Dating scam

[Lone Gunman]

NEW YORK (AFP) - Match.com, one of the top Internet dating websites, has been accused of hiring people as "date bait" to date some of their one million customers to encourage them to keep paying for the service.





A Los Angeles racketeering lawsuit said the lonely hearts website secretly recruited people to send enticing emails to its customers and to go out on dates with them as a way of getting them to keep up their 30 dollars monthly subscription.

The company's ringers, branded "date bait", went on as many as 100 dates a month -- three per day -- with Match.com customers, who use the site to search for boyfriends, girlfriends, and possible husbands and wives.

"Hiding behind Match.com's portrait of online success is a very big, very dirty secret ... Not everyone you meet and date through Match.com is just another Match.com member," said the lawsuit, filed in a Los Angeles court on November 10.

Kristin Kelly, a spokesperson for Match.com -- which has an estimated one million paid subscribers and 15 million members -- denied the charges, saying the lawsuit is "completely without merit" and would be "vigorously" challenged.

The lawsuit was filed by Matthew Evans, a Match.com customer who hopes it will draw support from enough other customers to turn into a much stronger class action suit.

Evan's lawyers said he went on several dates with an attractive woman named Autumn Marzec before she allegedly confessed that she was paid by the company to meet him.

Such ringers are given access to customers' emails to familiarize themselves with the customer, allowing them to feign interest and compatibility, the suit claimed.

"The paid Match.com employee then goes on a date with the subscriber, gives the deceptive appearance of having a lot in common with the subscriber ... with the intent of luring the subscriber into re-signing with Match.com," the suit alleges.

The suit charges as well that when a customer's subscription was expiring, Match.com produced fake responses to customers, suggesting another person had an interest in meeting them, in order to prod them to resubscribe.

The Los Angeles suit represented growing reports of disappointment among the tens of millions of customers of the online matchmaking industry, which is led by Yahoo! Personals, Match.com, and EHarmony.

The industry enjoyed an estimated 245 million dollars in turnover during the first half of 2005.

While the industry advertises its success stories -- customers who meet online and eventually get married -- some disappointments have raised questions of industry practices.

Earlier this year Californian James Hunt complained that for the nearly 3,000 dollars he paid to matchmaker Together Inc., he didn't receive the guaranteed nine introductions of "nearly compatible" women. The company disputed his claim.

In New York, the Great Expectations dating service was recently ordered by a judge to refund money to two women who said they never got any dates after paying up to 1,000 dollars for a six month subscription.

"I just wanted to go out for coffee and have nice conversations with a couple of people. Instead, I got not a single introduction," said a disappointed 43 year old who identified herself only as Jennifer. "

"I think I'll stick to meeting people at bus stops and the elevator," she said.

[K C Muffin]

Oops. Ex-Mrs. is using Match.com - reports she's found a match made in heaven. Although she won't see him any more often than once every other week.

Course, now that I think about it - maybe that IS a match made in heaven!!

[Lone Gunman]

I'd be afraid of using something like this. My luck I'd find someone with a fetish for superglue.

[K C Muffin]

I don't know if any of you have ever used a dating service or not. It's NOT cheap! The one I used up here, Match Makers, was not a computerized questionnaire at the time. They interviewed every member, which kind of took me by surprise. No wonder it cost so much!

Anyway......my point was - if these women paid what I think they were asked to pay - probably in excess of $1500, then they deserve at least one date, even if they were butt-ugly. Either that, or the service should pony up with a speed-date some night. I hear those are quite the thing now.

Speed dating wouldn't work for me, cuz I'm so shy................

[Lone Gunman]

I've heard about speed dating I don't think I'd like it, kinda like being on an assembly line for love. I knew from the first post you made that you were shy.

[TexKan]

Speed dating - did that for years........ isn't that where ya drink as fast as you can so ALL the guys look like a catch??? Gee KC I was like you in those days.......... a real "wall flower"........LOL

[K C Muffin]

Well, I was only a "wall flower" because after a half hour or so, I couldn't stand up without it!

[TexKan]

there ya go!!! Didn't they all look great back then????? Got choosier as I got older. My life long theory is - If I can treat ME better than YOU can - why am I slowen down to even talk? I'm just high maintance.....LOL or so I'm told. It's all good tho.........nough walls to go around.....LOL

[Flying Dutchman]

I was going to say something about online meeting and dating........then thought better of it. Got to keep those skeletons in the closet until I am to old to give a crap about them anymore.

[TexKan]

Yeah never a good thing to "kiss and tell".............LOL