Romance Scam Research Articles

A Quantitative Analysis on the Sentencing Disparity in Online Romance Scam Cases in United States: A Focal Concern Theory Perspective

A Quantitative Analysis on the Sentencing Disparity in Online Romance Scam Cases in United States: A Focal Concern Theory Perspective

The dark side of Artificial Intelligence – Risks arising in dating applications

Key digested messageHiding behind a smartphone screen, online dating applications provide a playground of opportunity for fraudsters and scammers. With ease of access to artificial intelligence, the technological capabilities of nefarious individuals are quickly growing. From sophisticated chatbots designed to engage in conversations and extract personal data, to deepfake technology used to create convincing false personas. This article summarises the current and upcoming risks which artificial intelligence poses to dating application and social media users. Deepfake technology is a key risk; the world is experiencing greater use of attractive deepfake images to convince dating app users into involvement in a romance scam, face-swaps to target and blackmail social media users with their intimate images, and instant generation of child sexual abuse material. Other risks include stalkers tracking their victims with greater ease, and individuals downloading nefarious dating applications which utilise chatbots to gather information and get paid. Gaps in empirical research are identified and discussed.

Unravelling the organisation of ivorian cyberfraudsters: Criminal networks or organised crime?

This article delves into the organisation of Ivorian cyberfraudsters, known as “brouteurs”, who engage in romance scams and sextorsion, and it questions the various structures through which these fraudsters operate. The study's findings are based on data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with cyber-fraudsters in Abidjan during a two-month field trip. The statements made by the brouteurs were analysed using thematic content analysis, which highlighted various roles and activities undertaken assumed by different individuals within these groups. A relatively clear trend emerges regarding the structure of these groups and the social connections within their organisation. It is possible to distinguish between sextorsion and romance scam groups, on one hand non-hierarchical and more fluid and opportunistic, on the other hierarchical, with defined roles and activities, engaged in other serious offenses. Both have international connections, may them be accomplices, money mules, underground bankers or corrupt public agents. While brouteurs acknowledge that "Everyone is part of a network.", these first results show different forms of organisation of cybercriminal Ivorian groups. The question which follows is whether these groups constitute cybercriminal networks or organised cybercrime. Future research in this direction, such as the development of crime scripts, can help institutions take effective measures to combat the transnationalisation of cyberfraud.

Tainted Love: a Systematic Literature Review of Online Romance Scam Research

Abstract Romance scams involve cybercriminals engineering a romantic relationship on online dating platforms for monetary gain. It is a cruel form of cybercrime whereby victims are left heartbroken, often facing financial ruin. We characterize the literary landscape on romance scams, advancing the understanding of researchers and practitioners by systematically reviewing and synthesizing contemporary qualitative and quantitative evidence. The systematic review establishes influencing factors of victimhood and explores countermeasures for mitigating romance scams. We searched 10 scholarly databases and websites using terms related to romance scams. The methodology followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines: a total of 279 papers were screened. One hundred seven papers were assessed for eligibility, and 53 were included in the final analysis. Three main contributions were identified: common profile features and techniques used by romance scammers, countermeasures for mitigating romance scams and factors predisposing an individual to become a scammer or a victim. Despite a growing corpus of literature, the total number of empirical or experimental examinations remained limited. The paper concludes with avenues for future research and victimhood intervention strategies for practitioners, law enforcement and the industry.

판결문을 통해 살펴본 로맨스 스캠 범죄의 양태

판결문을 통해 살펴본 로맨스 스캠 범죄의 양태

Sentencing Disparity and Focal Concern: An Assessment of Judicial Decisions on Sha Zhu Pan Cases Collected From China Judgements Online

Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘), or Pig-Butchering scam, is a new online romance scam that mainly targets Chinese-speaking individuals to gain emotional trust and persuade victims to invest in a fictitious website controlled by the scammer group. The substantial economic loss forced the Chinese government to launch a series of judicial campaigns against this crime. Regardless, Sha Zhu Pan has not been significantly curbed but intensified and spread from mainland China to Southeast Asia, North America, and other regions. When procuring answers to this conundrum, no empirical studies have attempted to explore judicial aspects among Sha Zhu Pan cases in China. The purpose of this paper is to utilize focal concern theory, a conceptual framework generally applies to explain sentencing disparity, to explore whether the sentencing of Sha Zhu Pan offenders is guided by legal factors outlined in Chinese sentencing guidelines. To answer this question, this study quantitatively analyzes 172 legal cases collected from China Judgments Online. Although few inconsistent findings exist, the empirical evidence reveals that the judgments in Sha Zhu Pan cases are primarily driven by the three legal elements of the focal concern theory. The outcomes expand the focal concern theory to cybercrime sentencing in a cross-cultural context while offering insights to guide future research.

Self and desired partner descriptions in the online romance scam: a linguistic analysis of scammer and general user profiles on online dating portals

Self and desired partner descriptions in the online romance scam: a linguistic analysis of scammer and general user profiles on online dating portals

Internet Scamming and the Techniques of Neutralization: Parents’ Excuses and Justifications for Children’s Involvement in Online Dating Fraud in Nigeria

AbstractTechniques of neutralization have largely been used to explain the triadic relationship between cybercrimes, offenders and victims, while the possible involvement of the offenders’ social networks as accomplices has been ignored. Interviewing parents, a qualitative study of their children’s romance scam involvement was conducted in Nigeria, exploring the parents’ disposition towards their children’s delinquent behaviour. In all, 52 interviews were conducted, and a thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. Findings indicated that parents’ initial opposition to cybercrimes and support for enforcing laws against perpetrators changed towards accepting their children’s involvement in romance fraud. Parents adopted their children’s neutralization techniques in accepting their deviance. These findings have important implications in understanding the depth of Internet scams and parents’ social expectations in controlling their children’s behaviours.

Persuasive Schemes for Financial Exploitation in Online Romance Scam: An Anatomy on Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘) in China

ABSTRACT Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘, Pig-Butchering scam) is a new online romance scam targeting mainly Chinese-speaking individuals. While a few studies in Chinese have paid attention to Sha Zhu Pan, no study in English considers the role of scammers’ persuasive techniques in shaping the progress of fraudulent discourse. This study attempts to address this gap by analyzing the rhetorical moves of the Sha Zhu Pan scammers through using data from both victims and offenders. Victims’ testimonial data were collected from Zhihu, a prominent Chinese online platform for posting questions and answers and users’ personal experiences. This study also uses four complete police reports from law enforcement in China to provide objective evidences from offenders’ perspective in a natural setting. This study advances the model of criminal persuasion for Sha Zhu Pan developed from Gardner’s original persuasive framework. Such a model points out the type of persuasive techniques that the Sha Zhu Pan scammers frequently use during different stages of the scam. The results reflect a preliminary understanding of scammers’ behaviors, showing that the language of this financially and emotionally devastated crime indeed follows a premeditated arrangement. Moreover, such evidences can also support the proposal of related theoretical and policy implications for researchers, the government in China and other countries.

Drug mule for love

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to gain in-depth understandings of the stages involved in the case of a romance scam victim who was unknowingly used as a drug mule. The work compares this case with established research in this field. It also seeks to learn more about the strategies used by these cybercriminals.Design/methodology/approachThe research presents a case study of a victim of a romance scam who was arrested for drug trafficking. The research involves a grounded theory analysis of interviews with the victim, legal team and family members and analysis of her instant messenger chat logs and email communications.FindingsThe analysis identified a variation on previous stage models of romance scams and re-names this as the “romance scammers” strategy model. It also replicates previous work on scammers’ techniques and highlights some new strategies, including positively and negatively framing messages, unconditional positive regard, activating norms of romantic relationships, cognitive immersion, manipulating role, sleep deprivation and signing is believing.Practical implicationsThese findings could be used to help guide future similar court cases. Moreover, they can be drawn upon to advance future research on romance scams, as well as scams in general.Originality/valueThis is the first in-depth case study of a romance scam victim involved in drug trafficking and is the first research on romance scams to examine in depth a case, taking into account textual exchanges. While not undermining previous research, this paper provides valuable insights that are lacking in previous qualitative work on cyber scam victims.

Introduction: A sociosemiotic exploration of identity and discourse

Abstract Among the categories of the telecom and internet frauds, the online romance scam is of particular concern for its sharp rise of victim numbers and the huge amount of cost. A social semiotic approach could be used to investigate the victim identity of the online romance scam from the aspects of the (re)construction and interpretation of discursive practices. The range of papers in this section shows that the study of text, context and the way that people use semiotic resources to produce communication, to create and manage events and to interpret them.

Loneliness and Romance Scam in South Korea

Loneliness and Romance Scam in South Korea

Mapping Computer Mediated Communication Theories and Persuasive Strategies in Analysing Online Dating Romance Scam

Mapping Computer Mediated Communication Theories and Persuasive Strategies in Analysing Online Dating Romance Scam

Devices of Textual Illusion: Victimization in Romance Scam E-Letters

Virtual communication transcends national boundaries and allows establishing and maintaining contacts efficiently. However, it also poses threats to integrity and ethical online conduct. In particular, dating sites and unsolicited e-messages often prey on vulnerable unsuspecting people with an intention to extort financial means. The internet is a medium where anonymity, disguise and fraud are widespread. Scammers use linguopsychological devices to lure potential victims into the scam scenario. Devices were screened and categorized from seven letter-sets (each set containing 18–23 letters) including correspondence with scammers. The sets revealed similar lexical and macrostructural patterns common in e-romance scam. Frequently employed devices appeared to signal scammers’ malicious intents often potentially detrimental to a victim. Persuasion, flattering, appeal to trust, core human drives such as bonding, greed, altruism are among the most popular scammers’ devices. The method of structural reduction allowed establishing functional stages in the macrostructure of letter-sets.

Automatic Detection and Analysis of the “Game Hack” Scam

The “Game Hack” Scam (GHS) is a mostly unreported cyberattack in which attackers attempt to convince victims that they will be provided with free, unlimited “resources” or other advantages for their favorite game. The endgame of the scammers ranges from monetizing for themselves the victims time and resources by having them click through endless “surveys”, filing out “market research” forms, etc., to collecting personal information, getting the victims to subscribe to questionable services, up to installing questionable executable files on their machines. Other scams such as the “Technical Support Scam”, the “Survey Scam”, and the “Romance Scam” have been analyzed before but to the best of our knowledge, GHS has not been well studied so far and is indeed mostly unknown. In this paper, our aim is to investigate and gain more knowledge on this type of scam by following a data-driven approach; we formulate GHS-related search queries, and used multiple search engines to collect data about the websites to which GHS victims are directed when they search online for various game hacks and tricks. We analyze the collected data to provide new insight into GHS and research the extent of this scam. We show that despite its low profile, the click traffic generated by the scam is in the hundreds of millions. We also show that GHS attackers use social media, streaming sites, blogs, and even unrelated sites such as change.org or jeuxvideo.com to carry out their attacks and reach a large number of victims. Our data collection spans a year; in that time, we uncovered 65,905 different GHS URLs, mapped onto over 5,900 unique domains.We were able to link attacks to attackers and found that they routinely target a vast array of games. Furthermore, we find that GHS instances are on the rise, and so is the number of victims. Our low-end estimation is that these attacks have been clicked at least 150 million times in the last five years. Finally, in keeping with similar large-scale scam studies, we find that the current public blacklists are inadequate and suggest that our method is more effective at detecting these attacks.

Who can spot an online romance scam?

Purpose This paper aims to examine predictors (personality, belief systems, expertise and response time) of detecting online romance scams. Design/methodology/approach The online study asked 261 participants to rate whether a profile was a scam or a genuine profile. Participants were also asked to complete a personality inventory, belief scales and demographic, descriptive questions. The online study was also designed to measure response time. Findings It was found that those who scored low in romantic beliefs, high in impulsivity, high in consideration of future consequences, had previously spotted a romance scam and took longer response times were more likely to accurately distinguish scams from genuine profiles. Notably, the research also found that it was difficult to detect scams. The research also found that it was important to adapt Whitty’s (2013) “Scammers Persuasive Techniques Model” to include a stage named: “human detection of scam versus genuine profiles”. Originality/value This is the first study, to the author’s knowledge, that examines predictors of human accuracy in detecting romance scams. Dating sites and government e-safety sites might draw upon these findings to help improve human detection and protect users from this financial and psychologically harmful cyberscam.

Online-Dating Romance Scam in Malaysia: An Analysis of Online Conversations between Scammers and Victims

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.

Do You Love Me? Psychological Characteristics of Romance Scam Victims.

The online dating romance scam is an Advance Fee Fraud, typically conducted by international criminal groups via online dating sites and social networking sites. This type of mass-marketing fraud (MMF) is the most frequently reported type of MMF in most Western countries. This study examined the psychological characteristics of romance scam victims by comparing romance scam victims with those who had never been scammed by MMFs. Romance scam victims tend to be middle-aged, well-educated women. Moreover, they tend to be more impulsive (scoring high on urgency and sensation seeking), less kind, more trustworthy, and have an addictive disposition. It is argued here that these findings might be useful for those developing prevention programs and awareness campaigns.

Thematic Analysis of Consumer Frauds and Scams Against Ethiopian Immigrants in the USA; A Phenomenological Case Study in Washington Seattle

The purpose of this study is to assess electronic consumer frauds and scams against vulnerable Ethiopian immigrants living in Seattle area. The research contributes to understanding the patterns and typologies of consumer frauds and scam specific to immigrants. The study looks at the physical, emotional, mental and economic impact of the fraud on the immigrants interviewed. Employment frauds, romance scam, and grandparent scam were common. The fraudsters and scammers contacted frequently the new entrants to the United States of America through unsolicited texting, fake e-mail, letting them click on unsecured ads link and social media. This study suggests on consumer protection laws and policy. This phenomenological study is based on in-depth interviews by the author with ten migrant victims. The demographic characteristics such as age, sex, level of education, and the form of employment, type, and level of financial knowledge were the leading risk factors of the phenomenon. Consumer product and services frauds and scams such as tax return service fraud, immigration service scam, ‘‘Microsoft tech support’’ scam, craigslist car sale scam, and ‘‘journal publish’’ scam took the lion share of the prevalence. The sufferers realized the phenomena as frauds and scams understanding activities on their debit card, e-mail, and mail-alert. Most respondents haven’t reported and not filed a complaint with the concerned legal bodies due to the determining factors and socio-economic and cultural constraints. Psychologically, they lost their faith and confidence in the world; lost their time and lost personal information privacy. These effects outweighed the material and monetary loss. As a result, the victims planned to use the traditional in-person deal instead of e-commerce businesses.

Cyber Romance Scam Victimization Analysis using Routine Activity Theory Versus Apriori Algorithm

The advance new digital era nowadays has led to the increasing cases of cyber romance scam in Malaysia. These technologies have offered both opportunities and challenge, depending on the purpose of the user. To face this challenge, the key factors that influence the susceptibility to cyber romance scam need to be identified. Therefore, this study proposed cyber romance scam models using statistical method and Apriori techniques to explore the key factors of cyber romance scam victimization based on the real police report lodged by the victims. The relationship between demographic variables such as age, education level, marital status, monthly income and independent variables such as level of computer skills and the level of cyber-fraud awareness has been investigated. Then, the result of this study was compared with Routine Activity Theory (RAT). This study found that those between the ages of 25 and 45 years were likely to be the victims of cyber romance scams in Malaysia. The majority of the victims are educated and having a Diploma. In addition, this research shows that married people are more likely to be the victims of cyber romance scams. Study shows that non-income individuals are also vulnerable to being the victims because the study shows that 17 percent of respondents who are the victims are from this group. As expected, those who work and have monthly income between RM2001 and above are more likely to be targeted and become a victim of cyber romance scams. The study also shows that those who lack computer skills and less levels of cyber-fraud awareness are more likely to be victims of cyber romance scams.