Dr Elisabeth Carter to appear in new BBC One series discussing romance scams
- Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Dr Carter contributed to the programme's analysis of how romance fraudsters operate
Dr Elisabeth Carter, forensic linguist and senior lecturer in Criminology at the University of Roehampton, will be appearing on the upcoming BBC One show, For Love or Money, a new investigative consumer series.
Both the series and Dr Carter's contribution will focus on ‘romance fraud’. Also known as ‘romance scams’, this is a rapidly growing type of crime, involving the use of online dating to con people out of money, amounting to tens of thousands of pounds every day in the UK.
As a forensic linguist, Dr Carter analysed and explained the sophisticated linguistic techniques used by perpetrators of this type of scam, and provided tips on how to avoid falling victim to romance fraud. The techniques used by romance fraudsters are designed to distort reality and isolate victims from potential sources of support. As a result, anyone can fall victim to frauds of this kind.
Dr Carter said, ‘Romance fraudsters use language as a tool for criminal gain. It is a cruel and doubly damaging crime, with victims stripped of their money as well as what they thought was a loving relationship. My research examines the ways in which these criminals use grooming techniques to convince the recipient they are a genuine prospect for love, then manipulate, persuade and exploit them for their money’.
Filming took place over the summer. The programme will be shown twice: first, in November 2019 as a 5-part series on BBC One daytime, with Dr Carter's contribution appearing in episode one on 4 November. A second condensed 4-part series will run during a primetime slot in January 2020.
If you think you may have fallen victim to this type of crime, please report it to Action Fraud.
The University of Roehampton's Department of Social Sciences is ranked 6th in the UK for the impact of its research (Research Excellence Framework, 2014). We offer courses in Criminology and Law at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.