Senators push Match to act against dating scams on its apps

Two U.S. senators sent a letter to Tinder parent Match on September 24 pushing for action against dating scams on the company’s platforms and asking for information about its efforts to detect fraud and protect its users.

In a letter to Match CEO Spencer Rascoff, Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn asked the company to provide documents about its policies and procedures related to fraudulent activity on its platforms.

Romance scams often involve fraudsters creating alluring but fake profiles on dating apps, stringing along victims for weeks or months before asking for gifts or money.

“We are also concerned that Match, through its algorithmic design, creates trust that romance scammers can exploit,” the senators wrote.

Cybercrime of all stripes cost victims over $16 billion globally last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in an April report, including hundreds of millions of dollars in losses caused by romance scams.

The senators have given Match, which also operates Hinge and OkCupid, until October 15 to provide evidence that it has made efforts to prevent romance scams and the factors that allow such fraud to occur on its platforms.

Match said in an emailed statement to Reuters that it was looking forward to “constructive conversations” with the senators.

“In recent years, we have made significant investments in advanced fraud detection, cutting-edge safety features, and expanded partnerships with law enforcement, industry, and civil society groups to better safeguard our communities,” said Yoel Roth, Match’s head of trust and safety.

Match has previously been caught in regulatory crosshairs, with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission alleging in 2019 that the company knowingly sent automated advertisements via Match.com with expressions of interest from accounts that it knew were likely fake.

The Department of Justice closed its investigation related to the FTC lawsuit in 2020.

Match has rolled out new features such as “face check” to detect fake profiles and prevent impersonation.

—By Kritika Lamba, Juby Babu, and Steve Stecklow, Reuters