Data from The GDELT Project · Reviewed and interpreted by RSRC
Search the research collection
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 | 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% |
Each record represents a source web page, not a verified incident. Different URLs can describe the same event. About these records.
Fake James police operation headline says21 arrested; described emotional scams affect70people and1.5million. Aggregate target and loss measures not convictions, individual clinical harm or returned money.
Reported caseAskingEric letter concerns son paying older online woman and proposed Brazil trip. Suspected romance scam, not verified deception/loss; trip not completed and Brazil travel/persona not established offender location. Cash sent does not by itself establish scam net loss.
CommentaryOperation Fake James Spain/Europe organization,21 arrested and four investigated, over70 targets/1.5million. Distinguish suspects, targets and losses; April5,2025 dateline not automatically date of arrest. Current source-specific layer: All24 states/roles/dates assessed. FakeJames21 arrests/fourinvestigated/sevenraids/93frozenaccounts/fourvehicles are separate law-enforcement/action units, not targets or convictions.1.5m fraud/frozen amounts/one94000 loss not added, no paid returns. Up-to70bullet versusover70body retained as source discrepancy. Pyramid recruiters/forged documents/mules/export laundering support distinct alleged roles; Europe/Africa continents not every country's operation. Existing Spain jurisdiction retained; provinces/raids not all victim/operator residences. April5dateline not exact raid date. No imposed sentence, independently verified guilt, medical harm or cryptocurrency transfer inferred from financial routing.
Reported caseGuardia Civil online-romance deception warning with generic economic/emotional consequences. Eight URL copies not eight events or corroborations; no individual paid loss or clinical finding.
Prevention & supportBanqiaoWu bank withdrawal1280000NTD to purported Vietnamese girlfriend calling him husband intercepted by bank/police. Planned payment not completed loss, personaVietnam not actual perpetrator country.
Reported caseGuardia Civil online-romance deception warning with generic economic/emotional consequences. Eight URL copies not eight events or corroborations; no individual paid loss or clinical finding.
Prevention & supportGrandma online safety article includes romance and digital-arrest scams, older targets and fear/embarrassment reporting barriers. Mixed warning, not a specific clinical diagnosis or all fraud harms attributable to romance. Grandma-targeting headline not actual warning statement; retain own older-target/reporting-barrier context, no invented warning evidence.
Research & trendsSam/Austin thought he found love online and lost80000 in fake gold investment. Financial-romantic link explicit in programme metadata, no recording listened. OnlyFans lawsuit/vacuum are unrelated; no host loss or actual synthetic-media fraud.
Related mentionAskingEric romance-scam advice headline plus separate2023 aggregate64000reports/1.14billion. Aggregate not son case sum or verified prevalence; no own confirmed paid loss or completed Brazilian travel. Specific letter plus romance-only2023 aggregate is multiple scopes, not mixed different-fraud allocation. Exact aggregate year retained separately from son case.
CommentarySam/Austin thought he found love online and lost80000 in fake gold investment. Financial-romantic link explicit in programme metadata, no recording listened. OnlyFans lawsuit/vacuum are unrelated; no host loss or actual synthetic-media fraud.
Related mentionGuardiaCivil FakeJames online romance fraud dismantling reported with70affected/1.5million. Source aggregate not individual losses, convictions or victim restitution. No own arrest count filled from another copy.
Reported caseGuardia Civil online-romance deception warning with generic economic/emotional consequences. Eight URL copies not eight events or corroborations; no individual paid loss or clinical finding.
Prevention & supportGuardia Civil online-romance deception warning with generic economic/emotional consequences. Eight URL copies not eight events or corroborations; no individual paid loss or clinical finding.
Prevention & supportTramatch vendor describes AI/KYC online-dating safety initiative in Nigeria. Promotional claim not independent efficacy finding; defensive AI verification is not evidence scammers used AI-generated media.
Related mentionGuardia Civil online-romance deception warning with generic economic/emotional consequences. Eight URL copies not eight events or corroborations; no individual paid loss or clinical finding.
Prevention & supportAskingEric letter concerns son paying older online woman and proposed Brazil trip. Suspected romance scam, not verified deception/loss; trip not completed and Brazil travel/persona not established offender location. Cash sent does not by itself establish scam net loss. Own headline/description mentions Brazil meeting and payments without online-platform literal; previous shared guide borrowed online word from other AskingEric copy. Withhold technology for this exact source.
CommentaryMalayalam report alleges59 retired officer lured through matrimonial dating then stripped at gunpoint and robbed. Financial-romantic bait qualifies; UP/Gurugram wording kept as geographic discrepancy rather than normalized. Threat/forced nudity not proof injury, homicide, recorded sexual blackmail or actual arrest. Deeper context needed for precise harm code.
Reported caseGuardia Civil online-romance deception warning with generic economic/emotional consequences. Eight URL copies not eight events or corroborations; no individual paid loss or clinical finding.
Prevention & supportFive UK romance scammers/money launderers convicted; repeated demands exhausted victims. Millions aggregate not individual amounts and conviction not sentence maximum actually served. Current qualification: Biztoc original unavailable; matched Register original actually read separately, not independent repeated convictions or newGDELTsource.40/99/3.25m distinct denominators and AI/reimbursement discussion not actual defendantAI/victimreturn. Forum comments not article evidence, September stage not April knowledge.
Reported caseNonfiction KingpinPart1 programme description: daughter learns mother conned of400000. Saved text qualifies romance-fraud topic/financial harm; programme not watched and brought to justice headline not precise conviction/penalty. Family relation alone not family distress.
Related mentionPolice seek romance-scam suspect allegedly duping victims275000. Separate Canada945 targets/50million/53000mean figures are a different aggregate, not this case sum, independently verified prevalence or inferred report year. Wanted status not arrest. Own description explicitly reports aggregate Canada losses; code attributed multiple-case financial harm without reallocating all50million to275000suspect or filling incident year.
Reported caseOwn Gate headline suspected SNS romance: Oita60 male12290000JPY cigar resale. Split from different40male6590000 case sharing publisher boilerplate. Specific source headline supports investment pretext; not actual crypto or clinical harm.
Reported caseOita60 male allegedly lost12290000JPY to SNS romance-investment cigar resale offer. Commodity pretext not actual debt, employer theft, homelessness or crypto transfer.
Reported caseForced criminality account explicitly describes people forced to perform online crimes including romance baiting, crypto and laundering. Mixed mechanism, not proof all trafficking/crypto crimes romantic or a named target count. Own forced engagement in crimes supports existing forced_work subtype, not default punitive-control confinement.
Research & trendsDating-app scam avoidance guide with specific tactics and protection context. Generic warning not actual incident/loss or demonstrated efficacy.
Prevention & support