Two senators pen letter to Match CEO about romance scams

Two U.S. senators have sent a letter to Match Group to compel its CEO to act against romance scams.

Romance scams occur when a scammer gains someone’s trust — sometimes on a dating app — and then starts requesting money. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans lost $1.3 billion to romance scams in 2022. They’re a global problem: In the UK, people lost £36.5 million to such schemes in 2023.

Reuters reported that Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee and Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire sent the letter to Match Group and Tinder CEO Spencer Rascoff on Wednesday. In addition to Tinder, Match Group owns dating apps like Hinge and OkCupid.

In the five-page letter, the senators claim that, “Over the years, many events have raised questions about whether Match Group — in its business practices and algorithmic design — has contributed to the proliferation of romance scams online.” They cite the 2019 complaint the FTC filed against Match about false advertisements (which Match just settled this year), as well as other reporting about Match not making scammers or bad actors a priority to root out.

“Match Group’s business model is to keep users engaged, but this engagement is dangerous when it involves scammers,” the letter states.

Blackburn and Hassan are requesting evidence of Match Group’s efforts to prevent romance scams by October 15.

In 2023, Match Group launched a campaign to help stop romance scams, which involved in-app messages warning users of scammer red flags.

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