The Role of Love Stories in Romance Scams: A Qualitative Analysis of Fraudulent Profiles

IntroductionThe internet offers consumers and businesses a global marketplace which is both accessible and convenient for a wide range of services. In this space, one such service is online dating, which has evolved very quickly from its beginnings as a site of marginal interest to now become a mainstream social practice. Surveys indicate that whilst in 2003 there were an estimated 29 million Americans (two out of five singles) who used an online dating service, this would increase by 2004 to 40 million unique visitors to online dating sites each month (Edelson, 2003). Currently, it has been found that the 'online personals category' is one of the most lucrative forms of paid content on the web in the United States, with the market being worth $642 million in 2008 and $1.9 billion in 2012 (Edelson, 2003). The total profit of online dating services is estimated to be $1.4 billion per year (Rege, 2009). These revenues are said to be growing at a rate of 10 percent each year (Bridges, 2012), and it has been claimed that social networking of this kind has now become the fourth most popular strategy in finding a date or a romantic partner (Valkenburg & Peter, 2007). Unscrupulous individuals have recognized the monetizing potential of cyberspace, and the similar scams and frauds that have traditionally been conducted by mail and phone can now be found on the web, email, and social networking sites. Of considerable concern here is that the extent of these cyber scams appears to be growing (Bergiel, Bergiel, & Balsmeier, 2008). Indeed, given the popularity of the online dating market and the significant economic implications of the area, it is perhaps not surprising that this has become a key focus of fraudsters and scammers (Fair, Tully, Ekdale, & Asante, 2009; Rathinaraj & Chendroyaperumal, 2010). Because of the universal availability of the internet, countries other than the United States are not immune to this practice. In one Australian state alone, it has been estimated that Queenslanders are losing over $500K per month to "Nigerian" scammers, a figure that is growing at about 15% per year. In addition, the Melbourne Herald Sun reports that Australians lost $21 million to online dating scams in 2011 (Herald Sun, 2011). Adding to the concern regarding this practice, it is becoming apparent that financial loss is not the only damage caused by romance scams. It also has a serious social and psychological side (Ross & Smith, 2011). These romance scams target vulnerable, romantic or lonely people (Buchanan & Whitty, 2014) looking for love and companionship, and scammers employ several tactics to make the victim develop strong personal feelings for them. The victims are encouraged to build an intimate virtual personal relationship with the scammer, during which they show normal temporal relationship behaviour patterns such as sharing emotions, revealing personal information as secrets and wishes, and also providing personal support. Persons who were involved in the romance scam regularly describe themselves as a 'victim' even if they have not suffered any financial loss (Whitty, 2013). In the flow of events in this area, it is after deep trust has been established, that a call of distress and a need for money comes from the scammer. This apparent need for financial support continues over the period that the victim trusts in the virtual relationship. During this time the victim will sacrifice considerable financial resources, and it is not uncommon that when all these financial resources have been exhausted, the victim will start to suggest different ways to help. However, because the scammer is not usually interested in alternative means of aid since this does not generate financial benefit, these suggestions are rejected, and it is at this time where most victims realise that the relationship is a scam and it is terminated either by the victim or by the scammer.An important observation at this point is that although the scam relationship might be recognized and terminated by the victim, this does not signal the end of the problem. …