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Online Daters Sue Matchmaking Web Sites for Fraud
BBCWatcher writes "According to Reuters, Match.com and Yahoo! are the subjects of separate class-action lawsuits from 'frustrated online daters.' Yahoo! Personals is accused of advertising fictitious profiles in order to make the service look more popular. In the Match.com case, 30-something professional Matthew Evans contends that Match.com sent a female employee as 'date bait,' hoping he'd tell others about the attractive women they could meet. 'The relationship went nowhere, according to his suit,' which claims Match.com violated the RICO Act."
No wonder he's single.
Liquor companies regularly hire models to go into hot nightspots to consume their products as conspicuously as possible. Bating guys with fake dates isn't a whole lot different, they're both just forms of astroturfing.
And not all people go on dates with the sole purpose of trying to locate their "soulmate". A lot of people, esp. young professionals who are very focused on their career, are simply looking for someone to have a good time with. e.g., the dates are about having fun, not interviewing perspective spouses.
Also... Match.com is owned by Ticketbastard--I wouldn't put anything past them.
Entrepreneur : (noun), French for "unemployed"
There was one two years ago.
Tried Online Dating?
Comments:1310 | Votes:84872
JP
I didn't end up doing it, but yes, its definitely something that goes on. They didn't tell me which site(s) it was for during the interview, but i suppose I could find out. Our job was to make up fake profiles of very horny people and post then. We were supposed to chat with people as well since the site also had that function. Being interviewed for a job like that was one of the weirdest things I have ever done. One of the questions was "If your profile says that your a red head with big tits, and some guy sends you a message saying that he wants to eat you out, what do you say in reply? There were many people working there doing the same job, it was like a call centrer.
I had a cough cough "friend" cough cough who tried two of these sites. We'll just call the Hatch and Rahoo. Anyhow, this "friend" would get emails back that said "hey, if you want to see me naked visit this other site LINK."
I have, er, my friend has noticed that whenevr his subsciption was about to expire he would suddenly get a ton of "winks" or "flirts" that you have to subscibe to reply to. Could be a coincidence
If you are using these sites, my "friend" would give this advice- when you see a 20 y/o female who is seeking men 18-45 they are usually a fake profile (Not from the provider necessarily, but these "women" usually reply back with a link to their paysite.)
The worst offenders, not that I would know, are the companies that advertise on porn sites. They have nude pics come up of women in the "next town over" or your town (you get these if they know your ip and can tell where you are) and you just know that there aren't 50 nubile young 18-25 y/o women in these towns looking for no strings sex on the net.
And All I Ask is a Tall Ship And a Star to Steer Her By
Don't worry. http://www.okcupid.com/ have that covered. Free too.
Deleted
The online dating industry is notorious for planting fake profiles, but I would be genuinely surprised if Match.com is one of the offenders -- I have used match.com before, and the only fake profiles I have seen came from the users themselves.
The worst and most incredibly blantant offender that I'm aware of is FriendFinder and its affiliate sites (run by Andew Conru). I can't believe they haven't been shutdown long ago. Some of the things that company does is breathtaking in its audacity - such as taking profiles of women that post looking for a normal date, and repurpose them into women "looking for bondage and sex with strangers". Someone is going to end up getting hurt because of this; I don't know about you, but I'm of the view they should be shutdown before this happens.
The shady business practices of these guys is well documented - here's the first example that came up on Google.
This is the fiancee talking, and thank you for the 'drop dead gorgeous' bit *gushes*.
I think there is a big misconception when it comes to internet dating, and why people, and more so, why women do it. I wrote a piece on it for my blog (you know, the type that any old 13-year-old is throwing together these days), which I feel best describes why I did it, and how I found it useful. Check it out here
Technically it wouldn't cause inflation. Suing doesn't create money, ergo no inflation.
You don't necessarily need to 'create' money in order to cause inflation.
MV=PT
Where
M=the supply of money
V=the Velocity of exchange
P=the average level of prices
T= the number of transactions
In order for P to increase (i.e. inflation to occur) M or V can increase, or T can decrease. In principle any redistribution of money could result in an increase in V or a decrease it T, depending on the habits of those receiving the money.
It isn't all that unusual for Freshman girls around this university to get together and take turns chatting dirty with some guy they find in a chat room. It is like voyerism, I guess. And seeing what they can get the guy to type. Lots more laughter than moaning.
I've come to the conclusion that all women are whackjobs, it's just a matter of degrees...
kurzweil_freak
5th Kyu Genbukan Ninpo/KJJR student
Be the darkness that allows the light to shine.
He might be wrong if the girl was just seeking attention. Dating sites are a venue of choice for women who just want attention, but arn't tech savvy or honest enough to be a cam whore. If you wanted to design a really effective online dating site, you'd simply make one where women had to initiate communication. It's got lots of advantages for the girls, as it locks guys into fewer choice.. and it helps ensure that the girls are serious for the guys. OTOH, Why bother making a better online dating site? Just get out more.
The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. -- Bertrand Russell
Women... use logic to figure them out... hmm, obviously, you've never had a girlfriend...