Victims of romance fraud experience both a financial and emotional burden, and although multiple studies have offered insight into the correlates of perpetration and victimization, no known study has examined if, and how, romance fraud can be curtailed. For these reasons, the current study draws from the criminal event perspective in testing the restrictive deterrent effect of warning messages sent to romance fraudsters via email using a randomized experimental design. Findings reveal that active  raudsters who receive verbal cues of deterrence are less likely to initiate a romance fraud attempt, and  more likely to limit engagement through using fewer characters in their response, than those who receive other types of messaging. Results presented provide support for both probabilistic and particularistic restrictive deterrence in cyberspace. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.