The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against Match Group for fraudulent business practices. The agency alleges that Match, which owns most major online dating platforms, has knowingly profited from deceiving hundreds of thousands of users into purchasing subscriptions on Match.com, and also exposed them to potential fraud.
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that Match sent out marketing emails to consumers regarding new messages from potential dates, but did so after those messages had already been flagged as a scam or bot. The FTC states that most users are unaware that 25 to 30% of site registrations each day originate from scammers. Hundreds of thousands of users allegedly signed up for Match within 24 hours after receiving scam emails, and the FTC states that Match made it exceedingly difficult for new members to cancel their subscriptions. The lawsuit seeks a return of Match’s ill-gotten gains, as well as civil penalties, among other relief.
Additional Reading
Dating app maker Match sued by FTC for fraud, TechCrunch.com, September 26, 2019
Complaint, Federal Trade Commission v. Match Group, Inc., filed, September 25, 2019, via Justia Dockets
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