판결문으로 본 로맨스 스캠(Romance Scam) 범죄 스크립트 분석과 정책적 함의 = Analyzing the Evolving Modus Operandi of Romance Scams via Court Judgments: Crime Script and Policy Implications

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examines recent patterns and operational methods of Romance Scams, which have rapidly increased in both scale and severity in South Korea and have evolved into a form of organized crime. Drawing on this analysis, the study explores effective strategies for preventing and responding to victimization. Using a qualitative research design, the study analyzes 96 court judgments related to Romance Scam cases adjudicated since 2024 and develops crime scripts based on these cases. The findings indicate that Romance Scams follow a sequential process encompassing organizational formation and operation, target selection and relationship building, solicitation and fraudulent extraction of funds, transfer of victim funds, distribution of criminal proceeds, and evasion of law enforcement. Across these stages, Romance Scams display key characteristics of organized crime, most notably a systematic division of roles among participants. The analysis identifies several defining characteristics of Romance Scams, including: (1) a victim–offender overlap, in which victims transition into offenders due to economic vulnerability or prior victimization; (2) repeated and cumulative extraction of funds through exploitation of the sunk-cost effect; (3) increasing reliance on virtual assets for money laundering; and (4) continued criminal involvement driven by economic incentives, even when opportunities to withdraw exist. The study concludes by discussing policy implications for more effective intervention, as well as the limitations of the research.