Explained: What Is The ‘Fake Dubai Prince’ Scam?
An explanatory article describes impostors using a Dubai prince’s identity. The impersonated person is not the offender and the persona does not locate an operation.
CommentaryData 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 | 591 | 591 | 100.0% |
| Feb 2025 | 1,629 | 1,629 | 100.0% |
| Mar 2025 | 561 | 561 | 100.0% |
| Apr 2025 | 390 | 390 | 100.0% |
| May 2025 | 398 | 398 | 100.0% |
| Jun 2025 | 209 | 209 | 100.0% |
| Jul 2025 | 522 | 522 | 100.0% |
| Aug 2025 | 447 | 447 | 100.0% |
| Sep 2025 | 613 | 613 | 100.0% |
| Oct 2025 | 483 | 483 | 100.0% |
| Nov 2025 | 392 | 392 | 100.0% |
| Dec 2025 | 333 | 333 | 100.0% |
| Jan 2026 | 530 | 530 | 100.0% |
| Feb 2026 | 1,106 | 1,106 | 100.0% |
| Mar 2026 | 360 | 360 | 100.0% |
| Apr 2026 | 491 | 491 | 100.0% |
| May 2026 | 785 | 785 | 100.0% |
| Jun 2026 | 842 | 842 | 100.0% |
| Jul 2026 | 1,143 | 1,143 | 100.0% |
| Aug 2026 | 640 | 640 | 100.0% |
| Sep 2026 | 638 | 638 | 100.0% |
| Oct 2026 | 30 | 30 | 100.0% |
12,949 matching media records
Each record represents a source web page, not a verified incident. Different URLs can describe the same event. About these records.
Women most affected as love scam cases rise in January
Malaysian reporting says women were 60% of January recorded victims. Without exposure data that is a sample composition, not a sex-specific population risk.
Research & trendsCanadian Anti-Fraud Centre warning of online romance scams - 610 CKTB
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and Niagara police warn about relationship fraud. The brief uptick claim lacks a denominator or measured prevention effect.
Prevention & supportThe warning signs someone isn’t who they say they are online (or in person)
PeopleFinders provides romance-scam warning signs. This commercial-source advice is not an independent evaluation of a service or of prevention effectiveness.
Prevention & supportLookalike of EastEnders star wanted over historical OAP romance frauds
Reports identify wanted suspect John Eric Wells and alleged losses of £400,000 involving three older women. A wanted notice and resemblance to an actor do not establish guilt.
Reported caseFugitive 'Ian Beale lookalike' wanted for 'conning grannies out of £400k'
Reports identify wanted suspect John Eric Wells and alleged losses of £400,000 involving three older women. A wanted notice and resemblance to an actor do not establish guilt.
Reported case$1.14 Billion Lost to Romance Scams in 2023: How to Protect Yourself
A prevention article cites $1.14bn in 2023 romance-scam losses. The brief description supplies no denominator or basis for treating this as a current-year total.
Prevention & supportDad's identity stolen by dating app rapist who targeted 17 women
A man says Ryan McVeigh used his identity and photographs on dating apps to rape, abuse and defraud seventeen women. Sexual violence and identity misuse are reported; the third-party identity owner is separate from the targeted women.
Reported caseWomen most affected as love scam cases rise in Malaysia in January
A Malaysian report says 72% of recorded victims were aged 30–50. Without the age distribution of people at risk, that share does not establish that they are the most vulnerable.
Research & trendsDonegal Gardaí urging people to alert to romance fraud - Highland Radio - Latest Donegal News and Sport
Donegal Gardaí warn about deceptive relationship stories on dating sites and social media. Advice does not demonstrate prevention effectiveness.
Prevention & supportAlerta en Día de San Valentín: 5 consejos claves para evitar estafas amorosas en aplicaciones de citas
A prevention item, warning or educational event discusses romantic deception. Seasonal or growth claims in brief metadata are attributed and do not establish incidence or effectiveness.
Prevention & support'It's a crazy world out there': Information security officer talks online scam safety in age of AI
A prevention item, warning or educational event discusses romantic deception. Seasonal or growth claims in brief metadata are attributed and do not establish incidence or effectiveness.
Prevention & support'La estafa amorosa es catastrófica para la víctima': una asociación de afectados atiende 600 casos en dos años
A support association says it handled 600 cases in two years and that 70% of users were over 65. Service-user characteristics are not population risk estimates.
Research & trendsLa IA hace más creíbles y masivas las estafas románticas: 'Crees que hablas con el amor de tu vida y es una mafia'
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportRomance scammers are trying to convince victims to open home equity loans, research finds
Coverage describes attempts to induce home-equity borrowing. Threatened housing loss is not completed homelessness; the 761 suspicious identity-related applications in one report are not all proven romance fraud.
Research & trendsLa IA hace más creíbles y masivas las estafas románticas: 'Crees que hablas con el amor de tu vida y es una mafia'
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportEstafas románticas con inteligencia artificial: lo que debes saber
Coverage discusses AI-assisted romantic deception and prevention. Its claims of scale or persuasion are not independently measured in the retained text.
Prevention & supportAmor en línea: cuando las estafas se disfrazan de romance
Coverage discusses AI-assisted romantic deception and prevention. Claims of increasing sophistication or scale are not evaluated causal effects in the saved text.
Prevention & supportAttenzione alle truffe amorose online: ti svuotano il conto in un attimo se accetti queste amicizie
A warning, educational notice or advice item discusses romantic financial deception. The excerpt does not independently establish seasonal incidence or prevention effectiveness.
Prevention & supportLe paradoxe étonnant des arnaques sentimentales
Commentary discusses emotional manipulation or similarities with other fraud. It does not establish how often identity misuse or harms occur.
CommentaryLove month and the rising threat of online love scams
A love-month commentary introduces online romantic scams without an incident or quantified evidence in the retained text.
CommentaryLa IA hace más creíbles y masivas las estafas románticas: 'Crees que hablas con el amor de tu vida y es una mafia'
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportTi innamori online e perdi la casa | la nuova frontiera delle truffe sentimentali ora passa l’ipoteca sull’abitazione
An Italian headline claims housing loss but the description says the home was put at risk after online romance. Preserve the discrepancy and code only threatened housing harm.
Reported caseLa IA hace más creíbles y masivas las estafas románticas: 'Crees que hablas con el amor de tu vida y es una mafia'
Coverage describes AI-assisted romantic deception and warning signs. Repeated coverage and claims of greater persuasion do not independently measure AI effectiveness.
Prevention & supportIllinois 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 & trends