Match.com Sued By Subscribers Who Say They Were Snookered

WASHINGTON TIMES – Feb 8 – Match.com says it has millions of “active” subscribers, but “well over half” of the profiles are inactive or fake, contends lawyer Jeffrey Norton who helped file the lawsuit Dec. 30. The lawsuit is based on the plaintiffs’ experiences, plus testimony from former employees and researchers who have “pulled tremendous amounts of ‘proof’ right off the site,” Mr. Norton said. But sources familiar with Match.com and the online dating industry say the lawsuit is what’s unbelievable. Match.com is a profitable company, so it’s a “natural target” for a lawsuit, said Mark Brooks, who runs the Online Personals Watch blog. Scammers hit every online dating site, so big companies such as Match.com have developed ways of identifying and purging the phony entries, said Mr. Brooks. About two-thirds of the Match.com work force are customer-service representatives, he said, and while these employees can recognize and remove phony images, “it’s a constant battle.” Mr. Brooks‘ advice to online daters is simple: “Buyer beware. Be careful of ‘too good to be true.’” FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON TIMES

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