LAUNDERING LOVE: A MULTI-CASE ANALYSIS OF THE EVOLUTION OF ROMANCE SCAM VICTIMS INTO CO-OFFENDING MONEY MULES

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dc.contributor.advisorBellavita, Christopher
dc.contributor.advisorAten, Kathryn J.
dc.contributor.authorHuhn, Christopher K.
dc.contributor.departmentNational Security Affairs (CHDS)
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-03T16:03:30Z
dc.date.available2023-05-03T16:03:30Z
dc.date.issued2023-03
dc.description.abstractThis thesis addresses the problems of rapidly rising cyber-enabled fraud and concomitant money laundering by focusing on romance scam victims who evolve into willing partners in money laundering schemes, known as “witting money mules.” This thesis explores how and why individuals become money mules after victimization in online romance scams. The thesis employs a grounded theory approach and investigates data from over 134,000 historical text messages between three offenders and 22 victims, as well as three participant interviews with romance scam victims. The data resulted in a grounded theory that a romantically lonely victim who persistently engages online with an offender that strategically repeats scheme-relevant premises in the guise of a romantic partner can result in the victim acceding to the offender’s exploitative requests and the eventual decision to co-offend. This theory also explains how a person can simultaneously be a victim and offender and why they would intentionally choose to help the romance scammer launder money. The literature and data similarly support a suggested definition for “grooming” in the context of romance scams. As a whole, this thesis provides insight into romance scams and money mules as a strategic pivot point that, if disrupted, can simultaneously impact a criminal organization’s ability to profit from romance scams and launder the proceeds of cyber-enabled fraud.en_US
dc.description.distributionstatementApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.en_US
dc.description.recognitionOutstanding Thesisen_US
dc.description.serviceCivilian, Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureauen_US
dc.identifier.curriculumcode692, Homeland Defense and Security (Hybrid)
dc.identifier.thesisid38906
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10945/72050
dc.publisherMonterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate Schoolen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesNPS Outstanding Theses and Dissertations
dc.rightsCopyright is reserved by the copyright owner.en_US
dc.subject.authorromance scamen_US
dc.subject.authorsweetheart scamen_US
dc.subject.authorromance frauden_US
dc.subject.authorconfidence frauden_US
dc.subject.authormoney launderingen_US
dc.subject.authormoney muleen_US
dc.subject.authortransnational criminal organizationsen_US
dc.subject.authorgroomingen_US
dc.subject.authorcyber-enabled frauden_US
dc.subject.authorcybercrimeen_US
dc.subject.authorcatfishingen_US
dc.subject.authorco-offendingen_US
dc.subject.authorrepetition-induced truthen_US
dc.subject.authorreferential theoryen_US
dc.subject.authorgrounded theoryen_US
dc.titleLAUNDERING LOVE: A MULTI-CASE ANALYSIS OF THE EVOLUTION OF ROMANCE SCAM VICTIMS INTO CO-OFFENDING MONEY MULESen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dspace.entity.typePublication
etd.thesisdegree.disciplineSecurity Studies (Homeland Security and Defense)en_US
etd.thesisdegree.grantorNaval Postgraduate Schoolen_US
etd.thesisdegree.levelMastersen_US
etd.thesisdegree.nameMaster of Arts in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense)en_US
relation.isSeriesOfPublicationc5e66392-520c-4aaf-9b4f-370ce82b601f
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscoveryc5e66392-520c-4aaf-9b4f-370ce82b601f
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