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https://www.ashleymadison.com/ ;)

You're right. They warn that some parts of their website are for entertainment only. Here are the terms and conditions, and the relevant portion reproduced below:

Other Aspects of the Ashley Madison Service – For Your Entertainment Our Site and our Service gives users the opportunity to explore their fantasies and to interact with others in the Site. However, there is no guarantee you will find a date or partner on our Site or using our Service. Our Site and our Service also is geared to provide you with amusement and entertainment. You agree that some of the features of our Site and our Service are intended to provide entertainment. Others Using the Site for Entertainment You also understand and agree that there are users and members on the Site that use and subscribe to our Service for purely entertainment purposes. Those users and subscribers are not seeking physical meetings with anyone they meet on the Service, but consider their communications with users and members to be for their amusement. You acknowledge and agree that any profiles of users and members, as well as, communications from such persons may not be true, accurate or authentic and may be exaggerated or fantasy. You acknowledge and understand that you may be communicating with such persons and that we are not responsible for such communications .

Of course, in another section the prohibit you from using bots, and in another section, prohibit you from using fake profile pictures. So the only ones who could be doing these things..............

Thanks for the quote, Emphasis mine.
They wrote the bots that sent the communications, which makes them responsible. The wording around that clearly insinuates that 'real other people may lie to you' not 'we will lie to you and compound it by pretending the liar is another real user' I can see that bit bringing it all crashing down on them as it is clearly deceptive.

Other Aspects of the Ashley Madison Service – For Your Entertainment

Our Site and our Service gives users the opportunity to explore their fantasies and to interact with others in the Site. However, there is no guarantee you will find a date or partner on our Site or using our Service. Our Site and our Service also is geared to provide you with amusement and entertainment. You agree that some of the features of our Site and our Service are intended to provide entertainment.

Others Using the Site for Entertainment

You also understand and agree that there are users and members on the Site that use and subscribe to our Service for purely entertainment purposes. Those users and subscribers are not seeking physical meetings with anyone they meet on the Service, but consider their communications with users and members to be for their amusement.

You acknowledge and agree that any profiles of users and members, as well as, communications from such persons may not be true, accurate or authentic and may be exaggerated or fantasy. You acknowledge and understand that you may be communicating with such persons and that we are not responsible for such communications.

Of course, in another section the prohibit you from using bots, and in another section, prohibit you from using fake profile pictures. So the only ones who could be doing these things..............

Simply put: you could get your subscription fee back in some circumstances, but you never got refunds on the money you had to spend to message people, to buy virtual gifts, chat sessions etc.

I think this is what keeps most people from applying for a refund:

https://www.ashleymadison.com/...

if it is determined that you have complied with the above requirements, we will mail you a REFUND CHECK for the original purchase (plus any applicable taxes) within 6-8 weeks of receiving your application. Please note that your refund check will state that it is from "Ashley Madison."

Who wants a check from Ashely Madison sent to their home or work?

Registration is free and there is no email verification (FAQ from AM). So yeah, someone could register you without your knowledge. However, it's the credit card transactions (for male users only?) that's getting people caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Without the CC transactions, there does't seem to be anyway to definitively prove someone was actively using the site.

I think that wives of men that go to strip clubs feel that it is wrong in both ways

I don't think your analogy is correct. Businesses that specifically target married or otherwise attached people are comparable, but strip clubs aren't. If this were a general research service that people could abuse to get homework done that would be comparable to a stripclub that some men go to and cheat on their significant others.

I cannot recommend this site enough. It's where I met your wife!

Oh, you mean Ashley Madison
You must be canadian, or live on the border and get CA broadcast television.

Canadian TV is a little looser with what they let go on-air. I think 10 PM is too early for softcore porn to be on TV, I guess they like to raise kids differently up north.