Can you spot a romance scam?

In this episode of Science Quickly, Rachel Feltman speaks with criminologist Fangzhou Wang about how romance scams have evolved from simple online deception into sophisticated, artificial-intelligence-powered fraud operations. They discuss how scammers use dating apps, fake identities, deepfakes and cryptocurrency schemes to build trust and steal money and what researchers are learning about helping people recognize and resist manipulation before they become victims.

Recommended Reading:

“Daejon Love Case Highlights Online Romance Scams: Research Reveals Scammers’ Tactics—And How to Defend against Them,” by Fangzhou Wang, in the Conversation. Published online September 2, 2026

Fangzhou Wang’s profile at the University of Texas at Arlington 

“A Crime Script Analysis of Pao Fen Operations and the Construction of Prevention Strategies,” by Fangzhou Wang, in Crime & Delinquency. Published online August 14, 2025

“The Prevention of Online Romance Scams Using a Crime Script Analysis from the Victim’s Perspective,” by Fangzhou Wang and James D. Kelsay, in International Review of Victimology, Vol. 32, No. 2; May 2026 

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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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