Shamrock Updates: September 2026
Operation Shamrock Newsletter
Friends,
We talk a lot about the mechanisms of scams and fraud, the staggering amount of money involved, the scam compounds run by organized crime.
This month, I want to use this space to set the numbers aside to focus on the human side of romance fraud. Scams are much more than financial crime. They rely on psychological manipulation and leave deep emotional wounds.
Dr. Martina Dove has written a case study based on Kirsty’s experience as a romance scam victim and survivor. Dr. Dove outlines how romance scams often develop gradually, with the perpetrator building emotional dependence and credibility before creating incidents that encourage financial compliance.
Numbers are often easier to comprehend than emotions. But it’s critical to remember that emotions are the human response to being violated in a scam, and they're often harder to overcome than any financial damage.
Erin West
Founder, Operation Shamrock
UNDER THE SPELL: Romance Fraud Case Study
Dr. Martina Dove uses Kirsty’s true story to demonstrate how scammers use calculated deception to turn fiction into reality when grooming victims. >> Read the Case Study
SURVIVOR STORIES
Victims share their experiences to help educate others about how scammers use manipulation to commit their crimes.
We recently completed our 100th survivor interview to learn from individual experiences and identify how banks, law enforcement, and organizations like ours can improve victim response and assistance.
Linda’s Story: Scammers Impersonated Microsoft, Citibank, and the Government It started with a pop-up warning that she’d been hacked. Then government impersonators came to her front door to take over $1 million in cash and gold.
Gary’s Story: The Investment that Was Never Real After reaching out on LinkedIn, scammers drew Gary into crypto investment fraud. By the time his wife intervened, they’d stolen more than $4 million.
Priya’s Story: International Warrant Scam An Indian consulate official told Priya he had a warrant for her arrest. Next, scammers impersonating Indian and U.S. officials stole more than $350,000.
STOLEN PODCAST: August Episodes
A Detective’s Journey from Street Patrol to Chasing Stolen Crypto How an assignment with the DEA led Detective Scott Simons to become one of the nation’s go-to crypto tracers and the investigative lead for Operation Shamrock’s Crypto Coalition.
Why Banks Get Blamed for a Scam Crisis They Didn’t Start Lenny Gusel started his career using tech to fight financial fraud. Today, it’s a much more complex challenge, with answers that are as organizational as they are technical.
A Scam Victim’s 4-year Search for the People Who Took His Money After pig-butchering investment scammers take $700,000, one man goes on an international quest for answers and justice.
ICYMI: Life After “The Tinder Swindler” Cecilie Fjellhøy, featured in Netflix’s The Tinder Swindler and Love Con Revenge, exposes the real cost of online fraud — and why justice is still out of reach for victims.
THANK YOU TO OUR STOLEN PODCAST SPONSORS
We are grateful to Scamnetic and BioCatch for their support of Stolen and the work they do to detect and prevent scams every day.
BE HEARD: Share Your Scam Story
Share your experience to help educate our teams, the public, and the organizations we work with. The Survivor Stories program is an opportunity to help us better educate others to protect themselves and improve support for people affected by scams. >> Sign Up
How to Support Operation Shamrock
Transnational organized crime syndicates steal hundreds of billions of dollars, household by household, every year.
Donations allow us to continue our work and build capacity to expand education, foster private-public connections, and take action in the fight against scams. If you’re unable to donate, sharing our message is a great way to support our efforts.
Operation Shamrock is registered in the U.S. as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.