Every online user, including fraudsters, were granted a free pass by the Justice Department earlier this week for lying on the Internet. Okay, I know what you’re thinking: “How can we prosecute somebody for lying?” Fibbing is an age-old human behavior that even the DoJ says it doesn’t have the time or resources to bring cases against everyone who lies on dating websites.

According to the Politico article, “Free pass for dating site liars,” people can take comfort in knowing that they don’t have to worry about being prosecuted or hauled off to jail for telling a little white lie over the Internet. While this certainly makes sense, at the same time we’re still walking on shaky ground when it comes to online lies, falsifications, profile misinterpretations, or whatever you want to label it. The fact is, when it comes to identity fraud, fake accounts or other crimes on romance sites, lying is typically the basis for the crime. It sets the stage for deeper criminal activity that can cost victims both emotional and financial hardships, not to mention damage to the dating site’s reputation.  (more…)

When it comes to online fraud, most people have a zero tolerance policy. Common sense tells us that nobody wants to be conned out of their money, let alone their emotional state of being. While they say love is blind, online lonely hearts may also be turning the other cheek to potential fraud for the sake of a little companionship.

According to the article, “Online dating scams harm ‘thousands’ in Lee County,” Stacey Payne of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office community relations department says oftentimes those seeking love online either don’t want to believe it, are embarrassed, or simply don’t mind that the person they are in love with is a scammer. (more…)

I’m weird. I know this because people tell me all the time. They tell me I’m weird because I like to do things that most people don’t. I like to do things that are different, and different usually means weird. One of my little weird things is posing as a woman. Yup. Read on.

I like to expose the flaws in our systems, to find what makes us vulnerable. Much of my “research” (or my “antics,” as some would say) is prompted by my desire to learn more about the scumbags of society, who prey on others. So I sign up for online dating sites, create a profile as a woman, and wait for men to contact me. My research has led me to discover some particularly shady methods scammers use to target emotionally vulnerable victims. The most common is an advanced fee scam involving a wire transfer.

A divorced mother of three in Britain was taken for £80,000 by a scammer posing as a US soldier. It began when a man who called himself Sergeant Ray Smith introduced himself on a dating website. Soon they were chatting and emailing regularly, and then he was calling her on the phone and asking her to wire him money. (more…)

When it comes to online dating scams, we all like to believe we learn from our own, and others, experiences. But according to new statistics on Romancescams.org, a website dedicated to fighting online romance scams, the average loss per person involved in a romance scam has climbed to a staggering $11,500. That’s up from a 2007 report where the advocacy group cited the average loss per victim was $7,900.

According to the article, “Website offers forum on avoiding romance scams,” fraudsters continue to successfully scam unsuspecting lonely hearts by using stolen credit cards to join online dating sites and set up fake profiles. From there, they quickly lure their victims off the dating sites and onto more personal lines of communications such as instant messaging and email before romance sites can discover the stolen credit card and pull their fake profiles. (more…)

We have exciting news to share! Now that the nomination phase of the  first annual 2010 Internet Dating Industry Awards is complete, iovation has been named a finalist for the Best New Technology.  This award recognizes the best individual technology created by a vendor for dating or matchmaking sites. The award will be announced at the 7th Annual Internet Dating Conference. (more…)

iovation is attending the Internet Dating & Social Networking Conference in London this week and evidence of this industry’s continued growth is easy to find. Just this weekend, the Detroit News reported on the success of the online dating industry, despite, or perhaps because of the tough economic times. In fact, based on statistics from Forrester Research Inc., the article states:

Online dating is the third largest producer of revenue out of all paid content sites, generating $957 million in 2008, a figure that the firm predicts will grow 10% by 2013.

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