Love, Lies, and the Digital Age: Why Love Cons Had to Be Written
A History of Romance Scams, Emotional Deception, and Manufactured Love
There is a quiet epidemic unfolding in our inboxes, dating apps, and private messages—one built not on greed alone, but on longing.
Love Cons: Catfishing Through the Ages was born out of a single, unsettling realization: romance scams are not new. They didn’t begin with Tinder, Instagram, or cryptocurrency. They are as old as love itself.
From handwritten letters in the 19th century to AI-generated personas today, the tools have changed—but the emotional machinery has not. At the center of every love con is the same human truth: the desire to be seen, chosen, and understood.
This book traces the deception of romance across history, psychology, mythology, and modern technology. It explores how confidence artists, swindlers, and digital manipulators learned to weaponize intimacy—and why even intelligent, cautious people can fall victim to these schemes. It also confronts the shame culture surrounding fraud, arguing that vulnerability is not weakness, but humanity.
More importantly, Love Cons is not a book about fear.
It is a book about discernment without cynicism, hope without naivety, and connection without illusion. It asks a difficult question: how do we protect our hearts in a world where deception can sound loving, look real, and feel sincere?
If you’ve ever wondered:
Why romance scams feel so convincing
Why “too good to be true” stories still work
How AI and virtual intimacy are reshaping trust
Or how to remain open to love without becoming vulnerable to exploitation
This book is for you.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing excerpts, historical cases, and deeper psychological insights here on Substack—along with conversations about how we reclaim authentic connection in an increasingly artificial world.
Because love is still worth believing in.
We just need to understand the cons.
👉 Read Love Cons: Catfishing Through the Ages
📘 Available now
✍️ By KL Adams