Identity manipulation in online grooming: Gendered strategies among male suspects

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

• The study reveals gender-specific patterns in the use of identity manipulation during online grooming. • The nuanced and varied use of identity deception highlights the urgent need for prevention programs to move beyond simplistic “stranger danger” messages toward scenario-based education that reflects the complexity of offender strategies. • For male victims, impersonation frequently functioned as a sexual access strategy that leverages heteronormative expectations to reduce resistance. • For female victims, identity deception often operated as a mechanism for building trust and emotional leverage, sometimes facilitating retaliatory or coercive behaviors.