The Federal Trade Commission has just smacked the UK-based JDI Dating for basically catfishing its' own users. JDI operates 18 different websites and has been ordered to pay a fine of $616,165- the first of its' kind by the FTC against an online dating site. JDI allowed users on sites such as cupidswand.com and findmelove.com to set up free profiles and would then send them computer generated messages that were supposedly coming from people in their local areas.
Basically, the fake messages were used as bait to prove to new members that the site would work for them in the hopes that they would then fork over $30 a month in order to interact, for real. The FTC claims the fine that they collect will be used to pay back users that were intentionally defrauded so that they can spend it on real people instead of fictional ones.
JDI must also warn its' users whenever a message comes from a computer bot rather than a living, breathing person looking for a date. Catfishing has been around for as long as online dating and the likes of MySpace have existed. When you interact solely with someone through a computer screen there is no way to be positive that what they pro-port themselves to be, will really be what turns up for a cup of coffee. However the deck is really stacked against users when their first interaction on a site has been with a bot! Basically JDI Dating was catfishing many of their users, faking them out with possibly no more than false hope just to get them to pay up.
Is the FTC right in fining this company? Do you think that other dating sites have taken equally fraudulent measures to try and get consumers on the hook? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
