Consumers use sites like Christian Mingle and Chemistry. com , much differently than they use Amazon or iTunes, for example. If a customer is purchasing a store product from a website, they typically have their guard up, and look out for shady dealings and unrealistic claims. If a retail site requests personal information, most are reluctant to give it. But when people use a dating site, they sometimes bring emotions, vulnerability, or feelings of loneliness along in their dating search.

This is an ideal situation for the Internet scammer, as they typically count on people to be preoccupied with achieving positive online dating results. The IC3 said it fields an average of 15 date-site-related complaints a day. IC3's Internet Crime Report consisted of , complaints last year. Sadly, many of those monetary losses were attached to romance scams. The IC3 report also showed that lonely, middle-aged, and elderly people are at equal risk of being tricked by a romance scam.

People over the age of 40, those divorced, widowed, or disabled, are also common targets of dating site scammers. Common crimes in dating site scams include users being asked for money. Both men and women have reported being asked for plane tickets, so the online companion can visit, and thrust the relationship towards a face-to-face interaction.

Victims have also reported money requests for health issues, family funeral arrangements, and a host of other bleak sounding circumstances. But dating site scams aren't always based on finances. The sheer invisibility of the Internet allows people to adopt all kinds of fake personas and intentions.

Married men, registered sex offenders and convicted con artists have all been busted for using dating sites, so be extra careful.

Under new regulations recently enacted in California, dating sites like Sparks Networks, Match. com and eHarmony have agreed to start using background checks on its sites, and other dating sites will soon do the same.

The background check will search if users had past identity theft crimes, sexual assault cases or records of violence. California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris also said the sites will have "rapid abuse reporting systems," which is a safety tutorial that shows people how to avoid romance scams and how to meet people offline in a safe manner. How did major dating sites like eHarmony fare with ConsumerAffairs readers? Not that well. Theresa of South Haven, Mich. sadly writes , "I give up.

I don't have any luck connecting with someone and then when I do, they are scammers. I am a widow and these guys are breaking my heart all over again.

I belong to a few other sites and it's the same thing. I want to cancel my membership, and i would also like to see if i could get some of my money back. I feel that I have been ripped off.

Other ConsumerAffairs readers have tried to get their money back, but were unsuccessful. Did eHarmony competitors Match. com do any better in our ConsumerAffairs complaints and review section? A big, fat, colossal-sized no. Earlier this month, Steven of Ocala, Fla. wrote about eHarmony ,. Right away, they ask for a Yahoo address, or send me a link to look at their "photos.

First time I had ever heard from them or about them. They had my photos and profile from Match. com , and my credit card info. The same credit card I used to sign up for Match. Mind you, Steven never signed up to be on OurTime. com in the first place. Before joining, be sure you are fully aware of the sites reimbursement and cancellation clauses. Be sure to not let any scam, whether it be by a dating site or any other entity, go unchallenged.

California is strengthening consumer protections for users of online dating sites, including the requirement that sites checking subscribers against national sex offender registries. Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said three of the nation's leading online dating providers have issued a joint statement of business principles that online dating providers should follow to help protect members from identity theft, financial scams and sexual predators.

The agreement between the Attorney General and online dating providers eHarmony , Match. com and Spark Networks operator of such websites as JDate and ChristianMingle , states that the companies will protect their members through the use of online safety tools, including checking subscribers against national sex offender registries and by providing a rapid abuse reporting system for members. The websites also agreed to educate members about safe online dating practices, and will supply members with online safety tips, including fraud prevention guidance and tips for safely meeting people offline.

These tips and financial scam warnings will be issued on an ongoing basis to registered members. It is a priority for this office to ensure consumers are protected online, and companies who are creating in the Internet space have a continued opportunity to innovate and thrive," Harris said.

Providers will continue their efforts to screen members for safety threats, whether financial or physical, using a number of protective tools, including looking for fake profiles and checking sex offender registries to prevent registered sex offenders from using their fee-based services. Any member who is identified as a registered sex offender will not be allowed to use these services.

This agreement reflects best practices that these industry leaders are following. Unheard-of just twenty years ago, online dating is now a billion-dollar industry and one of the most common ways for singles to meet potential partners.

There are now hundreds of dating sites, all promising to help their clients meet the person of their dreams. I felt extremely unsafe, so I discontinued the conversation.

The next day, the account he used came up as a woman from another state. Falling victim to a scam is one of those pitfalls. Scammers increasingly use online dating sites to establish an emotional link with someone, often spending weeks cultivating the relationship before requesting money. I never met him in person, but fell for his lies completely and was scammed out of thousands of dollars. But, after systematically reviewing the evidence, the authors conclude that such claims are unsubstantiated and likely false.

In fact, our report concludes that it is unlikely that their algorithms can work, even in principle, given the limitations of the sorts of matching procedures that these sites use. com promotes its personality questionnaire, designed to match couples for compatibility. But it, too, has its share of doubters. It recommends the creation of a panel that would grade the scientific credibility of each online dating site. The page analysis reviews more than psychology studies and public interest surveys, painting what the authors call a full and fascinating picture of an industry that, according to one industry estimate, attracted 25 million unique users around the world in April alone.

The report was commissioned by the Association for Psychological Science. More than 90 percent of the potential dates on Match. com are canceled subscribers, people who never subscribed, duplicates, or phantoms the company created Markin, a Harvard graduate and sometime screenwriter files suit against Match. com, alleging she was raped by a man she met on the dating site. An Associated Press report says Match.

com will begin screening its members against a list of sexual predators but Match. com's media relations page contains nothing but bubbly press releases on other topics. Markin's claim against Match. com is seen as weakened by two factors, legal observers told ConsumerAffairs. The alleged assault occurred in Markin's home on her second date; and.

com's Terms of Use clearly state that the site does not vet its members against lists of known sex offenders. Markin alleges in her suit that after the assault, she found her alleged assailant's criminal record by checking Internet databases, an action that more appropriately might have been taken prior to that critical second date, the legal observers noted.

While Markin may have been unprepared initially, she is now well represented by Hollywood publicists who are papering the Internet and fax machines nationwide with press releases congratulating her for taking a stand. com is a daunting task. I faced many naysayers, but I believed that Match. com could change their policies to protect their paying customers from convicted sexual predators," s aid Markin in one such press release. com's online sexual predator screening.

She said the lawsuit will remain open until Match. com makes good on its promise to implement the online sexual predator screening process. While most complaints to ConsumerAffairs. com about Match. com have been about the company's marketing and auto-renewal policies, there have been complaints about the people clients have been matched with.

com was frequented by multi level international scam artists," Kathleen, or Iron Mountain, Mich. Kimberly, of Laguna Beach, Calif. Last week, attorney Mark Webb told a news conference in Los Angeles that he had filed a civil action against Match.

com on behalf of a Hollywood film executive, identified only as "Jane Doe. com from signing new clients until sexual predatory screening was in place. Webb said his client was brutally sexually assaulted by another Match. com member who had been convicted six times for sexual battery. Felony charges are currently pending against the man in Los Angeles Superior Court. More problems for Match.

This time it's a Hollywood executive, identified only as Jane Doe, who says a man she met through Match sexually assaulted her. She has filed suit seeking an injunction to bar the dating site from signing up any more members until it can accurately screen them for sexual predators. It's just the latest in a series of suits and complaints from consumers who had experiences on Match. com that didn't quite match their expectations.

In February, a class action suit in San Francisco claimed Match. The San Francisco suit claims that many of the photos attached to profiles on Match. Doe said in the suit that after her date attacked her, she went online and learned he had six convictions for sexual battery.

In its Terms of Use, Match. com does not in any way screen its members, nor does Match. Her attorneys would be expected to argue that the limitations do not extend to negligence. Doe also alleges that Match. On the other hand, Match. com would be expected to argue that its Terms of Use very clearly state that users are not vetted and that customers should exercise their own due diligence. If Jane Doe, for example, had checked her date's background before she went out with him, instead of afterwards, the alleged injury would presumably have been avoided.

Doe has said that she did not know her date's last name when she agreed to go out with him. However, read far enough through her complaint and one discovers that the alleged rape occurred on the second date she had with the gentleman in question.

The law is still evolving in this area. An Ohio federal judge upheld a waiver of liability provision in the case of a man who sued an online adult dating service for failing to verify that all its members were over the age of District Judge Jack Zouhary said in a case.

Sign up to receive our free weekly newsletter. We value your privacy. Unsubscribe easily. Tech News. Seniors need to just say "no" to online dating scams Once money is sent to a supposed lover, it is gone for good It used to be parents who worried about their children being picked up by unsavory types in bars and other seedy hang-outs. Continue reading. Latest in Tech News Biden signs CHIPS bill into law to help lower U.

Not sure how to choose? Recent Articles Sort by: Newest Newest Oldest. Researchers: dating sites have it all wrong New system relies less on what consumers say they are searching for While it is true that some people successfully find good, lasting relationships on online dating sites, it is also true that many end up frustrated and disappointed.

Netflix model It's similar to the model Netflix uses to recommend movies users might like by tracking their viewing history. Better predictor Zhao believes those two factors, taste and attractiveness, do a better job of predicting successful connections than relying on information that clients enter into their profile, because what people put in their profile may not always be what they're really interested in.

If it works for movies, it should work for dates, Zhao says. While it is true that some people successfully find good, lasting relationships on online dating sites, it is also true that many end up frustrated and dis com violates its privacy pledge, two women allege So let's say just for argument's sake that you are HIV-positive, or perhaps you have a sexually-transmitted disease. Makes it kind of hard to find a date, Technology makes online cheating easier But beware, the tech world isn't as private as you think We're living in an interconnected world.

Seeds of an affair While there are no hard numbers to confirm this, it can be safely assumed that all that chatting, flirting and interacting online can sow the seeds of an affair, a virtual one at first but perhaps later, the real thing.

So, be careful what you write on your wall! We've gone from surfing the Internet at our desk at home to connecting with friends through social media on the go You met him on the Internet?

Check your bank account That online romance tease may be a con job Looking for love in all the right places? The Internet may not be one of them. Safety tips Here are a few tips to help you stay safe: Do not wire money to someone you have not met in person. Be wary of warp-speed proclamations of love, particularly if they are accompanied by pleas for cash.

Be suspicious if you never get to actually speak with the person on the phone or are told they will not receive letters in the mail. Legitimate servicemen and women serving overseas will often have an APO or FPO in their mailing address. Do not send money or ship property to a third party or company, especially to parties or companies in an African country.

If you think you have been scammed by an individual claiming to be a member of the U. military, contact your local law enforcement agency or the FBI.

Looking for love in all the right places? That guy or gal who professes to be your soul mate or the love of your live Despite the pitfalls, more relationships starting online And more than ever, you have to be careful out there If you've had a bad experience with online dating, here's some more bad news.

Sometimes, there are more subtle tell-tale clues. The numb Woman sues Match. com after being stabbed by her date Others complain Match doesn't respond to their complaints about unsavory characters We hear from lots of consumers who say their Match.

com dating experience was poor but few can top Mary Kay Beckman's complaint. Inadequate warnings Beckman's suit argues that Match. Consumers rate Match. com "The many millions of people who have found love on Match. com and other online dating sites know how fulfilling it is," the company said in a statement. This is about a sick, twisted individual with no prior criminal record, not an entire community of men and women looking to meet each other. com experience. Ellie of St.

Audries, England, had a similar experience with the same man. t was an online dating match made in hell. A Las Vegas woman is suing Match. How Did Offline Dating Become New Again? More online dating companies are trying to get you away from your keyboard Somehow online dating has become so normal, that offline dating almost seems like a novelty.

com The online dating site has starting rolling out these events in twenty U. Not just Match Match. One-on-one In theory, companies like Selective Search provide a more one-on-one specialized service, and tend to be a better filter against those who misrepresent themselves when trying to meet somebody.

This is the thinking and marketing approach many dating eHarmony sentiment. Songs are sung about either finding it or recovering from it, screen writers send story l California Toughens Rules for Dating Sites eHarmony, Match. com and Spark Networks sign on to new rules California is strengthening consumer protections for users of online dating sites, including the requirement that sites checking subscribers against national sex offender registries.

Screen members Providers will continue their efforts to screen members for safety threats, whether financial or physical, using a number of protective tools, including looking for fake profiles and checking sex offender registries to prevent registered sex offenders from using their fee-based services. California is strengthening consumer protections for users of online dating sites, including the requirement that sites checking subscribers against nation Report: Little Science Behind Online Dating Sites Researchers say dating sites could be a lot better Unheard-of just twenty years ago, online dating is now a billion-dollar industry and one of the most common ways for singles to meet potential partners.

While some people find happiness with an online romance, many more do not. Just a few tweaks? Researchers find little science behind online dating services Class Action Calls Match. com: The alleged assault occurred in Markin's home on her second date; and Match.

Consumer complaints While most complaints to ConsumerAffairs. com will reportedly begin screening for sex offenders among its members Woman Sues Match. com After Her Date Allegedly Raped Her Suit seeks an injunction requiring the dating site to check its members' backgrounds More problems for Match.

com After Her Date Allegedly Raped Her. Suit seeks an injunction requiring the dating site to check its members' backgrounds Get the news you need delivered to you Sign up to receive our free weekly newsletter.

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It used to be parents who worried about their children being picked up by unsavory types in bars and other seedy hang-outs. Now children are worried about their parents being hoodwinked by the scam artists who haunt online dating sites. Get expert buying tips about Online Dating Scams delivered to your inbox.

Thank you, you have successfully subscribed to our newsletter! Enjoy reading our tips and recommendations. You already know to be wary whenever you go online, so you don't fall prey to the various types of scammers, thieves, con artists, hackers, malware-writers While it is true that some people successfully find good, lasting relationships on online dating sites, it is also true that many end up frustrated and disappointed.

Rochelle, a Match. com user from Irvine, Calif. Try ! Also, a lot of men use very old pics. Sorry, but any picture older than years is irrelevant.

Researchers at the University of Iowa UI think Rochelle might unknowingly be onto something. Not that people are dishonest when they use an online dating site but there's a disconnect -- what they say doesn't really match what they truly want. Kang Zhao, assistant professor of management sciences in UI's College of Business, and UI doctoral student Xi Wang are part of a team that has developed an algorithm for dating sites that uses a person's contact history to recommend partners with whom they may be more romantically compatible.

It's similar to the model Netflix uses to recommend movies users might like by tracking their viewing history. Dating sites are taking notice.

Zhao says he's had preliminary discussions with two dating services who have expressed interest in learning more about the model. Since it doesn't rely on profile information, Zhao says it can also be used by other online services that match people, such as a job recruiting or college admissions. The system was developed with the help of a popular commercial online dating company whose identity is being kept confidential.

The research team looked at , initial contacts involving 47, users in two U. cities over a day span. Of the users, 28, were men and 19, were women, and men made 80 percent of the initial contacts. Zhao believes those two factors, taste and attractiveness, do a better job of predicting successful connections than relying on information that clients enter into their profile, because what people put in their profile may not always be what they're really interested in.

And from Rochelle's observation, they could also be intentionally misleading. Zhao goes a step further, suggesting the average user of an online dating site might not really know themselves well enough to know their own tastes in the opposite sex. A man who says on his profile that he likes tall women may in fact be approaching mostly short women, even though the dating website will continue to recommend tall women.

Another way of saying, actions speak louder than words. Zhao says that eventually, the algorithm will notice that while a client says he likes tall women, he keeps asking out short women, and will change its recommendations to start suggesting that he contact short women. So let's say just for argument's sake that you are HIV-positive, or perhaps you have a sexually-transmitted disease. Makes it kind of hard to find a date, no? Ah, but there's an online dating site that caters to folks in your situation.

It's called PositiveSingles. com and it lures clients by painting itself as a "warm-hearted and exclusive community for singles and friends with STDS. And therein lies the problem, a class action lawsuit claims. The suit charges that PositiveSingles. com is in fact part of a vast miasma of dating sites run by SuccessfulMatch. That would perhaps by OK except that user profiles are shared among the many SuccessfulMatch-affiliated sites, the suit charges, according to Courthouse News Service.

When the profiles of users from PositiveSingles show up on the other dating sites, their HIV and STD status is there for all to see, say the two plaintiffs, unidentified women from Canada and Washington state. The PositiveSingles site promised a free -- and "fully anonymous" -- profile in a " percent confidential and comfortable community," according to the complaint. And the registration page assured that it would not disclose, rent or sell personally identifiable information to third parties.

The lawsuit seeks class action status. We're living in an interconnected world. We've gone from surfing the Internet at our desk at home to connecting with friends through social media on the go, using a growing array of mobile devices.

All this technology may make us more productive and plugged-in, but it may also be leading us astray, making it easier to cheat on a spouse or partner — and it makes us more subject to betrayal. Let's start with Facebook. The social networking site, with nearly a billion members, allows us to keep up with what our friends are doing. But it has also put us in touch with old friends from our past and provided a seemingly private, back-channel way to communicate with them.

According to Divorce Online , social media has become a factor in one in three divorces in the UK. The site says what people post not only causes marital friction but can be used as evidence in a divorce trial. While there are no hard numbers to confirm this, it can be safely assumed that all that chatting, flirting and interacting online can sow the seeds of an affair, a virtual one at first but perhaps later, the real thing.

Social media and technological advancements have put temptation at our fingertips, and this is demonstrated by the meteoric rise in extra-marital encounters. Which brings us to online dating. When married people go to a dating website and post a phony bio in hopes to starting a relationship, it is usually a recipe for disaster.

A spouse hoping to meet someone for a romantic affair can do so from the privacy of his or her computer, though sometimes a misdirected email can be their undoing. In ConsumerAffairs received a complaint from a woman who said an online dating site had emailed her husband recommendations for potential dates. Online dating sites can be used to cheat another way. Dating scams abound on most dating websites when one of the parties pretends to be something they are not. Barbara, of Central, S.

com and carrying on what seemed like a normal online relationship for four months. Then finally, he came home but he needed more money. I didn't think much about it then; supposedly he was at the airport and had a heart attack and was in the hospital for two weeks.

Now, he can't leave. They kept his passport because he couldn't pay the bill. When she went back to the dating site to look for his profile, she said it was gone. Are fraud and infidelity on the rise because of technology?

It seems that way. As the use of social media becomes second nature, individuals may be forgetting its very public nature. You aren't just sharing private thoughts with online friends. It's more public than you realize. That guy or gal who professes to be your soul mate or the love of your life may, according to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum , be a con artist on the make for cash.

One popular scam involves supposed romantically minded members of the U. In one recent case, a Hillsboro, Ore. And the G. con job is just one of many scams out there. Over the years ConsumerAffairs has received a large number of reports from dating site users who became emotionally involved with someone online, only to find out they were being scammed. David, of Loveland, Colo.

Rosenblum advises consumers to be skeptical of any Internet claim. Many times these con artists are in foreign countries using untraceable email addresses. Once a connection is made, they begin asking for money for any number of things ranging from medical bills to the cost of a wedding. Accounts are routed through numerous locations utilizing pay-per-hour Internet cyber cafes, which makes finding the crook and getting money back difficult, if not impossible.

If you've had a bad experience with online dating, here's some more bad news. A relationship expert suggests it's the way people get together now.

The numbers are in online dating's favor. You have a better chance of meeting Mr. or Ms. Right today than you ever have. Maybe Viola would have better luck if she joined activities at church or took a class.

You might meet someone with common interests but that universe is small compared to the online world. But that's not always a good thing. While the opportunity to get to know others has increased because of online dating, Ballard-Reisch says people need to be aware of some of the risks.

One of the biggest, mentioned frequently in ConsumerAffairs posts about dating sites, is fraud. I see the same members posting under a different username.

Even if you are convinced the person you are striking up a relationship with is who they appear to be, it's wise to take nothing for granted.

Sadly, it's guilty until proven innocent. Consider seeking criminal background checks. Make sure that people are who they say they are. Drive yourself. Have a panic word in case you have a quick second to call them if you need help.

com after being stabbed by her date Others complain Match doesn't respond to their complaints about unsavory characters We hear from lots of consumers who say their Match. com are canceled subscribers, people who never subscribed, duplicates, or phantoms the company created com The online dating site has starting rolling out these events in twenty U. Development of measures of online privacy concern and protection for use on the Internet. in: Birnbaum, M.

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