Romantic partner or fraud? Scammers on prowl across online dating site, U.S. suit says

There are many ways your heart can be broken, but the worst may well be when you get a message from someone who shows a romantic interest in you, and turns out later to be a con artist.

We’re talking about a scam where the person asks for money or private information or spins out a tragic or idyllic story, perhaps to “save a sick child” or “buy tickets for some wonderful days in Rome.”

That trap is similar to some experienced by users of online dating services like Match.com, Tinder, OKCupid and PlentyOfFish, where Romeos and Juliets regularly create false profiles to scam, extort or send fraudulent advertisements to the unwary.

Between 25 and 30 percent of the members who register each day in those kinds of sites are planning a scam, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the online dating company Match Group Inc.

The FTC lawsuit alleges that Match Group Inc. took advantage of fake posts by people interested in romantic relationships to attract new members. It also complained the service put members at risk by allowing new subscribers to contact them before the newcomers’ backgrounds had been checked to ensure they were not con artists.

“We believe that Match.com conned people into paying for subscriptions via messages the company knew were from scammers,” said Andrew Smith, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Online dating services obviously shouldn’t be using romance scammers as a way to fatten their bottom line.”

Dating sites operated by Match.com allow clients to create profiles at no cost, but they cannot answer messages sent to them unless they pay subscription fees. The company sent emails to the clients encouraging them to subscribe in order to be able to see the identity of members who had clicked “like” or expressed interest on their profiles.

The FTC said that from 2013 to 2016, more than half the instant messages and favorites received by members came from accounts that Match.com had identified as fraudulent.

For its part, Match said in a statement that for almost 25 years the company has focused on helping people find love, while fighting offenders trying to take advantage of site users. The company also said it has created tools and artificial intelligence to “block 96 percent of fake accounts.”

“The FTC has misrepresented internal emails and relied on cherry-picked data to make outrageous claims and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against these claims in court,” added the statement.

So, how do you protect yourself from romantic fraudsters?

First, pay attention to the profile of the potential scam artists, who generally claim to be well-educated, trustworthy and pleasant and then try to obtain personal information from members that can be used to carry out the fraud.

Experts recommend that clients of dating services use the same precautions in the virtual world that they would use in the real world.

“If you’re walking down the street and someone tells you that you’re pretty and starts asking for personal information, you do not give it to him because he’s a stranger,” said Stephanie Li, a shopping expert and influencer known as La Shoppinista.

She recommends using the same precautions with anyone first met in the virtual world.

Never give out your home address, personal or financial information. Don’t provide details about your family, or any details that can be used for extortion.

And if the dating service members agree to meet someone they met online, the meetings should be during the day and in public places.

If you plan to join one of the dating services, take the following precautions:

▪ Pay attention to details that don’t fit or raise alarms, and do a search for the photos that appear on the profile. If the photos appear on the profile of a different person, you found a scammer.

▪ If you met a boyfriend or girlfriend online and you have not met them in person, and they start to ask for money, stop. That’s always a scam.

▪ Talk to someone you trust about this new love, and pay attention if your friends and relatives start to show concern.

For more information about possible scams in general, check the FTC pages.

And if you have been a victim of an online scam, you can contact the FBI and its Web page for reporting online crimes, www.ic3.gov

This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 2:51 PM.