The dating app company Match.com was sued for fraud earlier this week by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The company, which owns several other popular relationships apps such as Tindr, PlentyofFish, Hinge and OkCupid is accused of having defrauded its users into believing that they were communicating with others looking for romance. They were communicating with bots instead.
In its suit, the FTC describes how Match.com’s leadership ignored the overwhelming evidence that scammers were using their apps. In its filing, the FTC outlined how as much as 30% of its new registrants in March of this year were known scammers. Many of them had a goal of advertising to or extorting from unsuspecting daters.
In their lawsuit, the FTC also outlines how Match.com turned a blind eye as developers unleashed bots in their dating forums as well. Data that the FTC compiled shows that up to 50% of the conversations that were initiated between 2013 and 2016 were carried out by bots and not humans.
The FTC also argues that Match.com’s leadership also engaged in deceptive advertising. In their filing, they describe how the dating app company allowed scammers or bots to send real users marketing email expressing an interest in them.
Data compiled by the FTC between June of 2016 and May of 2018 shows that as many as 500,000 users signed up for Match.com’s services after receiving emails from fraudsters. The FTC argues that dating app company’s leadership used this tactic to increase their subscriber base and consequently their revenue.
Match.com has released a statement to respond to the FTC’s filing. They claim that they generally cancel 96% of scammer accounts within 24 hours of them being set up. They note that they look forward to their day in court.
Finding a potential mate online has become increasingly popular during the past two decades. Unscrupulous computer programmers and scam artists have had to up their game to continue to carry out their fraudulent schemes in response.
If you feel as if you’ve been catfished or otherwise deceived by a dating site, then you may want to reach out to a consumer fraud attorney. They can review your case and let you know whether any impropriety occurred. If it did, then they may advise you of legal remedies that you can pursue in your case here in Vadnais Heights or elsewhere in Minnesota.
