Outlet Title

IEEE

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

Spring 4-24-2025

Abstract

Romance scams are a growing type of cybercrime in which perpetrators develop and exploit fraudulent romantic relationships with victims to obtain financial resources. These schemes cause substantial economic and psychological damage, yet they are significantly underreported. Official 2022 reports indicate only \$1.3 billion lost to romance scams in the US, but the true financial toll is likely much higher.

Using survey data from 366 victims, this study examines the financial and psychological toll of romance scams, reporting patterns, obstacles to seeking help, and victims' perceptions of received help. Most of the victims (60.9\%) did not seek help from any source, either formal institutions or personal contacts. A Chi-Square test (chi-square(1, N = 366) = 13.94, p~$< $~0.001) confirmed that victims who depend exclusively on informal support were significantly less likely to engage formal reporting mechanisms. In addition, greater financial losses appeared to be linked to higher rates of suicidal ideation.

The findings suggest that the increased performance and perceived helpfulness of formal institutions may increase their use, provide more accurate reporting, and lead to better outcomes. Further research should evaluate how improvements, including a centralized victim assistance organization, can improve victim outcomes and mitigate financial and psychological consequences.

Comments

Published in 2025 IEEE International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security (ISDFS 2025), DOI 10.1109/ISDFS65363.2025.11012081. The Version of Record is available at IEEE Xplore.

Download

Share

COinS