The effect of true crime docuseries on romance fraud reporting to the police

Abstract Romance fraud occurs when an individual is deceived for financial gain by someone with whom the victim believes to be in a romantic relationship. Despite its widespread impact on victims, romance fraud remains significantly underreported, limiting the data available for developing effective prevention strategies. This study examines the relationship between the release of TV portrayals of romance fraud and the number of reported cases in the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2024. Our findings show a significant positive relationship between these TV portrayals and the monthly number of reported cases, though this effect diminishes over time. The results suggest that TV portrayals may raise public awareness of romance fraud, shape attitudes that encourage reporting, and lead to a temporary increase in reported cases. However, the impact of such portrayals is short-lived, with reporting declining in the months following the release of each series. These findings provide valuable insights into how media platforms can raise awareness of sensitive crime issues to promote reporting and ultimately enhance prevention efforts.