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Why do smart, capable people fall for scams?
Because scams don’t exploit stupidity — they exploit human psychology.

In this episode of The Romance Scam Rebellion, I’m joined by Dr. Martina Dove, a leading researcher in fraud psychology and author of The Psychology of Fraud, Persuasion, and Scam Techniques. Dr. Dove earned her PhD at the University of Portsmouth, where she developed one of the first academic measures of fraud susceptibility.

Together, we dismantle the myth that scam victims are gullible or careless. Dr. Dove explains how scammers use grooming, emotional manipulation, cognitive bias, and urgency to bypass even the strongest defenses — especially in romance scams.

We discuss:

• Why intelligence does not protect against scams
• How grooming begins long before money is requested
• Why romance scams cause deeper shame and isolation
• How fear, love, and urgency shut down rational thinking
• The rise of AI-driven fraud, sextortion, and youth-targeted scams
• Why blaming victims protects systems — not people

This episode replaces shame with understanding — and gives listeners the tools to recognize manipulation before it takes hold.

Support the show

Email me at [email protected] if you have a story you need to tell.

Support the show

Email me at [email protected] if you have a story you need to tell.