Lonely women across Europe tricked by ‘doctor in Damascus’ in Limerick romance fraud
A Limerick account describes women targeted by a false Damascus-doctor persona. The claimed Syrian identity does not establish offender location.
Reported caseData from The GDELT Project · Reviewed and interpreted by RSRC
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Find reporting by topic, place or language. Open a record to see why it was included and what the available evidence supports.
Matching coverage over time
The chart uses every search filter above and all matching records, across every results page. The percentage denominator is all included URLs in the same dates, before theme, language, country or text filters.
Distinct included URLs matching these filters in each observation month. Select a point to explore its records. On small screens, scroll the chart horizontally.
A URL counts once per month and can appear in several months or themes. Themes describe the current record assessment; months show URL observations, not when events or each claim first appeared. Warnings, allegations and reported experiences are all included when coded. Partial months, collection gaps and changes in sources affect both measures. A higher share does not establish a higher risk to victims.
Read the graph as a table
| Observation month | Matching URLs | All included URLs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 263 | 591 | 44.5% |
| Feb 2025 | 405 | 1,629 | 24.9% |
| Mar 2025 | 291 | 561 | 51.9% |
| Apr 2025 | 121 | 390 | 31.0% |
| May 2025 | 113 | 398 | 28.4% |
| Jun 2025 | 82 | 209 | 39.2% |
| Jul 2025 | 132 | 522 | 25.3% |
| Aug 2025 | 129 | 447 | 28.9% |
| Sep 2025 | 161 | 613 | 26.3% |
| Oct 2025 | 128 | 483 | 26.5% |
| Nov 2025 | 118 | 392 | 30.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 91 | 333 | 27.3% |
| Jan 2026 | 523 | 530 | 98.7% |
| Feb 2026 | 1,101 | 1,106 | 99.5% |
| Mar 2026 | 358 | 360 | 99.4% |
| Apr 2026 | 485 | 491 | 98.8% |
| May 2026 | 779 | 785 | 99.2% |
| Jun 2026 | 594 | 842 | 70.5% |
| Jul 2026 | 658 | 1,143 | 57.6% |
| Aug 2026 | 272 | 640 | 42.5% |
| Sep 2026 | 147 | 638 | 23.0% |
| Oct 2026 | 8 | 30 | 26.7% |
6,854 matching media records
Each record represents a source web page, not a verified incident. Different URLs can describe the same event. About these records.
Mann verliert über 100.000 Euro durch Online-Liebesbetrug
A Potsdam man reportedly transferred a six-figure sum after receiving false expressions of love. Multiple reports may describe the same event and must not be counted as independent victims.
Reported caseQuick-thinking estate agent saves Cambridgeshire woman from romance scam
An estate agent reportedly interrupted a scheme using actor Jay Harrington’s persona. Prevention of a property transaction is not a completed loss.
Reported caseSAS เตือน! คนไทย 73% เสี่ยงโดนมิจฉาชีพ ภาคการเงินต้องใช้ AI ต้านภัยโกง
A vendor’s discussion of fraud includes romance scams and deepfakes alongside other schemes. Its 73% figure is not a prevalence estimate for romance victimization.
Research & trends假交友詐騙再現！男子欲提領50萬 警方設局逮女車手 | 蕃新聞
Police report arresting a female cash courier after a planned relationship-scam withdrawal. The withdrawal figure is an attempted payment, not necessarily a loss.
Reported caseMann verliert über 100.000 Euro durch Online-Liebesbetrug
A Potsdam man reportedly transferred a six-figure sum after receiving false expressions of love. Multiple reports may describe the same event and must not be counted as independent victims.
Reported caseMoglie manipolatrice condannata per truffa sentimentale: anziano imprenditore spogliato del patrimonio
The headline reports a conviction in a marriage-related fraud involving an older businessman’s property. No sentence length or employer-fund theft is established.
Reported caseQuick-thinking estate agent saves Cambridgeshire woman from romance scam
An estate agent reportedly interrupted a scheme using actor Jay Harrington’s persona. Prevention of a property transaction is not a completed loss.
Reported caseMann verliert über 100.000 Euro durch Online-Liebesbetrug - WELT
A Potsdam man reportedly transferred a six-figure sum after receiving false expressions of love. Multiple reports may describe the same event and must not be counted as independent victims.
Reported caseThe woman whose stolen images were used to scam men out of thousands | CBC Radio
An adult performer describes stolen images used to deceive men over a decade. The person whose identity was copied is not identified as the perpetrator.
Research & trendsTruffa sentimentale | il giudice azzera 65mila euro di debiti
A court reportedly cancelled €65,000 of debt following romance fraud. Debt relief is distinct from a refund by the perpetrator, and the law’s suicide-related name does not establish self-harm.
Reported case「俳優」にだまされかけた女性 危機を救ったのは男子中学生 | 毎日新聞
A boy reportedly helped prevent an older woman from paying a supposed actor. The prevented amount is not money lost.
Reported caseUn uomo credeva di essere il mio fidanzato | ogni giorno inviava soldi pensando li ricevessi io | Eva Henger e la truffa sentimentale che suo malgrado l’ha coinvolta
Eva Henger says someone used her identity in romantic deception and a man sent money believing it was for her. Daily payments do not by themselves establish repeated requests.
Reported caseCanary Islands horror as tourist, 84, dead after 'dating scam'
Police reportedly suspect a dating-app user of targeting older tourists to steal valuables. The account links an 84-year-old tourist’s death to an alleged killer; this remains an allegation, not a proven causal finding. Targeting people to steal valuables does not establish a completed property loss in this particular death.
Reported case網路交友陷阱再現 假匯款真詐財 警民聯手即時攔阻 | 蕃新聞
Police and a civilian reportedly prevented a payment in an online relationship scheme. No completed loss is stated.
Reported case"Un uomo credeva di essere il mio fidanzato: ogni giorno inviava soldi, pensando li ricevessi io": Eva Henger e la truffa sentimentale che (suo malgrado) l'ha coinvolta
Eva Henger says someone used her identity in romantic deception and a man sent money believing it was for her. Daily payments do not by themselves establish repeated requests.
Reported caseSurrey abuser burned ‘terrified and isolated’ woman while running dating scams
The report describes a jailed man who abused a woman and separately defrauded people through dating apps. It does not establish that all harms occurred to the same scam victims.
Reported case詐欺被害を10回阻止したコンビニ店長、兄の山内健司も驚き (2026年4月9日掲載) - ライブドアニュース
The report combines a store manager’s prevention activity with wider fraud statistics. Neither the ten prevented incidents nor the overall losses are all established as romance fraud.
Reported caseSurrey abuser burned ‘terrified and isolated’ woman while running dating scams
The report describes a jailed man who abused a woman and separately defrauded people through dating apps. It does not establish that all harms occurred to the same scam victims.
Reported caseGardaí target ‘bogus company’ linked to Black Axe romance fraud after elderly woman scammed out of six-figure sum
Gardaí report arrests and an investigation into a Black Axe-linked scheme affecting an older woman. Arrest is not conviction; the six-figure amount remains attributed.
Reported caseLiebesbetrüger entlockt Seniorin Zigtausende Euro
A Tyrolean woman reportedly lost tens of thousands through a relationship scam. Do not endorse commentary that characterizes victims as gullible.
Reported caseScammers Impersonating Musicians Stole $12M From Music Industry
The FBI describes musicians impersonated in schemes with reported losses exceeding $12m. The aggregate is attributed to the report, not independently verified.
Reported caseRomance Scammer erweitern Repertoire mit KI
BACS warns about AI-assisted romance deception. The warning does not demonstrate the effectiveness of any proposed protection.
Prevention & supportHow a B.C. romance scam victim is coping behind bars in South Korea as trial approaches
A British Columbia woman held in South Korea is preparing for trial in a reported romance-scam case. The trial is prospective; no final sentence is established by these titles. Fuller descriptions are coded separately. The full description alleges that she was used as a drug mule. The allegation and anticipated trial are separate from any later verdict.
Reported caseMünchen Rentner verliert Zehntausende Euro durch Love-Scamming
A Munich pensioner reportedly sent money over ten years until bank staff noticed. Notice alone does not establish that losses were recovered.
Reported case