PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF ROMANTIC SCAMS IN RELATIONSHIPS MEDIATED BY DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

With the advancement of digital technologies and the expansion of social media, new dynamics in intimate relationships have emerged, transforming the ways individuals interact and form emotional bonds. In this context, romance scams constitute a criminal practice that employs strategies of emotional manipulation to deceive and exploit victims in the virtual environment, often for financial gain. This article aims to analyze the factors that lead individuals to become involved in fraudulent relationships in this type of scam, as well as to identify the psychological harm resulting from this experience. To this end, a theoretical analysis grounded in the concepts of helplessness and fantasy is developed to understand how emotional manipulation is established in relationships mediated by digital technologies. The methodology consisted of a literature review combined with the documentary analysis of a case widely reported in the media, used as an illustrative example of the emotional manipulation dynamics present in romance scams. The results indicate that romance scams go beyond financial losses, producing significant psychological distress, marked by damage to self-esteem, loss of trust, and difficulties in rebuilding emotional bonds. It is concluded that this form of violence requires clinical, legal, and social recognition, as well as the development of strategies for prevention, support, and intervention.