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Online Dating
Industry Rocked by Lawsuits(November 22, 2005) Two of the largest
online dating services, Match.com and Yahoo! Personals,
are facing major lawsuits from daters who allege fraudulent
behavior.
The first lawsuit, brought against Yahoo! Personals,
alleges that the service has been padding its membership
base with fake profiles. The second lawsuit, brought
against Match.com, alleges that the online dating service
hires employees to go out on dates with men.
“These are huge lawsuits seeking class action
status,” says Joe Tracy, publisher of Online
Dating Magazine (www.onlinedatingmagazine.com). “The
lawsuits could be the first of many from daters who
feel that their love life and wallets are being tampered
with. However, it’s vitally important to remember
that these are alleged and not proven fact.”
Tracy
states that online dating services are courting trouble
by allowing their own employees to use their online
dating service. “Online dating services
should ban their employees from being able to participate,” Tracy
said on CNBC’s On The Money program last Friday. “That’s
a conflict of interest. It’s not right.”
According to Kim Lance, associate publisher of Online
Dating Magazine, online dating services that allow
their employees to also use their service are setting
themselves up for skepticism and causing a loss of
trust among their members.
“In regards to these lawsuits, it’s important
that users give Match.com and Yahoo! Personals the
benefit of the doubt until something is actually proven,” says
Lance. “But at the same time, these services
could avoid potential lawsuits through honesty and
integrity in how they conduct themselves. You give
a perception of wrongdoing when you allow your own
employees to use your service.”
Match.com is strongly denying the allegations against
them, stating that it does not pay employees to date
members and it will vigorously defend the lawsuit.
Yahoo! Personals has yet to issue a statement in regards
to the lawsuit it faces.
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Related Links:
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