London: How would you feel if your worst life experience was broadcasted by Netflix globally? For most people, the question would be rhetorical. But not for Ayleen Charlotte, a victim of fraud whose ordeal was highlighted in the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler. He kept promising to repay her through wire transfers which never arrived, leading her to borrow more and more - over 160,000 British pounds.
According to EMM, Ayleen's situation was a classic example of relationship and trust fraud, whereby the fraudsters use specific techniques to foster and exploit the power of a personal relationship to develop the trust needed to manipulate and deceive victims. In this case of fraud, the victim has the expectation to form a genuine relationship with the offender. Fraudsters can use a variety of social engineering techniques over a period of months - or even years - to gain a victim's trust.
After a year, the constant pressure, stress, and escalating financial problems had worn Ayleen down. Her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resurfaced, and she struggled with anxiety, insomnia, anger, and intense mood swings. Her so-called boyfriend even asked her to sell her car and her house, which finally solidified her growing suspicions that something was terribly wrong.
Elisabeth Carter, Criminologist and Forensic Linguist at Kingston University, notes that Ayleen's story follows common patterns deployed by criminals. "We are all susceptible, and we're all vulnerable to fraud," she says. Societal perceptions of this are negative because it looks like somebody is ignoring the red flags and is giving their money away to someone they don't know. But actually, there's emotional grooming involved - and it is abuse, akin to domestic abuse and coercive control.
Though individuals can commit fraud, it is increasingly perpetrated by highly motivated and transnational organized criminal groups making staggering levels of profits, notes UNODC's Issue Paper. Elisabeth highlights that these criminals often work in teams and use scripts. They have conferences where they tell each other their most successful techniques, and they tag-team when they're on WhatsApp messaging their victim in romance fraud.
Lucia Harris, Director of Member Protection at Match Group, warns that online scams across dating and social media platforms are becoming more sophisticated. Fraudsters are increasingly perpetrating relationship-based investment scams where scammers are directing their connections to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency, foreign exchange, or gold via fake platforms, she notes.
UNODC is working at the global, regional, and national levels to strengthen prevention and disrupt the ecosystems that allow fraud to flourish. It collaborates with governments, the private sector, and civil society to deliver practical solutions to help authorities and communities better understand, prevent, and combat organized fraud.
In Southeast Asia, UNODC is supporting and enabling intelligence-led operational responses and investments in improved legislative and regulatory frameworks to disrupt the criminal ecosystem which has allowed the industry to grow. UNODC's work also emphasizes the need for targeted capacities to gather, analyze, and share electronic evidence; reduced space for criminal groups to move and invest resources via underground banking systems and the region's casino industry; and improved cooperation to stop the flow of people trafficked into scam centers in the region.