Current Projects
Victim Perspectives on Romance Fraud: A Study of Experiences, Needs, Support Measures & Information
Victim Perspectives on Romance Fraud: A Study of Experiences, Needs, Support Measures & Information
Victim Perspectives on Romance Fraud: A Study of Experiences, Needs, Support Measures & Information
I am conducting a study of the experiences of romance fraud victims in Sweden. Through interviews with victims and support professionals, we examine how support and information are provided in practice and identify barriers and gaps in current pathways to help.
· The project is funded by the Swedish Crime Victim Fund ·
Public Attitudes Toward Interpersonal & Impersonal Fraud in Sweden
Victim Perspectives on Romance Fraud: A Study of Experiences, Needs, Support Measures & Information
Victim Perspectives on Romance Fraud: A Study of Experiences, Needs, Support Measures & Information
I participate in the CORS Three-Year Panel (2026–2028) with a project examining public attitudes toward interpersonal and impersonal fraud. The longitudinal survey follows 7,000 randomly selected individuals across Sweden over three years.
· The project is funded by the Swedish Research Council ·
Victim Perspectives on Romance Fraud: A Study of Experiences, Needs, Support Measures & Information
Romance fraud is a form of crime in which an offender constructs a false romantic relationship to obtain money. Because the fraud depends on gradually developing trust and emotional attachment, victims may experience profound emotional and social harm alongside financial loss.
This project examines romance fraud in Sweden from a victim-centred perspective. It looks at victims’ experiences, support needs, and pathways to help, as well as how support organizations and public information respond to those needs.
The project has received SEK 970,000 from the Swedish Crime Victim Fund.
Project Rationale
When a romance fraud is revealed, victims may experience grief, shame, guilt, stigma, and the loss of a relationship they believed to be real. These experiences can make it difficult to report the crime, seek assistance, or identify oneself as a crime victim. Victims may also encounter assumptions that they were naïve or should have recognized the deception, shifting attention away from the offender’s deliberate manipulation.
Despite growing attention to romance fraud, knowledge about victims’ experiences and support needs in Sweden remains limited. The project addresses this gap by placing victims’ own accounts at the centre of the research.
Project Focus
The study focuses on two connected areas.
1. Victims’ experiences, needs, and pathways to support: The project examines how victims describe the crime and its different stages, including the manipulation involved and its emotional, social, and financial consequences. It also investigates experiences of formal and informal support and the barriers that may prevent victims from seeking help or reporting the crime.
2. Support measures and public information: The project examines how organizations provide support to victims of romance fraud, what challenges professionals encounter, and what development needs they identify. It also analyses how public information describes the crime, victims, offenders, advice, and available pathways to support. By bringing these perspectives together, the project can compare what victims say they need with the support and information currently available.
Interviews & Content Analysis
The project combines different forms of qualitative research:
- approximately 10–15 semi-structured interviews with people who have experienced romance fraud;
- approximately 10–15 interviews with professionals working in victim support, crime prevention, policing, and related fields; and
- a content analysis of websites, campaign materials, brochures, and other public information about romance fraud.
The interviews will be analysed thematically, with particular attention to manipulation, shame, stigma, support needs, professional responses, and barriers to seeking assistance. The study will undergo ethical review, and participation will be voluntary and based on informed consent.
Why the Project Matters
Support measures and public information risk being based on assumptions rather than victims’ actual experiences. The project will provide evidence that can be used to:
- identify gaps in current support and information;
- improve understanding of manipulation, trust, shame, and victimization;
- make pathways to support more accessible and responsive;
- develop practical recommendations for organizations working with victims; and
- strengthen dialogue between researchers, public authorities, and civil-society organizations.
The project will result in a report presenting its principal findings and recommendations. The material will also provide a basis for academic publications, public communication, and further research on romance fraud and victim support.
Project Timeline
January–June 2027 – Preparation and data collection. The researchers will develop the interview guides, establish contact with organizations and prospective participants, conduct interviews with victims and professionals, and collect relevant public information.
May–October 2027 – Analysis. Interview material will be transcribed and analysed thematically. Public information will be examined through content analysis. Preliminary findings will be discussed in dialogue meetings with participating organizations and international research contacts.
October–December 2027 – Reporting and dissemination. The project will produce a final report presenting its central findings and recommendations for improving victim support and public information. Results will be shared with participating organizations and communicated through presentations and meetings with relevant actors.
Project: Victim Perspective on Romance Fraud: A Study of Experiences, Needs, Support Measures, and Information Gaps in Sweden
Project period: January–December 2027
Researchers: Sophia Yakhlef (PI) and Isabelle Johansson
Institution: Kristianstad University
Funding: SEK 970,000
Funder: Swedish Crime Victim Fund
Research design: Qualitative interviews and content analysis
Public Attitudes Toward Interpersonal & Impersonal Fraud in Sweden
How does the Swedish public evaluate different forms of fraud – and are victims judged differently depending on whether the crime involves an intimate relationship?
In this project, we examine public perceptions of interpersonal and impersonal fraud in Sweden. The project focuses on how people assess the seriousness of different fraud types, attribute responsibility to victims, and evaluate possible societal responses to romance fraud. By following the same respondents over three years, the study also investigates how these attitudes develop over time.
The project forms part of the CORS Three-Year Panel, a national longitudinal survey conducted by Comparative Research Center Sweden in collaboration with the SOM Institute. Data collection is funded by the Swedish Research Council.
Project Rationale
Fraud is one of the most prevalent categories of crime in Sweden and a major source of criminal profits. Although fraud offences share a legal classification, they can differ considerably in how they are carried out and in the relationships they create between offenders and victims.
Many forms of fraud are relatively impersonal and transactional. These include bank card fraud, phishing, telephone or SMS fraud, and fraud involving online advertisements. Other forms depend more extensively on social manipulation and the gradual development of trust.
Romance fraud represents a particularly interpersonal form of fraud. Here, an offender constructs what appears to be a genuine intimate relationship for the purpose of financial exploitation. The crime may involve prolonged emotional manipulation as well as substantial financial loss, and victims can experience psychological distress, shame, and social isolation.
The project investigates whether these differences influence how the public evaluates fraud, its victims, and the appropriate societal response.
Project Focus
The study focuses on three main areas of public attitudes.
1. Perceived seriousness: Do people regard some forms of fraud as more serious than others? The project compares public evaluations of romance fraud with evaluations of bank card fraud, phishing, telephone or SMS fraud, and online advertisement fraud.
2. Victim-blaming: To what extent are victims considered responsible for what happened to them? The study examines whether victim-blaming varies depending on the type of fraud and whether victims of interpersonal fraud are evaluated differently from victims of more impersonal offences.
3. Societal responses to romance fraud: The project examines public support for different responses to romance fraud, including: harsher prison sentences for offenders; requirements that offenders compensate victims financially; publicly funded psychological counselling for victims; and insurance coverage for victims’ financial losses. Together, these measures provide insight into how responsibility, punishment, compensation, and victim support are understood by the Swedish public.
A Longitudinal Survey
The project participates in the CORS Three-Year Panel, which follows the same respondents annually between 2026 and 2028. The panel consists of 7,000 individuals randomly selected from across Sweden, with data collected through both paper and web-based questionnaires.
Following the same individuals over time makes it possible to examine changes that cannot be captured through a single cross-sectional survey. The project will analyse whether perceptions of seriousness, victim responsibility, and appropriate societal responses remain stable or change across the three survey waves.
The survey also measures respondents’ personal experiences of fraud. This allows comparisons between people who have experienced fraud and those who have not, as well as an examination of whether changes in personal experience coincide with changes in attitudes.
Methodological Contribution
Research on public attitudes toward crime has largely relied on cross-sectional surveys, which provide a snapshot of attitudes at one moment in time. The panel design makes it possible to study change within the same individuals and to distinguish this from differences between groups of respondents.
The project therefore contributes not only to research on fraud and public opinion but also to the methodology of attitudinal research. It will provide knowledge about the stability of crime-related attitudes, the relationship between personal experience and public evaluations, and the possible effects of repeated measurement.
Why the Project Matters
Fraud is not evaluated solely as a legal or financial matter. Public understandings of crime are also shaped by moral judgments about trust, vulnerability, responsibility, and appropriate behaviour.
These judgments have potential consequences. Victim-blaming and stigma may affect whether victims report offences, disclose their experiences, or seek support. Public attitudes may also influence support for criminal justice policies, financial compensation, psychological assistance, and other forms of victim support.
By comparing several types of fraud, the project will contribute to a better understanding of whether the relational context of a crime shapes how seriously it is taken, how its victims are viewed, and what forms of societal response the public considers legitimate.
Project Timeline
2026 – Survey implementation and measurement development. The first year focuses on implementing the survey questions and preparing the measures used across the three waves.
2027 – Analysis of individual change and group differences. The second year focuses on changes within respondents and comparisons between groups, including people with and without personal experience of fraud.
2028 – Longitudinal analysis and dissemination. The final year examines longer-term attitudinal trajectories and communicates the project’s findings.
Project: Public Attitudes Toward Interpersonal and Impersonal Fraud in Sweden
Project period: 2026–2028
Researcher: Isabelle Johansson (PI) and Sophia Yakhlef
Institution: Kristianstad University
Research infrastructure: CORS Three-Year Panel
Data collection: Comparative Research Center Sweden and the SOM Institute
Funding: Data collection funded by the Swedish Research Council through CORS
Research design: Three-wave mixed-mode panel survey
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