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 | 264 | 591 | 44.7% |
| Feb 2025 | 554 | 1,629 | 34.0% |
| Mar 2025 | 141 | 561 | 25.1% |
| Apr 2025 | 116 | 390 | 29.7% |
| May 2025 | 193 | 398 | 48.5% |
| Jun 2025 | 53 | 209 | 25.4% |
| Jul 2025 | 151 | 522 | 28.9% |
| Aug 2025 | 129 | 447 | 28.9% |
| Sep 2025 | 164 | 613 | 26.8% |
| Oct 2025 | 201 | 483 | 41.6% |
| Nov 2025 | 164 | 392 | 41.8% |
| Dec 2025 | 124 | 333 | 37.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 67 | 530 | 12.6% |
| Feb 2026 | 224 | 1,106 | 20.3% |
| Mar 2026 | 90 | 360 | 25.0% |
| Apr 2026 | 145 | 491 | 29.5% |
| May 2026 | 200 | 785 | 25.5% |
| Jun 2026 | 121 | 842 | 14.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 191 | 1,143 | 16.7% |
| Aug 2026 | 224 | 640 | 35.0% |
| Sep 2026 | 139 | 638 | 21.8% |
| Oct 2026 | 6 | 30 | 20.0% |
Each record represents a source web page, not a verified incident. Different URLs can describe the same event. About these records.
Gunma police establish a unit addressing combinedSNS investment/romance fraud; headline says losses exceedJPY900million and paragraph contrasts anotherfraud category’s341million. Keep categories and totals separate; a newunit is not legislation passed or an evaluated intervention.
Research & trendsSeven 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 mentionOta police describe a57-year-old employee losingJPY7.3million cash/e-money in thecombinedSNS investment/romance category after a guaranteed-profit solicitation. Keep mixed scope without inventing courtship or an actualcrypto transfer.
Reported caseSeven 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 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 & supportThis headline describes a 50-year-old woman losing 90 million-equivalent in romance fraud, using a dating app and funds for living together. Publisher boilerplate does not establish geography, actual marriage, the payment asset or a bridge to the other 36.4 million crypto-loss headline. Preserve the separate source identity and platform detail.
Reported caseAudio-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 mentionThe 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 mentionSarahKuttner says she losthermother to anonline lovescammer who financiallyruined her. Financialdisruption is explicit; losthermother doesnotitself identify suicide, homicide, clinicaldistress or a causal deathmechanism. Keep source-associatedseriousharm uncertainty.
Related mentionOdatepolice report a man inhisforties losingJPY9.5million inSNS romancefraud; headline refers toaffection, investment and a ring-makingproposal. No completedmarriage or fullincidentdate from10th supplied.
Reported caseTwoItalian sources describe a72-year-oldwoman representedbyAnacletoFerranti, allegingthatstolenpersonaldata fromromancevictimization wasusedagainst otherwomen while she isaccusedofparticipation withthreeAfricanpersons/anotherItalianwoman. Keep identitydata misuse/accusation andvictim-claim roles, not proveninnocence, actualconviction or nationalityasoperationlocation.
Reported caseHitachinaka police report a55-year-old male employee losingJPY11million after SNS contact with a purported Japanese woman, investigating romance fraud. Persona nationality does not locate operations or independently prove a false identity.10th supplies no full date.
Reported caseAshikaga62-year-old woman reportscrypto loss worthJPY25.81million after a foreignmalecontact expressingaffection encouragedinvestment. Police investigateSNS romancefraud. Foreignnationality isnot a countryrole;10th lacks a full date.
Reported caseTwoItalian sources describe a72-year-oldwoman representedbyAnacletoFerranti, allegingthatstolenpersonaldata fromromancevictimization wasusedagainst otherwomen while she isaccusedofparticipation withthreeAfricanpersons/anotherItalianwoman. Keep identitydata misuse/accusation andvictim-claim roles, not proveninnocence, actualconviction or nationalityasoperationlocation.
Reported caseA Matsuyama woman in herseventies reportedly filed a romance-fraud loss report forJPY6.65million afterSNS contact with a purported Korean man.10th/September5lack a year; nationality is a persona claim, not actual residence or independently proved identity.
Reported casePress-style guidance dated07.11.2025 describes an80-year-oldBavarian man travelling toKyrgyzstan after meeting a purportedpartner on asinglessite and receiving consular fraudinformation. Publicationdate isnot thetripdate; travel destination isnot perpetratoroperations. Frustration is described, not a clinicaldiagnosis or financialtotal.
Reported caseMito police report a53-year-old male civil servant losing aboutJPY12.86million after dating-site contact with a purported Japanese woman, investigated as romance fraud. Preserve the source amount against a later53-year-old/13.27million variant; no automatic identity or corrected total assumed.
Reported caseTomioka police report a46-year-old employee losing JPY2,177,366 in the combined SNS investment/romance category, with an online-shop increased-income pretext in the headline. No specific partner identity, actual relationship or guaranteed return is supplied. 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 caseTakasaki police report a55-year-old male employee losing crypto worth JPY7.35 million in the combined SNS investment/romance category. The general affection/familiarity definition is not a specific courtship claim for this target. Preserve mixed scope and exact asset; 7th lacks a year.
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 caseThe full press-style account dated07.11.2025 describes an80-year-old Bavarian man travelling to Kyrgyzstan after a singles-site relationship and receiving consular fraud information. Frustration is explicit; publication date is not trip date and destination is not perpetrator operations. No financial total or clinical diagnosis is supplied.
Reported caseThe source describes AI-generated content across social-media romance scams and fake news, with a single-old-man headline. Retain mixed synthetic-media context, not verified technique, prevalence, individual loss or every misinformation example linked to romance fraud.
Research & trends