Mental Health Impacts of Cybercrime

Abstract

The evolving landscape of online dating has given rise to increasingly sophisticated forms of deception, from traditional catfishing to emerging systemic frauds such as romance-related "pig butchering" and Intimacy Manipulated Fraud Industrialization (IMFI). While these practices differ in execution, they share a troubling commonality: psychological exploitation with profound emotional, mental, and financial consequences for victims. This narrative literature review explores these deceptive phenomena, illuminating their operational mechanisms, psychological impacts, and the systemic factors enabling their proliferation. Catfishing, initially perceived as individual deceit, has become more pervasive with technological advancements, leaving victims in emotional distress and reluctant to report due to stigma and shame. "Pig butchering" introduces a hybrid form of romance and financial fraud, characterized by emotionally manipulative relationships that evolve into fraudulent investment schemes. Victims are "fattened" emotionally and financially before being left financially destitute, with cryptocurrency scams being a primary tool. IMFI further industrializes deception, employing structured operations and unwitting individuals as "chat moderators" under false pretenses, thereby scaling fraud to enterprise-level efficiency. By framing these online romance scams as a public health issue, this review underscores the broader implications beyond financial losses, including diminished trust in digital relationships and long-term psychological harm. The interdisciplinary approach integrates perspectives from cybersecurity, psychology, cybercrime, and cyberpsychology to highlight the urgent need for comprehensive solutions. This study advances the conversation on these evolving threats and calls for robust safeguards and preventive measures to mitigate the societal risks posed by online dating platforms.