U.S. Senators Press Tinder Parent Match to Address Dating Scams
Two U.S. senators urged Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, to step up its fight against romance scams across its dating platforms. In a letter sent Wednesday to CEO Spencer Rascoff, Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn requested details on Match’s policies and safeguards against fraudulent activity.
Romance scams typically involve fraudsters creating convincing but fake profiles to lure victims into prolonged interactions before soliciting money or gifts. The senators expressed concern that Match’s platform design and algorithms may unintentionally foster trust that scammers exploit.
According to the FBI, cybercrime caused victims more than $16 billion in global losses last year, with romance scams alone responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Hassan and Blackburn gave Match until October 15 to provide documents showing its prevention measures and an explanation of how scams persist on its apps, which also include Hinge and OkCupid.
In response, Match said it welcomed “constructive conversations” with lawmakers. Yoel Roth, the company’s Trust & Safety chief, said Match has invested heavily in advanced fraud detection systems, user safety features, and partnerships with law enforcement and industry groups.
Match has faced regulatory scrutiny before. In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission accused the company of sending fake “interest” notifications from accounts it knew were fraudulent on Match.com. The Department of Justice later closed its probe in 2020.
To combat impersonation, Match has introduced tools like “face check” to verify profiles and reduce the spread of fake accounts.