For example, between 1900 and 1914, Hungarian serial killer Béla Kiss lured his 24 victims by using personal ads published in newspapers.
"[11] Maurice Godwin, a forensic consultant, argued that "There are some sadistic predators that rely on the Mardi Gras Effect ["the ability to hide one's identity on the Internet"] to lure and murder repeatedly.
[2][3][18] For example, the Japanese serial murderer Hiroshi Maeue is known to have found victims by using online suicide chat rooms.
[19] The killer Lisa Marie Montgomery is reported to have met her victim in an online chatroom for rat terrier lovers called "Ratter Chatter.
For example, in 1996, a Maryland woman, Sharon Lopatka, apparently agreed to be killed by torture and strangulation in a conversation with a man in an online chatroom.
[21][22] Robert Frederick Glass pleaded guilty to killing Lopatka and later died in prison while serving his sentence.
The self-esteem enhancement was found to produce problematic usage of internet dating apps due to the sex motive.
[31] According to Michael Largo, the author of Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die,[32] "Internet dating is becoming very popular, but since 1995, there's been[...] over 400 instances where a homicide has been related to the person that [the victim] met online.
"[33][failed verification – see discussion] Several legal and technology experts have questioned the idea that there is a phenomenon of Internet killings.
"[35] The following individuals have been arrested and/or convicted of crimes in which police claimed that Internet services such as chat rooms and Craigslist advertisements were used to contact victims or hire a murderer.
In the list below, the victims' deaths may have been premeditated, especially if the perpetrator is a serial killer, but they may also have resulted from a robbery, insurance fraud, or a sexual encounter that turned violent.