Andrew Tate: Romanian teens explain how he approached them on social media

By Lucy Williamson

BBC News, Bucharest

Daria Gusa was 16 and still at school, when she says she received a private message on Instagram from Andrew Tate, a high-profile influencer almost 20 years older than her.

"It just read 'Romanian girl' and he put some flirty emoji," Daria told me. "I was confused because I [only] had 200 followers, and it was a private account."

She is one of two teenagers who have described to the BBC how Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan approached them online, apparently using a standard formula.

"It was obvious we were high-school girls," Daria said. "We had our high school in our bio and everything. I think he was just trying to find girls who were as innocent or nave as possible, in my opinion."

She showed us a screenshot of the message, which she never replied to. But she says some of her friends did.

Daria, who's now at university in the UK, is the daughter of a prominent Romanian politician and feels able to speak out publicly when others have refused to go on the record.