females, M age = 84.66) living in Israel underwent semi-structured interviews. A four-stage content analysis revealed several core themes of meaning: 1) negative emotional reactions towards FE; 2) coping mechanisms; 3) positive life motto; 4) protective and risk factors for FE. Taken together, the qualitative analyses produced novel insights with regards to vulnerabilities and resiliencies amongst HS who have experienced FE.

It is widely believed that rational choice theory is grossly inconsistent with empirical observations about voter turnout. We report the results of an experiment designed to test the voter turnout predictions of the rational choice Palfrey–Rosenthal model of participation with asymmetric information. We find that the three main comparative statics predictions are observed in the data: the size effect, whereby turnout goes down in larger electorates; the competition effect, whereby turnout is higher in elections that are expected to be close; and the underdog effect, whereby voters supporting the less popular alternative have higher turnout rates. We also compare the quantitative magnitudes of turnout to the predictions of Nash equilibrium. We find that there is undervoting for small electorates and overvoting for large electorates, relative to Nash equilibrium. These deviations from Nash equilibrium are consistent with the logit version of Quantal Response Equilibrium, which provides a good fit to the data, and can also account for significant voter turnout in very large elections.

Emotional and financial costs of online dating scam: A phenomenological narrative of the experiences of victims of Nigerian romance fraudsters

Geriatric patients' views on a pharmacist-led follow-up programme after discharge from hospital.

This field observation compares the behavior and welfare of ultimate Frisbee players in three settings. The first setting, Corning College, was an informal group at a private university. The second setting, Stuart University, was a seasonal, open collegiate team at a public university. The third setting, the Mallards, was a seasonal, elite, open club team. The players’ interactions and behaviors in the three settings were influenced by a number of norms, practices, and an ethos known as the spirit of the game. Through the presentation of field notes, video recordings, and informal conversations, the author argues via rational choice theory and game theory that players selectively create, negotiate, and manipulate norms and practices to maximize game interaction, quality, and/or fluidity depending on the particular conditions such as level of competition between players, history between teams and players, and the rewards at stake.

This qualitative research examines the phenomenon of online romance fraud, exploring it from contrasting perspectives. The study engaged two distinct groups of participants: (1) fraudsters actively involved in online romance scams (commonly referred to as “Sakawa Boys”) and (2) police officers with experience in investigating and policing internet crimes. We explore the usefulness of neutralization techniques in interpreting data within the cultural context of individuals’ subjective experiences. Thematic analysis of data reveals that both offenders and police officers employ certain neutralization techniques, such as denial of responsibility, condemnation of the condemners, and appeals to higher loyalties, to justify their conduct. In particular, online romance offenders invoke higher loyalties, rationalizing their actions as reparative justice for colonial exploitation and framing their fraud as a means of reclaiming wealth unjustly taken during colonial rule. The findings suggest that participants perceive the enduring legacy of colonialism as a key factor driving the production of cybercrime. This research contributes to the scant body of direct testimonies from romance fraud offenders, which are significantly rarer than those from police officers, providing valuable insights into this global phenomenon. Methodologically and theoretically, this research contributes to understanding the global phenomenon of scammers targeting individuals worldwide.

ABSTRACTWithin workplace contexts, professionals learn from colleagues by engaging in informal conversations, yet little is known about the contribution these types of conversations make to how academics develop as teachers. Taking a socio-cultural perspective, this article reports on the experience of mid-career academics in conversations about teaching within their departmental contexts. This study drew on semi-structured interviews with 24 academic staff working in different departments at an Australian research-intensive university. The transcripts were analysed using Glaser and Strauss’ [1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. New York: Aldine] constant comparative method for developing grounded theory. The analysis reveals that the nature of conversations between colleagues has a distinct role in supporting academics to learn how to manage and improve their teaching practice in several unique ways, for example, through collaboration following a venting incident. Informal conversations about teaching are revealed as an avenue for continuing professional development for mid-career academics, and a productive area for future higher education research.

Engaging in informal activities, like conversations with colleagues, is one way that professionals can learn within workplace contexts. Informal conversations present opportunities for academics to learn about teaching. The current study investigated academics’ experience of informal conversations, and their experience of the relations between conversations and one formal development program. Semi-structured interviews with 30 individual academics were conducted and the transcripts analysed using the constant comparative method associated with grounded theory. This analysis provided evidence that conversations play a developmental role in supporting academics to learn about teaching from colleagues, and these conversations can reinforce the learning from a formal development program. The results of this study suggest roles for academic developers in encouraging informal conversations about teaching, and building constructive relations between formal and informal development strategies.