Hello, I’m Martina
UX and product researcher with expertise in scam psychology, social engineering, and behavioral science. Bridging research and practice to design products and fraud prevention strategies that reflect how people evaluate and respond to scam manipulation.
I help organizations design customer experiences, communications, and prevention strategies informed by research and real-world scam analysis.
I completed my PhD at the University of Portsmouth (UK), where I developed the first dedicated measure of susceptibility to fraud (read my thesis), specifically designed based on both the vulnerabilities described by fraud victims and insights from academic literature.
Since then, I have authored a book exploring the complexities of scams and how they exploit inherent human traits. More recently, I also published a book chapter in The Routledge International Handbook of Online Deviance, on grooming connected to scams, particularly the long-term grooming that occurs in romance fraud and pig-butchering scams.
I also frequently contribute to industry blogs, podcasts, and news articles on the topics around scams and the ethical use of AI.
Featured in
The Times
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BBC Radio4
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Reuters
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Financial Times
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TIME Magazine
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ProPublica
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CBC
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The Times 〰️ BBC Radio4 〰️ Reuters 〰️ Financial Times 〰️ TIME Magazine 〰️ ProPublica 〰️ CBC 〰️
Recent media collaborations
SOURCE: CBC NEWS
How scammers manipulate emotions, with expert advice on protecting yourself.
SOURCE: BBC RaDIO 4
How hybrid romance and investment scams use detailed scripts to manipulate victims.
SOURCE: REUTERS
A scammers blueprint: How cybercriminals plot to rob a target within a week.
"Dr Dove has produced a comprehensive but accessible text that summarizes the current social science research on frauds and scams. The chapters progress logically from defining fraud in all its variations, to describing the process by which victims are defrauded, to offering solutions and preventative measures."
Dr Roderick Graham
Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University