Valentine's warning as AI fuels 'insidious' love scams
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportData from The GDELT Project · Reviewed and interpreted by RSRC
Search the research collection
Explore the coverage
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.
How a Malaga travel agency owner swindled 55 clients out of €100,000
A Málaga travel-agency owner is reported to have been romantically deceived and then taken €100,000 from 55 clients. Client losses are secondary alleged harm, not 55 separate romance victims.
Reported caseValentine's warning as AI fuels 'insidious' love scams
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportBeware of romance fraud in the countdown to Valentine's Day, warn officers
A warning, educational notice or advice item discusses romantic financial deception. The excerpt does not independently establish seasonal incidence or prevention effectiveness.
Prevention & supportValentine's warning as AI fuels 'insidious' love scams
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportRomance Fraud Losses in Northern Ireland Top £866,000
PSNI reporting describes roughly £866,000 over about ten months and around 100 reports since April. Euro and rounded pound versions refer to overlapping reporting, not additional losses.
Research & trendsValentine's warning as AI fuels 'insidious' love scams
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportNigerian socialite Henry Ikeji rejects $2.5m romance scam claims
Nzube Henry Ikeji denies allegations involving a Romanian woman and $2.5m. Preserve the denial; the excerpt does not establish guilt or resolve the dispute. Reported nationality alone does not establish victim residence.
Reported case僧侶がロマンス詐欺容疑 海外在住の日本女性と偽り、配送料名目で250万円
Police re-arrest monk Tokuyū Gotō on suspicion of falsely presenting as a Japanese woman abroad and taking ¥2.5m from an Iwate man. The report explicitly says he denies the allegation.
Reported caseMichigan AG warns residents of romance scams ahead of Valentine’s Day
A warning, advice item or prevention notice discusses romantic deception. Brief claims of growth, vulnerability or comparative ranking are attributed and do not establish a measured population rate or effectiveness.
Prevention & supportHyderabad Police warn citizens against romance scams ahead of Valentine’s Day
A warning, advice item or prevention notice discusses romantic deception. Brief claims of growth, vulnerability or comparative ranking are attributed and do not establish a measured population rate or effectiveness.
Prevention & supportValentine's warning as AI fuels 'insidious' love scams
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportCourt convicts two Chinese nationals for cyber-terrorism, N3.4bn fraud
Two Chinese nationals are reported convicted in a case connected to 792 arrests for mixed cryptocurrency, investment and romance fraud in Lagos on 19 December 2024. The 792 are not all convictions or romance-only cases.
Reported caseRomance scammers pitching “can’t miss” investments, BBB warns ahead of Valentine’s Day
The BBB warns about romantic impostors promoting investments. Its broad statement equating romance and investment scams should not be generalized to all romance scams.
Prevention & support詐欺被害額、最悪の３千億円超 ２５年、特殊・ＳＮＳ型｜秋田魁新報電子版
Japanese provisional 2025 figures combine special, investment and romance fraud. These totals and regional subsets cannot be assigned wholly to romance fraud or summed together.
Research & trendsIllinois Just Lost $36 Million to Romance Scams
Reporting combines an Illinois $36m figure with a Chicago victim’s $70,000 loss and AI claims. The individual amount must not be added to an overlapping aggregate.
Research & trendsLove can wait, scammers won't: Hyderabad CP warns youth
A warning, advice item or prevention notice discusses romantic deception. Brief claims of growth, vulnerability or comparative ranking are attributed and do not establish a measured population rate or effectiveness.
Prevention & support石川県内の特殊詐欺など被害過去最悪 総額３１億４０００万円 前年比１６億２０００万円増 認知件数も１８３件増｜社会｜石川のニュース｜北國新聞
Ishikawa reporting gives a 2025 combined special and SNS investment/romance loss total of ¥3.14bn. It is not romance-only.
Research & trendsValentine's warning as AI fuels 'insidious' love scams
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportValentine's warning as AI fuels 'insidious' love scams
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportiTWire - Digital Gold for Predators: Tenable Expert Warns of AI-Powered “Dark Age” for Romance Scams Ahead of Valentine’s Day
Industry commentary describes AI-assisted romantic deception. Claims about scale, banking blind spots or a dark age are attributed interpretations; investment-fraud totals cannot be relabeled as romance-only losses.
CommentaryBioCatch advierte por estafas románticas con IA, un punto ciego para la banca
Industry commentary describes AI-assisted romantic deception. Claims about scale, banking blind spots or a dark age are attributed interpretations; investment-fraud totals cannot be relabeled as romance-only losses.
CommentaryThese Valentine’s Day scams are targeting New Yorkers as holiday approaches: BBB
A warning, educational notice or advice item discusses romantic financial deception. The excerpt does not independently establish seasonal incidence or prevention effectiveness.
Prevention & support「新たな対策不可欠」 詐欺被害悪化に警察庁長官：時事ドットコム
Japan’s police chief calls for new measures after record combined fraud losses. A call for action is not an implemented or evaluated policy.
CommentaryTennessee warns of 'pig butchering” romance scams that drain someone's life savings
A Valentine’s-period warning or advice item discusses romantic financial deception. A seasonal increase asserted in a headline is not a measured trend or evidence that the advice works.
Prevention & support