The author received several similar spam emails at the start of the year, all part of the same romance scam campaign preying on vulnerable individuals. Romance fraud is common, victimizing victims emotionally and financially. The author decided to investigate and took on the role of a potential victim himself. The emails were traced back to specific images and a made-up persona named “Aidana”. Analysis of the scammer’s approach, systems, and communication materials ensued. The author used various personas to engage with the scammers, unveiling the common playbook used by scammers seeking to build trust and manipulate victims. The conversation slowly shifted to a storyline where Aidana plans to come to the UK to live with the author.
https://www.bentasker.co.uk/posts/blog/security/seducing-a-romance-scammer.html