The Espouse of Women in the Online Romance Fraud World: Role of Sociocultural Experiences and Digital Technologies

ABSTRACT

Online romance fraud is a form of cybercrime that has pervasive consequence on both individuals and organizations. As against previous studies that predominantly focus on male scammers, this study examines the influence of sociocultural experiences and technological modalities on women’s involvement in online romance fraud in Tamale, Ghana. The study employs a blend of feminist criminology and Cressey’s Fraud Triangle Theory to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the engagement of women in the scamming phenomenon in this region. Employing the experiences of fifteen (15) female scammers, the results show that sociocultural backgrounds of female scammers, combined with the internet’s inherent opportunities, play a pivotal role in determining the engagement. The sociocultural background of women, coupled with the technological nature of the act, plays a significant role in driving their engagement in these illicit activities: motivation to offend and opportunity through social relationships. This study emphasizes how technological pathways enhance the opportunities available to women, highlighting the ways in which the digital landscape of such frauds potentially allows women to evade legal and societal repercussions. In conclusion, this study highlights the need for a comprehensive approach that considers both the technological aspects and the underlying societal constructs that facilitate them.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ United Nations (2022). World population prospects 2022. Retrieved from: https://population.un.org/wpp/.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej.

Notes on contributors

Yushawu Abubakari

Abubakari Yushawu is a PhD researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the University of Wroclaw, Poland. The author is also currently affiliated to the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the KU Leuven and a research fellow at the African Center for Cyberlaw and Cybercrime Prevention (ACCP). His research interest includes sociological theories, social inequalities, deviant and crime studies, criminological theories, and qualitative research methods.