Australian Dating Site in Trouble with the ACCC

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has gone ahead and started Federal Court proceedings against Jetplace Pty Ltd. They own and operate the dating site RedHotPie.com.au. This adult dating service, which targets mostly Australian singles looking for a casual fling, has been accused of engaging in misleading conduct. It is alleged that RedHotPie created fictional dating profiles on their website which they then used to send messages and flirts to real members. The members receiving these fake messages thought they were in contact with real people that they could potentially meet.

Jetplace Pty Ltd defended the use of these profiles stating that they are used as a part of the dating sites user security suite. This software assists in the detection of illegal activities and scammers on the website.

A hearing has been set for December in Federal Court for this case.

This story was first reported by The Age.