Abertay project seeks to detect online “romance fraud”

A project that aims to detect scammers who are using online dating platforms to defraud people is gathering momentum at the University of Abertay.

The project involves the use of a tool to detect “romance fraud”, a growing type of scam in which fraudsters lure their victims into false relationships in order to steal their money or personal information.

New data from UK Finance reveal that more than 7,000 people across the UK fell victim to this type of fraud between January 2020 and June 2022, with more than £65 million lost to scammers. However, the scale of the problem is thought to be much higher, as people may be too embarrassed to report, or unaware they are being defrauded.

To date, attempts to tackle the issue have largely focused on awareness-raising campaigns that people find difficult to translate into their own situations.

In contrast, Abertay’s “Broken Hearts, Empty Accounts” project takes a technological approach. Conducted by Dr Lynsay Shepherd, Dr Andrea Szymkowiak, Professor Graham Johnson and PhD student Marc Kydd from the School of Design and Informatics, it involves the use of a tool to spot subtle cues in online conversations that can protect users before they are scammed. Due to complete by 2025, it is already attracting the interest of law enforcement and cybersecurity agencies.

Mr Kydd commented: “We tend to see a spike in romance fraud around Valentine’s Day as single people are more sensitive to the fact they are not in a relationship and are therefore more susceptible to falling for a romance scam. I’d encourage people using online dating platforms at this time of year to be especially vigilant and to avoid sending money to people they have met online.”

Project supervisor Dr Lynsay Shepherd added: “Marc and the project team have created a truly innovative project that utilises Abertay’s world-renowned expertise in computing and cybersecurity. The project, when completed, has great potential to increase the chances of protecting dating platform users from romance fraud.”