Show Notes
*Warning: This episode contains descriptions of fraud and exploitation*
To what lengths would you go for love? A sweet selfie, thoughtful good morning texts, or late-night phone calls might come to mind. But what about sending over £10,000 to someone you've never met in person? It might sound far-fetched, but last year alone, more than 8,000 people in the UK fell victim to romance fraud - losing money to scammers who preyed on their hearts. In this episode of Writing Wrongs, Nicci and Tim are joined by criminologist Dr Elisabeth Carter to unpack the manipulative language of romance scams. Together, they explore how scammers build trust, how victims are drawn in - and how you can protect yourself in the ever-evolving world of online dating.
More information For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs
Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at [email protected] and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!
Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog
If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ https://www.helpguide.org/find-help
Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera Sound: Sam Cook Visual design: George Grant Additional Voices: Sam Cook (Roger), Jordan Robertson (Camilla) With our thanks to Dr Elisabeth Carter
Resources
Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Elisabeth Carter home page: Dr Elisabeth Carter | Kingston University London
Guide to spotting romance fraudsters: https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/police-forces/thames-valley-police/areas/c/2020/a-guide-to-spotting-romance-fraudsters/
More from Writing Wrongs
* Warning: Today’s episode contains discussions of threatening communication and blackmail*
* Warning: Today’s episode contains discussions of threatening communication *
* Warning: Today’s episode contains discussions of murder and racial profiling *
*Warning: this episode contains descriptions of emotional abuse and manipulation* --- November 12, 2018, Madrid, Spain. 47-year-old Galician man Rodrigo Nogueira Iglesias is arrested near the Puerta de Atocha railway station. His crimes stretched back more than twenty years. Rodrigo frequented social media platforms and dating websites where he used fake profiles, pretending to be different people with different names and professions, all with the initial goal of attracting the attention of women who could be potential victims. We are joined by Dr Sheila Queralt – a friend of the Institute and Spain’s top forensic linguistics expert, having consulted on some 300 cases over the past 15 years and testified as a linguistics expert witness in criminal and civil trials across 10 countries, with cases reaching courts including the ECHR. Her work in forensic linguistics at ForensicLab continues through her Laboratory based in Barcelona, which provides linguisticanalysis of recorded conversations and voice messages, as well as written documents. --- In the episode, we make references to episodes 1.4 Romance Fraud, featuring a conversation with Dr Lis Carter, and 3.2 The Multiple Personas of an Online Child Abuser, featuring DrEmily Chiang.