The Big Tech Show: Love-bombing, pet names and excuses – the signs of romance fraud

This week on The Big Tech Show, Adrian speaks to cyber security expert and author of ‘Hacked: The Secrets Behind Cyber Attacks,’ Dr Jessica Barker.

In 2023, almost two million euro was reported to Gardaí in Ireland, as being stolen from victims of romance fraud. Dr Barker says that this figure is only the tip of the iceberg, as romance fraud victims are unlikely to report these crimes because of shame and embarrassment.

People who fall for romance scams feel a misplaced sense of shame and guilt because of being duped by the criminals and don’t want to tell their family and loved ones, according to the cyber security expert.

The author spoke about the giving of gifts as a method of building a sense of trust with the victim which also makes the victim feel indebted to the scammer. Dr Barker says that the fraudsters will often find out the birthday and address through this solicitation of information during the gift giving process.

You can listen to the full episode on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.