More than Money: Examining the Potential Exposure of Romance Fraud Victims to Identity Crime

ABSTRACT Romance fraud occurs when an offender uses the guise of a genuine relationship to defraud an individual for financial gain. Known statistics indicate that millions are lost each year to this form of fraud. However, the potential for romance fraud victims to also experience identity crime as a consequence of their interactions and communications with an offender has yet to be explored. This article begins to address this gap by examining the potential exposure for identity crime in the context of romance fraud using reports lodged with Scamwatch, an Australian online fraud reporting portal. The findings demonstrate few behavioural and demographic characteristics associated with the potential exposure of those targeted by romance fraud to identity crime. However, the article provides insights into how this analysis should inform prevention messaging and victim support services for those targeted by romance fraud.