Maybe Match.com isn't an oasis for singles after all.
That's the gist of a lawsuit, filed in Dallas, alleging that over half of the dating site's profiles are either inactive or downright fake.
The suit, filed in late December in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges that “while Match purports to have 'millions' of active subscribers, well over half of the profiles on its site belong to inactive members who have cancelled their membership or allowed their subscriptions to lapse and/or are fake and fraudulent profiles posted by scammers and others.”
Inactive, fake, and fraudulent profiles
According to the suit, “Match takes virtually no action to remove [inactive] profiles...for months and sometimes years after the individuals have become in active.” Further, “Match will only remove profiles after a former subscriber calls to complain and specifically requests its removal,” according to the complaint.
Regarding “fake and fraudulent profiles” -- those “likely placed by third-parties for illegitimate and unlawful purposes” -- the suit charges the site “makes little to no effort to vet, police, or remove these profiles and thereby permits, condones, and acquiesces in their posting.”
The plaintiffs allege that Match's conduct constitutes a breach of the user agreement, under which “members agree not to post or transmit to other members or to Match any inaccurate material, misleading, or false information,” and “information posted in the profiles of members must be accurate, current and complete.”
The suit also cites the agreement as providing “that Match will not allow its subscribers to: (a) 'impersonate any person or entity'; (b) 'stalk or otherwise harass any person'; [or] (c) 'forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any information transmitted through the [site].'”
Seeking class status
The plaintiffs -- who hail from New York, Iowa, Washington state and Tennessee -- are seeking to represent a class comprised of all “current and former members of the Match service [who] suffered damages as a result of subscription fees paid to Match for the use of its website.”
In its latest earnings report, Match, founded in 1995, says that its revenue topped $38.1 million, and that it has around 1.8 million subscribers, according to a story by United Press International.
In a statement, Match said that “the claims have no merit and Match.com will defend the lawsuit vigorously.”
The suit includes counts for breach of contract, a breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and negligent misrepresentation. The plaintiffs are seeking a refund of their membership fees, compensatory damages, and an injunction ordering an end to the practices and “implementation of administrative changes” to fix the alleged problems in the future.
