LOS ANGELES TIMES – As co-CEO of Kelleher International, one of the country's largest matchmaking firms, Amber Kelleher-Andrews, 52, has been pairing off super-rich singles for more than half of her life. There is no minimum net worth required – being able to pay the $300K membership fee is proof enough – but clients must be serious about wanting long-term commitment. Kelleher-Andrews and her mother, Jill Kelleher, who founded the company in 1986, panicked at the start of COVID, fearing it meant the demise of their business. Times of crisis have often translated to an unexpected boom in business for the company. People are reevaluating. The majority of the firm's 800 inquiries a month come from online search traffic, and about a third from referrals. To make the cut, Kelleher-Andrews and her team probe a potential client's finances, education, marital status, dating history, family background and career trajectory, and conduct interviews to gauge commitment and charm. Fewer than 5% are accepted.
Category: Outlets – LA Times
Christmas Is Catfishing Season
LOS ANGELES TIMES – The top scam targets in 2020 were people 40 to 69 years old, according to the FTC (in Feb) and the number of reported victims rose in every age group. 30,000 were reported to the FTC in 2020, 3 times 2016, with losses 4x at $304 million. The median loss was $2,500. Romance scammers prowl any territory where people search for love or connect. Dating services and also social media networks, where ~half the scams originate. A key part of the con is the scammer's ability to pretend to be someone he or she isn't.
by Jon Healey
See full article at Los Angeles Times
Mark Brooks: I recommend taking a look at RealMe and FaceTec and UrSafe to help your members run a quick background check, verify, and have the ability to call for help while on a date. Email me at mark@courtlandbrooks.com for a direct intro. (Sponsors of OPW). Safety is of paramount concern and a key-value we aim to deliver. I search out best-in-class vendors and these companies are tops and very interested in working with us.
This post also appears on Very Social Network
Harassment Is the Status Quo on Dating Apps. This Woman Is Trying to Change That
LOS ANGELES TIMES – Aug 20 – Last fall, Match Group hired Tracey Breeden to lead safety and social advocacy. Her job is to coordinate safety efforts across the company's vast app empire and find organizations to cut down on in-app harassment and off-the-app violence. That led to her spearheading the background check partnership; bringing in a domestic violence prevention group to review the way harassment is supported and advising on Tinder features like "Are You Sure?" (a warning for out-of-pocket messages); the ability to block contacts; and plans to introduce optional ID verification next year. According to an Oct 2019 Pew Research Center survey, 57% of women on dating apps ages 18 to 34 said someone had sent them a sexually explicit image or message they didn't ask for, 44% said they've been called an offensive name and 19% said someone had threatened to physically harm them. Match Group's data shows that "Are You Sure" has helped reduce inappropriate messages by 10%. Breeden's biggest push at Match Group has been the partnership between Tinder and Garbo, a nonprofit background check company. Under the deal, Match Group made a "seven-figure" investment in Garbo to get it ready. Beta testing starts this fall; users will have the option to pay less than the cost of "a cup of coffee" to run checks on potential dates, she said.
Tinder’s Sean Rad Accused of Secretly Recording Employees and Bosses
LOS ANGELES TIMES – Nov 22 – IAC alleged in a new court filing that Rad secretly recorded multiple conversations with Tinder employees and his supervisors, potentially violating California law requiring both parties to consent to being recorded. Attorneys for Rad responded with a motion to dismiss the amended claim, arguing that the recordings and transfers of company files did not violate the terms of his employment, though some may have violated California law. The new filing also raised the amount of damages sought to $400M.
Former Tinder CEO Greg Blatt Is Suing Rosette Pambakian for Defamation
LOS ANGELES TIMES – Oct 3 – In August, Rosette Pambakian, a former VP at Tinder, filed a lawsuit alleging that Greg Blatt, the onetime CEO of Tinder and its parent companies Match Group and IAC, sexually harassed and assaulted her at a company Christmas party in 2016. On Thursday, Blatt filed a defamation suit against her, and against Tinder's co-founder and former CEO Sean Rad, alleging that the sexual battery accusations are part of a smear campaign designed to give Rad and Pambakian leverage in a separate multibillion-dollar legal battle over the value of Tinder stock. A spokeswoman for Match Group said neither the company nor its parent is a party to Blatt's suit.
Former Tinder Exec Sues Company, Alleging Sexual Assault
LOS ANGELES TIMES – Aug 5 – IAC's former CEO Greg Blatt is named as a defendant in a new lawsuit by former Tinder executive Rosette Pambakian. She is suing him for sexual battery – and suing the company itself for firing her after she went public with her accusations in an earlier lawsuit. In the suit, Rosette Pambakian alleges that Gregory Blatt harassed and assaulted her at a company Christmas party held at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills in December 2016.
Grindr Changes Its Policy Of Sharing Users’ HIV Status With Outside Vendors
LOS ANGELES TIMES – Apr 3 – Grindr will stop sharing users' HIV statuses with third parties after a report disclosed that the company passed the information on to two vendors. Grindr's vendors, Apptimize and Localytics, were fed user data that includes HIV statuses, GPS data, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
California Updates Dating Services Contract Law
MouseMingle Helps Disney Fans Find Their Happily-ever-after
LOS ANGELES TIMES – Aug 3 – Dave Tavres, a self-proclaimed Disney nerd and former Disneyland Railroad engineer, launched MouseMingle in late 2015 after he had trouble finding women who shared his enthusiasm for Disneyland. Since its inception, MouseMingle has attracted thousands of members worldwide who pay a $12.55 monthly subscription (Disneyland was founded in '55). MouseMingle is not just about finding love. Subscribers can also find friends and park pals.
Forget Non-Disparagement Clause, Clients Are Free To Post Reviews On Social Media
