Data 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.
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.
| 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% |
Each record represents a source web page, not a verified incident. Different URLs can describe the same event. About these records.
Named63-year-old ScottCole, a PalmSprings tai-chi/yoga/fitness trainer, says his picture was used by romance scammers for15years. Retain attributed image-owner context, not actual losses to him, verified global victim totals or an incident year inferred from observation.
Related mentionSeven URL variants explicitly name ScottCole and alleged use of his picture to attract women over15years/since around2010. These are repeated image-owner accounts, not seven fraud cases or proof the real person offended. Around2010 remains an approximate source statement, not an exact incident date.
Related mentionFacebook guidance warns of false-account romance scams requesting money for travel or medical emergencies, early affection and moving off-platform. General pretexts and warning signs are not actual illness, measured risk or evaluated advice.
Prevention & supportAudio-page description namesUSMarineKaganDunlap, saying stolen uniformedphotos have been used for nearlytenyears in false deployed/lonely romance personas followed by money requests. The realMarine is not theperson messaging targets; no verified total or actual loss toDunlap is supplied.
Related mentionSeven URL variants explicitly name ScottCole and alleged use of his picture to attract women over15years/since around2010. These are repeated image-owner accounts, not seven fraud cases or proof the real person offended. Around2010 remains an approximate source statement, not an exact incident date.
Related mentionHyogo police arrested a55-year-old Fukuyama woman for allegedly withdrawing international-romance-fraud proceeds involving a purported British doctor. The headline asks whether she was originally a victim; that is not proved innocence or coercion. Suspect residence/doctor nationality do not locate actual operations. The headline describes withdrawal of proceeds, not explicit use of her own bank account or transport as a courier. Retain alleged financial facilitation with unspecified subtype.
Reported caseThe Arabic account describes multiple women’s large financial losses after social-network contact developed into flirting/love and false relationships/marriage promises. Retain attributed financial/relationship mechanisms, not specific totals, country, precise dates or verified marriage events.
Reported caseQuickCheckheadlineasks aboutlovescammers targetingJapanesenationals inSemenyih; paragraph describes genericfakidentities andonline targets. Retain qualifiedquestion/generalmechanism, not a provedraid or eachtarget’sresidence.
Related mentionItalianexpert explanation attributes romanticdeception effectiveness toloneliness/self-esteem/fastinteraction/manipulation. Generaltargeting/psychologicalclaims are not actualvictimdiagnoses, causalriskestimates or measuredfinancialloss.
Research & trendsGuardianheadlinerefers to aGBP100,000romance scam; description adds over55UKfraud-growth/selfblame/grooming claims. Keep article-level caseamount andbroadreportedframing separate; no particularvictimidentity or verified52percenttrend supplied.
Research & trendsSpanish romance-fraud/sextortion explanation describes falseprofiles demanding money and annual billions-of-pesos gang claims. General claims are not measured incidence, verified individual loss, a currencyISO or independently proved network size.
Research & trendsFive ChineseAustralian singlemothers discover overlappingdating with thesame man andform a groupchat, labelled a lovescam. Retain attributedrelationaldeception, not verifiedfinancialloss, falseidentity or Australianresidence inferred fromethnicity/nationality.
Related mentionThe Arabic headline identifies false relationships/marriage promises ending in money theft in the UAE, while the partial paragraph names women and electronic emotional fraud. Retain attributed harm/fabricated relationships and headline place, not exact totals, dates or a communication platform borrowed from the fuller original.
Reported caseThai police reportedly dismantled a network using attractive false profiles and romantic relationships; the headline names Operation Romance114 and a Nigerian/five Thai arrests. Retain qualified operation/arrest/impersonation context, not nationality as operations or identity with another three-woman operation merely through nationality.
Reported caseAwara police investigate a sixties man’s app-contact online-shop scheme, describing trust-building romance fraud and crypto taken worth JPY16.5 million. The shop-running pretext is retained without promised returns, false persona or a full year for November7. The pretext is operating an online shop, not explicitly securities trading. Keep the broad financial-opportunity theme with unspecified subtype rather than invent trading mechanics.
Reported caseTwo saved versions describe a 76-year-old woman from Germany repeatedly sending money and giving up her apartment to move to an Austrian entertainer. The fuller version names a false Gottfried Würcher persona and the real singer seeing her at his house. Retain payments, housing disruption and impersonation with source-version precision; the real performer is not an offender and no financial total or full date is supplied.
Reported caseA76-year-old German woman lost her home and money in an Internet scam involving a Carinthian celebrity persona; police warn about the method. This sparse version does not itself name Gottfried Würcher, residence inGermany or actual money amount. Nationality alone does not establish a country role.
Reported caseChinese coverage says a woman in her fifties believed she was romantically involved with Lee Jung Jae through AI impersonation and lost over KRW500 million, about TWD10.67 million. Those are one source’s equivalent loss, not two payments. Preserve alleged synthetic-media/persona context, not actual actor involvement or a verified technique.
Reported caseA Bengaluru man reportedly lost INR32 lakh to a fake high-society dating service using emotional manipulation and fake fees; the headline identifies WhatsApp romance fraud. Retain financial/trust/platform context, not a proved false individual persona, actual elite membership or a full date.
Reported caseRTL’s Luxembourgish call seeks people affected by online feigned relationships and money requests for a love-scamming programme. Retain general fabricated-relationship/production initiative, not a specific verified victim, actual loss or available support service.
Related mentionThe senior reportedly sent money repeatedly over months to a supposed overseas admirer, exposed the fraud while planning a visit and lost a six-figure sum. Retain attributed financial/fabricated-relationship/repeat-transfer context without a currency ISO, precise amount or actual offender location. Do not copy Lam age/place into variants that omit it. The individual paragraph explicitly places the senior in Oberpfalz; retain only that victim place role.
Reported caseThe senior reportedly sent money repeatedly over months to a supposed overseas admirer, exposed the fraud while planning a visit and lost a six-figure sum. Retain attributed financial/fabricated-relationship/repeat-transfer context without a currency ISO, precise amount or actual offender location. Do not copy Lam age/place into variants that omit it.
Reported caseThe senior reportedly sent money repeatedly over months to a supposed overseas admirer, exposed the fraud while planning a visit and lost a six-figure sum. Retain attributed financial/fabricated-relationship/repeat-transfer context without a currency ISO, precise amount or actual offender location. Do not copy Lam age/place into variants that omit it.
Reported caseThe senior reportedly sent money repeatedly over months to a supposed overseas admirer, exposed the fraud while planning a visit and lost a six-figure sum. Retain attributed financial/fabricated-relationship/repeat-transfer context without a currency ISO, precise amount or actual offender location. Do not copy Lam age/place into variants that omit it.
Reported caseThe dating-scam headline reports more than INR32 lakh lost. The paragraph combines companionship, jobs and investments with trust exploitation through online transactions. Retain mixed attributed financial/trust context, not every scheme assigned to this victim or an invented specific contact platform.
Reported case