The Electronic Spanish Prisoner

This article considers the issue of romance frauds, a form of behaviour that has recently gathered significant public attention. A romance fraud operates by persuading a person to believe they are in a legitimate romance and then using that romance to extract money, gifts or other financial rewards from them. The emotional consequences of romance fraud can be significant, with victims often experiencing feelings akin to grief. This paper considers whether such behaviour should be considered a financial crime or whether the behaviour inherent within it means that it should be considered an offence against the person.