Notes on fraud scripts
Field notes on fraud scripts: case studies, analysis, and what the official numbers actually tell you. Pattern-based, sourced, no personal data.
Read the pattern before it reaches the ask
Three short, inspectable notes. Each separates what the evidence says from what it cannot prove.
The most profitable romance fraud runs 45 to 90 days and ends on a platform that does not exist. The full arc, stage by stage — and the moment each stage turns.
Read the stage-by-stage note →The Second Hit: Why Recovery Agents Are the Next Scam
After the loss, a new contact appears wearing the uniform of the institution you already trusted. This is the recovery second-hit — the fastest way to lose the same money twice.
Read field note →Reading the $929 Million: What the IC3 Numbers Actually Tell You
US victims reported $929.3m to the FBI's IC3 in 2025 — up 38% in a year. What that number does and does not mean, and why the real figure is a range, not a point.
Read field note →Published data carries its source and year. Composite conversations are labelled. A pattern is never presented as a verdict about a person.