Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? Don’t fall for Instagram romance scams
Meta unsolicited-message AP warning, both titles read; repeats not unique incidents.
Prevention & supportData from The GDELT Project · Reviewed and interpreted by RSRC
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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.
Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? Don’t fall for Instagram romance scams
Meta unsolicited-message warning, two exact-description titles read.
Prevention & support"Era un encantador de serpientes": una víctima de la 'Estafa del amor' cuenta cómo la manipuló hasta sacarle 5.000 euros
Spanish5000victimreportsanger/powerlessness/sadness/pain andpolicereport. Actualreportdistinctfromscammerpersonal-datarequests.
Reported caseCobb Sheriff's Office Helps Put Romance Scammer Behind Bars
Atlanta>12yearssentencefortwomixedtaxrefund/BEC/Romanceschemes. Termnotromance-only; BECnotvictimemployerfundstheft/automaticallylaundering.
Reported caseLooking for love this Valentine's Day? Don't fall for Instagram or Facebook romance scams
Meta unsolicited-message warning across apps/texts.
Prevention & supportThink you can spot a Romance Scam? Canadians lost more than $58 million last year after being led into ‘web of lies’
Canada58m lastyear aggregate withOPP falseidentities/trust warning. Relative lastyearnotnormalized or repeatedcopies independentcorroboration.
Prevention & supportRomance scammer's devious script revealed after international police raid
Australian warning and revealedFilipino scammer script after international raid. Raid subtype/search distinct from arrest/conviction; nationality notactual Philippine operation on its own.
Reported caseMeta alerte ses utilisateurs contre les arnaques amoureuses impliquant de fausses célébrités
Meta celebrity/military impostor warning; no actualloss/AI claim.
Prevention & supportRomance scammer's devious script revealed after international police raid
Australian warning and revealedFilipino scammer script after international raid. Raid subtype/search distinct from arrest/conviction; nationality notactual Philippine operation on its own.
Reported caseRomance scammer's devious script revealed after international police raid
Australian warning and revealedFilipino scammer script after international raid. Raid subtype/search distinct from arrest/conviction; nationality notactual Philippine operation on its own.
Reported caseHow to avoid love scams?
Love-scamprevention/actionadvice, notactualindividualservicereceived.
Prevention & supportFraud EDU: Falling for Romance Scams - Yellowhammer News
FTC2023>64000/>1b andmedian2000, relativefouryearsnotcalendarfilled. Median/notmean, combinedgroups/time notindividualequalamount orverifiedincidence.
Research & trendsHelp Me Ben: Protect yourself from romance scams this Valentine's Day
Montanaprotectiveadvice, dateline notactualvictimlocation.
Prevention & supportRomance scammer's devious script revealed after international police raid
Australian warning and revealedFilipino scammer script after international raid. Raid subtype/search distinct from arrest/conviction; nationality notactual Philippine operation on its own.
Reported caseRomance scammer's devious script revealed after international police raid
Australian warning and revealedFilipino scammer script after international raid. Raid subtype/search distinct from arrest/conviction; nationality notactual Philippine operation on its own.
Reported caseRomance scammer's devious script revealed after international police raid
Australian warning and revealedFilipino scammer script after international raid. Raid subtype/search distinct from arrest/conviction; nationality notactual Philippine operation on its own.
Reported caseThink you can spot a Romance Scam? Canadians lost more than $58 million last year after being led into ‘web of lies’
Canada58m lastyear aggregate withOPP falseidentities/trust warning. Relative lastyearnotnormalized or repeatedcopies independentcorroboration.
Prevention & supportBeware romance scams in your search for true love, warn consumer watchdogs
NewYorkconsumerofficialwarning, clippedpotentialbrokeoutcome notactualharm.
Prevention & supportロマンス詐欺か 外国籍女性かたる人物から投資話、56歳男性が計1200万円被害
Higashiomi56 mechanic1200万円 investment/foreign-woman-persona source suspected romance. Occupation not employer theft; suspicion/alleged rather than independently proved.
Reported caseVeilig daten: tips om oplichting op datingsites te voorkomen
Dutchsafe-dating/nepprofielprevention andrightsmention, notactualcourt/legaldevelopment.
Prevention & supportRomance scammer's devious script revealed after international police raid
Australian warning and revealedFilipino scammer script after international raid. Raid subtype/search distinct from arrest/conviction; nationality notactual Philippine operation on its own.
Reported case‘Families, relationships, marriages can be torn apart’: How to protect yourself from romance scams
Families/marriages canbetornapart is explicitgeneralrelationalharmwarning, notcompletedindividualbreakdown.
Prevention & supportRomance scammer's devious script revealed after international police raid
Australian warning and revealedFilipino scammer script after international raid. Raid subtype/search distinct from arrest/conviction; nationality notactual Philippine operation on its own.
Reported casePódcast | Por qué tu también puedes ser víctima de una estafa amorosa, un crimen muy organizado
Podcast title asserts highly organized love fraud and AI capability. No audio watched, actual case or specific synthetic format. Same-agent contextual correction: General explanatory/research method claim is commentary, not an actual individual occurrence or an expressly delivered warning.
Prevention & supportWoman details how an unexpected friend request morphed a $100,000 romance scam - WTOP News
AnhTran100000 and strangerFacebook friend request; title supportsromance but clipped fields lack detailed persona/investment mechanism.
Reported case