Iowans Fall for Romance Scams More Than Most States
Contextual metadata coding; reported claims are not independently verified. Unassigned codes mean not reported in the available text, not absent in the event.
Research & trendsData 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 2024 | 443 | 443 | 100.0% |
| Feb 2024 | 685 | 685 | 100.0% |
| Mar 2024 | 391 | 391 | 100.0% |
| Apr 2024 | 487 | 487 | 100.0% |
| May 2024 | 519 | 519 | 100.0% |
| Jun 2024 | 303 | 303 | 100.0% |
| Jul 2024 | 545 | 545 | 100.0% |
| Aug 2024 | 352 | 352 | 100.0% |
| Sep 2024 | 387 | 387 | 100.0% |
| Oct 2024 | 493 | 493 | 100.0% |
| Nov 2024 | 496 | 496 | 100.0% |
| Dec 2024 | 565 | 565 | 100.0% |
5,596 matching media records
Each record represents a source web page, not a verified incident. Different URLs can describe the same event. About these records.
'It's everywhere': New podcast uncovers prolific global catfishing networks | CBC Radio
Love, Janessa documentary podcast about stolen images; promotional recirculation not new incidents.
Related mentionThe woman whose stolen images were used to scam men out of thousands | CBC Radio
An adult performer describes stolen images used to deceive men over a decade. The person whose identity was copied is not identified as the perpetrator.
Research & trendsFinto medico raggira un'anziana vedova, la nipote preoccupata lo denuncia: 53enne condannato per circonvenzione d'incapace
A court of appeal reportedly upheld the first-instance ruling against a 53-year-old fake-doctor offender exploiting an elderly widow, after a niece’s complaint. Preserve the report of conviction/upheld judgment, impersonation, bereavement and the relative’s reporting role. No monetary amount or causal vulnerability from widowhood is established.
Reported caseEl 'boom' de las estafas amorosas: así operan los delincuentes de un crimen muy organizado
The sparse headline explicitly describes organized romance fraud, without a retained paragraph or specific network identity. Treat organization as a broad attributed commentary, not a quantified boom, proven group or victim count.
Research & trendsActualités CAMEROUN :: Arnaque amoureuse à Douala : Cézarine Peka piégée par un faux entrepreneur et son serpent :: CAMEROON News
Douala report names CezarinePeka, single mother30s, and false entrepreneur in an alleged amorous fraud with serpent headline. Retain claimed persona/location/romantic deception; no supplied money, physical snake injury or causal clinical outcome.
Reported caseThis Viral Romance Scam Cost One Man $35K—Don’t Fall for It
Viralromancescam35kmanheadlinepluscatfish/fakeprofilewarning. Noownname/country/actualunit$orindependentlyverifiedloss; marketingheadline notsamecasefromamountalone.
Prevention & supportTinder Swindlers: How scammers steal your heart, then your money
TinderSwindlersguide explicitly criminalintimatedeception/lovebombing/catfish/blackmail for cash/privateinformation. Generaladvice notindependentcase evidence, noactualsexualblackmail without ownqualifier.
Prevention & support「毎日の楽しみに」 被害者が明かすSNS型ロマンス詐欺の長期計画 | 毎日新聞
Mixed-prefecture SNS investment/Romance Jan–September1.66billionJPY/2.5x plus one approximately15million romance example. Historical interval lacks own calendar year; not 2025 Jan–Sept or all aggregate Romance.
Research & trendsLove Scamming: ORF-Wettermann Sigi Fink in Kanada unfreiwillig "berühmt"
SigiFinkORFweathermanphotosstolenforLoveScamming/CanadianTVfeature. Photoownerunwillingparticipant notscammerlocation;Canadianbroadcastnotoperatorcountryoractualepisodewatched.
Related mentionHappy Valentine's Day! How to Protect Yourself From Romance Scams
Fauxmancepreventivewarning, bothtitlesread; noindividualoutcome.
Prevention & supportSwipe Left on These 5 Common Online Dating Scams
Dating-appfake-promisesdecoder/generalwarning, broke/brokenhearteddefinitionnotindividualcompletedharm.
Prevention & supportFrom 'Pig Butchering' to online romance to fake phone calls from law enforcement: What you need to avoid falling victim to scams
Own source preventive warning/guide or announced activity. Potential harm not actual new target loss; warnings, dates, tips and planned/held events do not establish participation/effectiveness. Specific financial/intimacy/platform methods only coded where own available text states them.
Prevention & supportUne jeune dame vivant en Belgique victime ‘’d’arnaque sentimentale’’
Guinean woman living Belgium source-romance narrative with clipped context; amount and precise financial/intimate method unknown.
Reported caseVon wegen Liebe: lauter Lügen! – Tinder und Kripo warnen vor «Love-Scam» - e110 - Das Sicherheitsportal
Own preventiveguide/authoritywarning. Potentialfinancial/intimate harms notactualnewcase ormeasuredprevention effect; precise methods codedonlyinownavailabletext.
Prevention & supportEscroquerie sentimentale et immobilière, menaces, intimidations... Dans l'étau de deux frères machiavéliques
FathiSaintBrice20mmixedpropertyRomance/sourceauthority-inertia accusation. Sourceframingnotlegallyverifiedclinicalharm orallRomanceamount; accessiblepreviewseparatecurrentbodylayer. Brothers originating fromSaintBrice does not itself establish all operation location; detailed property context remains separate body layer. Current source-specific layer: All24 states/roles/dates assessed on accessible own preview only, not full paywalled body. Ines/Fathi brothers romantic/property confidence allegations and200000loan separate from20millionmixednetwork sum; loan mentioned does not prove paid loss or completed debt harm. Initial metadata monetary/network/institutional-inertia accusations retained as source-attributed, not verified corruption/clinical causality. Historical articleJuly2024 not a new2025 event or incident/procedural date; no calendar-filled outcome, actual housing loss, formal forgery, guilty court outcome, paid return or digital mechanism borrowed from another family. Legal professions/authority inertia not independent statutory finding, siblings' origin not entire operation location. Preserve partial-access limits/source snapshots, no paywall bypass.
Reported caseRomance scammers continue to lure victims while police beef up clampdown efforts
Limpopoformerteacher1.8m Ghanaian allegedoperator/helperarrest. Roledivisionclaim/source, countryfromnationality notactualoperationlocale.
Reported caseSouth Florida Woman Sentenced for Working as Money Mule in Romance Scams
CristinePetitfrere admitslaunderingmillions toGhana andsentencedheadline, notpersonalRomancetargetloss; destinationnotalloperatorplace.
Reported case“No Sympathy”: Internet Divided As 67-Year-Old Woman Loses Life Savings To Keanu Reeves Romance Scam
Keanu67 woman marriage/life savings and internet no sympathy debate. Celebrity impersonation source title, quoted public victim blame not researcher endorsement, no independently verified clinical harm or housing loss.
Reported caseOnline dating scammers bilk more money each year. A bipartisan bill seeks to stop them at the source.
Bipartisan OnlineDatingSafetyAct bill would require app scam-account notification. Proposed legislation, not enacted NY state law/measured prevention. Policy reported proposal; enactment unsupported note, not contradictory whole-code withholding.
Prevention & supportHow a bipartisan bill could help tackle online dating scams
Own dating-scam bill and explicit romance-scam investigation support prevention coverage. The truncated64000-Americans clause has an unspecified denominator; do not infer unique verified cases or benefits.
Prevention & supportBipartisan bill seeks to stop online dating scams at the source
Own titles and dating-app scam-account warning identify proposed Online Dating Safety Act prevention. Proposed notification duties are not enacted law or measured prevention.
Prevention & supportTruffe sentimentali online: svuotato il conto di una donna (66 anni)
Own Italian sentimental-scam title reports an emptied account. Two million dollars describes prior retirement assets, not an explicitly quantified realized loss. Age66 must not be silently harmonized with other sources.
Reported case误信高薪打工沦为猪仔 3名大马男子获救回国 | 社会
Own account explicitly reports three Malaysian recruited men rescued from forced love-scam work in Laos. Distinguish coerced workers from romantic financial targets, promised Thai job/salary from actual location/payment, and returned workers from money recovery. The metadata does not identify the actual rescuing actor; NGO presence at a press interview does not prove it conducted the rescue. Laos role is the reported coercive operation site; Malaysian nationality/return and advertised Thai job do not locate romantic financial targets.
Reported caseHow a bipartisan bill could help tackle online dating scams
Own dating-scam bill and explicit romance-scam investigation support prevention coverage. The truncated64000-Americans clause has an unspecified denominator; do not infer unique verified cases or benefits.
Prevention & support