Two U.S. senators are demanding answers from Match Group, which owns dating apps including Tinder and Hinge, arguing that its platforms’ algorithms foster trust that romance scammers can take advantage of.
Senator Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., sent a letter Wednesday to Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff, calling on the company to detail the steps it has taken to detect and prevent fraud, Reuters reported.
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“We are also concerned that Match, through its algorithmic design, creates trust that romance scammers can exploit,” the senators wrote in the letter.
The lawmakers gave the company until Oct. 15 to provide evidence of efforts to prevent scams across its platforms, that include Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, according to Reuters.
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Romance scams frequently involve fake profiles that draw victims into online relationships, only to later ask for money or gifts. Last year, cybercrime cost victims around the world more than $16 billion, with romance scams accounting for hundreds of millions in losses, Reuters reported, citing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“Protecting users from scams is essential to our business and to earning the trust people place in our platforms,” a spokesperson for Match Group told FOX Business in an email. “In recent years, we have made significant investments in advanced fraud detection, cutting-edge safety features, and expanded partnerships with law enforcement, industry, and civil society groups to better safeguard our communities.”
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The Match spokesperson added that as a founding member of the Tech Against Scams Coalition, the company is collaborating across the industry to “tackle these challenges.”
“We look forward to constructive conversations with Senators Hassan and Blackburn on these important issues,” the spokesperson told FOX Business.
The company has recently rolled out features such as “face check” to detect fraudulent profiles and prevent impersonation, Reuters reported.
In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused Match of sending automated ads that included expressions of interest from accounts it allegedly knew were fake. The Justice Department closed its investigation the following year, according to Reuters.
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