Work

To pay or not to pay: An exploratory analysis of sextortion in the context of romance fraud

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Romance fraud, where an offender uses the guise of a genuine relationship for monetary gain, affects millions globally. Further to financial losses, evidence suggests victims may also be targeted for sextortion, where the offender either has images or claims to possess indecent images of a person and attempts to extort them for money. Research exploring the association between romance fraud and sextortion is limited, with little known about the characteristics of victims and their potential for financial loss. This article addresses this gap through a quantitative analysis of those who reported romance fraud which included a threat of sextortion. It identifies those who paid in response to the sextortion threat by a variety of situational and demographic variables and locates this group in the broader context of romance fraud. The implications of this study for an understanding of online fraud victimization are explored in detail.

Source: Criminology & Criminal Justice

DOI: 10.1177/17488958221149581

Authors: Cassandra Cross, Karen Holt, Thomas J Holt

Institutions: Queensland University of Technology, Michigan State University

Language: English

Topic: Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies

Subfield: Information Systems

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,250