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.
Varun Yadav reportedly lost his life savings to romance fraud on a dating app. GBP106million headline is an aggregate, not his personal amount; no exact sum, date, nationality/residence or mental-health diagnosis. Retain personal financial/online account and named recurrence lead.
Reported caseA named romance-fraud victim quote prioritizes the person over money, and the opening names London banker Varun Yadav using dating apps. This is a bounded individual account; no actual loss amount, emotional diagnosis or lifetime savings is supplied here. Later fuller Varun or UK aggregate sources cannot fill this source’s omissions.
Reported caseState officials warn around Sweetest Day onOctober18 about romance-investment scams often beginning online. Retain general warning/investment/online mechanism, not a completed case, precise year, specified state jurisdiction or proof prevention works.
Prevention & supportTakanezawa66-year-old man reported JPY5.6million loss after a dating-site claimed Japanese woman, SNS intimacy and an online-shop owner opportunity; Sakura police investigate as romance fraud. Retain online/platform, investment opportunity, loss/report/inquiry without promised return, exact year or false nationality from a mere claimed persona.
Reported caseRoundup’s substantive FCA paragraph reports missed red flags and requests stronger bank monitoring, with one428,000loss case, another403payments/72,000case and wanted crypto transfer to a partner in Iraq. Retain general warning and multiple-source examples without summing them or claiming all are independent victims. Intended crypto is planned, Iraq is partner claim and403payments alone is not403explicit demands.
Prevention & supportBBB reminds Michigan readers about online friendship/romance contacts asking money or promoting cryptocurrency following a federal bust. Retain general preventive relationship/trust/investment/online context. The bust headline alone does not establish case identity, seizure sum, real victim transfer or independent prosecution facts; friends and romances remain differentiated.
Prevention & supportIna police classify a50s man’s JPY4million crypto loss as SNS investment/romance fraud; partial source gives a purported female contact. Preserve explicit mixed police classification and financial/crypto/SNS/investment context, without asserting an individual romantic bond from the combined label, false persona or an incident year.
Related mentionHückelhoven man reportedly lost a substantial sum to an internet love-scam acquaintance and police warn readers. Retain financial/online and advice context. US acquaintance claim in the headline is a persona detail, not actual operation country, victim nationality, exact loss or age56borrowed from another source.
Reported casePrahova61-year-old woman reportedly lost EUR170,000in a virtual love-scam relationship with a Nigerian man said to reside in Ilfov and claim illness. Retain money/online relationship/medical-pretext attribution; no actual sickness, Nigerian operation location, victim health injury, conviction or repeated demands inferred. Alleged offender residence is not automatically an operation-country assertion. The virtual-love fraud framing supports only qualified false-courtship interpretation. Claimed illness is not proved physical harm or a false nationality; offender residence is not automatically an operation location.
Reported caseOkinawa police headline reports a man arrested on SNS-romance-fraud suspicion while managing recipient bank accounts, described as a first local detection. Retain arrest/account use and SNS medium, not a proved guilty account holder, exact victims/loss, new investigative date or forced facilitation.
Reported caseTelugu retained text attributes Hyderabad police warnings about online dating and friendship fraud. Retain mixed general warning/online context, not a specific paid-service mechanism, exact loss, victim count or demonstrated prevention effect.
Prevention & supportSenmaya police commend two collaborating Ichinoseki convenience stores for preventing an elderly man’s SNS-romance-fraud harm. Retain actual interception/practical help and SNS medium; not completed loss, gift-card payment method, exact sum or a new legislative reward.
Reported caseA32-year-old Hyderabad resident reportedly lost Rs650,000in online dating/friendship fraud. Retain attributed loss and online-dating context, not paid-service details, false love/persona, police action, psychological injury or the victim’s actual currency beyond sourceRs.
Reported caseDutch source says two Utrecht women arrested for dating fraud exceeding EUR550,000, approaching targets through a dating platform under false names and building bonds to obtain money or goods. Retain alleged financial loss, false persona/trust, platform and arrest. Goods requested are not proof of completed property loss; no conviction or exact dates. Utrecht defendant origin is not every victim’s residence.
Reported caseBBB reminds Michigan readers about online friendship/romance contacts asking money or promoting cryptocurrency following a federal bust. Retain general preventive relationship/trust/investment/online context. The bust headline alone does not establish case identity, seizure sum, real victim transfer or independent prosecution facts; friends and romances remain differentiated.
Prevention & supportSpanish headline describes locating internet-romance-fraud production via2,000roof Starlink antennas, while opening broadly discusses satellite internet. Retain attributed infrastructure commentary, not2,000victims, antennas seized/disabled, exact Myanmar operation or an individually identified scam.
CommentaryKuroishi police say an Aomori woman in her30s lost JPY610,000 in SNS-romance fraud; September6dating-app contact claimed to be Korean Namuru. Retain financial loss, platform and claimed persona without assumed fake nationality, operation in Korea or a year inferred from the14th/September.
Reported caseHeadline reports17arrests including16women over false marriage/sex promises defrauding matrimonial/dating users in Kolkata; police attribute forged WhatsApp screenshots/payment receipts/web pages. Retain false marriage, arrest, document fraud and medium allegations. No actual sexual assault, conviction, victim loss amount, false identity or every suspect’s exact role. Forged screenshots/receipts/pages remain police-attributed allegations; sex promises do not establish actual sexual assault. Translate the provisional document-fraud shorthand Oo to the existing codebook builder alias Doc with the same document_identity_fraud subtype. The strict alias preflight caught the shorthand before saving/building; original draft and failed helper are preserved, with no codebook change.
Reported caseEschach66-year-old reportedly transferred money to a purported online acquaintance in love fraud and police offer protection advice. Retain loss/online/warning and explicit age/place, not a precise sum, actual US persona or year borrowed from another item.
Reported caseOkinawa police reportedly arrested an Uruma45-year-old worker suspected of SNS romantic-affection deception and JPY100,000from a Saga woman in her50s. Retain allegations/loss/fabricated relationship/SNS/arrest; no disclosed confession, conviction or full date from14th. A claimed first local detection is not no earlier fraud ever.
Reported caseUK/US sanctions and GBP130million London-property freeze are reported against a group accused of large-scale online romance fraud. Retain mixed attributed asset seizure/sanction, organization and online mechanism. Freeze is not restitution or a conviction; London asset location is not victim residence or operation site. The saved source explicitly names romance fraud without identifying another fraud type; keep a single group/action scope rather than invent mixed-fraud classification.
Related mentionUtsunomiya54-year-old woman reported JPY1.5million crypto loss; SNS contact claimed Korean nationality, called her wife and recommended investment to live together. Retain false romantic bond, online investment/crypto/loss/report/inquiry. August16/14thhave no stated year; Korean persona is not actual operation country or proven stolen identity.
Reported caseThe Hustle Kingdom article describes shadow academies recruiting unemployed young men16–23 and training online romance fraud, hacking and business-email-compromise. Retain mixed organized/online context, not proved forced work, unemployment causing offending or Nigerian nationality proving exact operation site.
Related mentionExplicit press-release publicity promotes Copyseeker’s iOS photo verification as help spotting fake profiles and romance fraud. Retain attributed proposed/practical service and technical-image-search context, not verified effectiveness, privacy assurances, actual stolen photos or paid API usage by this study.
Prevention & supportGander International Airport staff report more arrivals expecting online lovers who do not exist, mostly older people, many possibly widowed. Retain reported fabricated online relationship, explicit age-target/bereavement possibilities, not a measured recall/prevalence trend, actual financial loss or every arrival bereaved. Airport is the arrival context, not residence of every traveller.
Research & trends