July 5, 2026 – Romance scams have cost Americans billions, but who are the people behind the screen? WIRED is pulling back the curtain on that dark world with an exclusive livestream event featuring Carlos Barragán, author of the explosive new book *The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria’s Romance Scammers*. The event, part of the WIRED Book Club, airs July 16 at 12 p.m. ET and promises an unflinching look at the human stories fueling a global epidemic of digital heartbreak.
Barragán, a New York Times journalist and researcher, went deep undercover in Lagos to embed with a group of young, desperate grifters. His account is a raw, often darkly funny narrative that traces how poverty, ambition, and the internet collide to create a pipeline of sophisticated scams. “These aren’t just faceless criminals,” Barragán said in a preview. “They are sons, brothers, and victims of their own circumstances. The book shows the grinding reality behind the luxury cars and fake profiles.” The livestream, hosted by WIRED senior writer Kate Knibbs, will let readers submit questions directly to Barragán, exploring the psychology, economics, and tragic consequences of the scam trade.
This event comes at a time when online romance fraud is at an all-time high. Federal Trade Commission data from early 2026 shows that Americans lost over $1.4 billion to romance scams last year alone, with losses accelerating as AI-generated deepfakes make fake personas even harder to detect. Barragán’s book, which hit shelves this week, is already sparking debate about how tech platforms and law enforcement handle cross-border cybercrime. “The Yahoo Boys are a symptom of a broken system,” Barragán notes. “We’re prosecuting the foot soldiers, but we’re not addressing the poverty and desperation that create them.”
Subscribers can join the livestream directly on WIRED’s website, with a replay available afterward for those who miss it. To submit a question, readers simply post in the comments section below the event page. Knibbs and Barragán will tackle the toughest queries head-on, from how scammers build trust to what real-life victims rarely hear in court. WIRED Book Club members are also encouraged to catch up on past discussions, which have covered AI’s impact on work and big tech’s military ties.
As the July 16 date approaches, WIRED is urging readers to bookmark the page and tune in. “This isn’t just a book talk,” Knibbs says. “It’s a chance to understand the human cost of a crime that touches millions of Americans every day.” For non-subscribers, a subscription to WIRED unlocks full access to the livestream, plus in-depth reporting on the tech-fueled threats shaping 2026.