Online romance fraud is an ever-increasing topic that has been researched from a variety of

perspectives. There is a scarcity of empirical data for the application and validation of ideas in the context
of cybercrime. Several researches on online romance scams have been undertaken, but only a few of them
have used theories to support their findings. This study was anchored on the theories of Protection
Motivation Theory, Self-Control Theory, Routine Activity Theory, and Lifestyle-Exposure Theory. Figure 1,
shows that interaction between the theories underpinning the present study.

Protection
Motivation
Theory

Self- Understanding Routine

Control Activity
Theory Love Scam Theory

Lifestyle-
Exposure
Theory

Fig 1. Theoretical Underpinnings of the Study

Protection Motivation Theory. A technique for anticipating user behavior based on danger and
coping assessments. The constructs of the theory have proven to be useful for anticipating protective
security specifically, in the field of information security. Rogers (1975, 1983) established the PMT
framework, which examines how an individual's assessment of the threat and coping mechanism
influences their intentions and actions to implement these protective measures (Paravastu & Anandarajan,
2015). Threat appraisal and coping appraisal are two parts of PMT that help with understanding how
people perceive threats and, as a result, how they cope with them (Hanus and Wu, 2016). The elicited
protection motivation is a result of these two assessments, and it is frequently operationalized as behavioral
intent (Rogers, 1983).

Self-Control Theory. Individuals with low self-control are more prone to commit crime than those with great
self-control because they prioritize their own self-interest over any long-term ramifications of their conduct.
Crime frequently provides perpetrators with immediate gratification, allowing them to satisfy their own self-
interest in a relatively straightforward or uncomplicated manner (Gottfredson & Hirschi 1990). This would
appear to make sense in the context of online fraud, insofar as offenders are seeking a benefit from their
victims, such as personal information (which could later be used in the commission of more serious criminal
activity) or money, with little regard for the victim's welfare or the long-term consequences of their actions.
 According to Holtfreter et al. (2010) this desire for immediate pleasure could explain why some
people appear to be more vulnerable to deception than others. These findings are also in line with Van Wyk
and Benson's (1997) findings, which revealed that people who were prepared to take financial risks were
also more likely to report being scammed. In the context of this study, Self-Control Theory provides a
valuable framework for comprehending online fraud. For example, one of the characteristics of fraud
victims that the current study sought to investigate was whether there was a link between individuals who
indicated they may have lower levels of self-control and the risk of online fraud victimization—for example,
those victims who indicated that they were likely or very likely to make impulsive decisions, or that the
primary reason they sent money overseas was to make extra money or financial gain.

Another relevant concept for explaining why some people fall prey to online fraud while others do not is
Routine Activity Theory. This theory proposes that crime occurs when motivated criminals and appropriate
targets cross paths in the absence of capable guardians who could intervene to prevent the crime (Cohen
& Felson 1979). The idea is frequently applied to explain property and street crimes, but it has also been
proven to apply to crimes such as online fraud and other sorts of cyber or virtual crimes (Yar 2005). If RAT
is used to combat online fraud, the fraud will occur when a motivated criminal (the fraudster) meets a
suitable target (the online victim) in the absence of capable guardians such as regulators or police (Cohen
& Felson 1979). Because of the internet's interconnected nature, there are now millions of potential victims
for fraudsters to target anywhere in the globe (Hutchings & Hayes 2009). Individuals who spend a
significant amount of time on the internet each week may be particularly vulnerable to online fraud, as the
more time they spend doing it as part of their routine, the more likely they are to be targeted by determined
criminals (Ross and Smith 2011). In the context of RAT, a capable guardian's responsibility is to function as
a deterrent to victimization. There is no one or nothing that can prevent victimization without capable
guardianship.

Lifestyle-Exposure Theory, which is similar to the RAT, proposes that differences in people's lifestyles (the
things they do for fun and as part of their daily routine) in combination with specific demographic traits
might assist predict whether or not they would become a victim of crime (Bernard, Snipes & Gerould 2010;
Hindelang, Gottfredson & Garofalo 1978). Hindelang, Gottfredson, and Garofalo (1978) discovered that
victimization was associated to victim demographic variables such as age, gender, marital status, income,
and race. These demographics have an essential influence in establishing a person's social duties and
status in society, as well as their lifestyle choices. Young, single boys from low-income families were found
to be more vulnerable to victimization than people with other demographic features. According to
Hindelang, Gottfredson, and Garofalo (1978), this is because people in these higher-risk demographic
groupings are more likely to have lifestyles that make them more likely to associate with or come into touch
with criminals.
In the context of the current study, Lifestyle-Exposure Theory may provide a useful framework for
understanding online fraud—specifically, whether there were any differences in the lifestyles and
demographics of victims and non-victims (such as the amount of time they spent on the internet each
week) that may have contributed to the risk of being a victim of online fraud.