Steps to detect and respond to emotional fraud online

The crime that recently killed a Mexican woman brought to light the seriousness of the “romantic fraud” phenomenon that takes place “online”. Instead of Blanca Arellano meeting her alleged lover, Juan Pablo Villafuerte, in person, after a love affair that arose via the Internet, the first meeting Between them, it ended with the lover killing his victim and stealing her organs.

In an interview on the subject, communication expert Milad Hadchiti told Sky News Arabia:

• Most “online” romance scams begin in a completely innocent way, as the fraudster shows his attractive fake feelings to the fullest, and once he guarantees that his victim has taken the bait, his possibilities become limitless.
• This phenomenon, which has turned into a job for some fraudsters, occurs in all countries of the world and affects all ages.
• The presence of this category of scammers is not limited to dating applications only, but on all social networking sites without exception.
• Electronic deception groups, as organizations and individuals, have become more dangerous and organized than before, hence the need to stress the need not to give confidence to strangers, through social networking sites, even if they appear as an ordinary person.

For her part, social media specialist Dadi Daccache said in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”:

• The tools that the fraudster uses to catch his victims are many, but the best service that is provided to him is the publications and pictures that we display on social media.
• Most cases of “online” romance fraud are based on subtleties and vulnerabilities revealed by the victim.
• People who defraud electronically are good at discovering the patterns of the victim, by analyzing the phrases, words, and pictures that she publishes on the communication sites, which suggest a lot about her psychological state, which helps them discover the hole through which they can infiltrate the heart of the victim.
• Anyone who seeks to remain in a safe space when speaking with strangers on social media must apply a policy of extreme caution and not trust them, no matter how friendly and humane the opposite party appears.