General News

Dave at Online Dating Insider has a comment about this at Iovation (a company that deals with preventing fraud) which talks about how easy it is to bypass most background checks. I agree with Dave that background check and fraud detection companies should work together. I also see the need for the concept of something like OpenID to be expanded further to allow for additional information (that could be verified) to be available to sites that ask for it (if the user approves it of course). This way, you could log into multiple dating services with the same account and you would only need your personal ID information verified once.

For those of you who don't know what OpenID is, it allows you to use the same username and password across different websites. This helps reduce the number of usernames and passwords you have to remember plus, it helps people expand their internet presence (ie you know Joe from the one website is the same one from another, if it uses the same OpenID account). A number of popular websites support this including MySpace, Yahoo and many WordPress sites. More information on OpenID can be found at this website.

We were sent by eHarmony a coupon code for their six month subscription that gives new members 20% off or an additional $30 US. This promotion is for both the United States and Canadian sites and expires on September 30th, 2008. The Code is:

CJSUMMERPROMOAABB

They made the code is a little long which makes it a little hard to remember. Visit eHarmony now or for more information on this dating service (including user opinions), read our review.

A press release yesterday from Chemistry.com informs us that Denver residents will be receiving a Free Communication Weekend, starting today (August 1st) to August 3rd. Full access will be available to Denver singles including the ability to communicate with other locals. Chemistry.com currently has over 5 million members.

With the success of eHarmony's free weekends I guess Chemistry decided to give it a try. Not sure why it is only for Denver though. Maybe in the next week or so they will have another free weekend for a different city. This way Chemistry may generate more press.

The last time Chemistry offered free memberships was mid June for the state of California (see Story).

Check out our Chemistry Review for more information on this dating service.

Australia's largest dating site, RSVP, announced this week that they have launched a dating community for singles in rural and remote parts of their country. Of their 1.3 million members, 25 percent of them state they live in regional areas of Australia. This is up more than 60 percent from 2 years ago. RSVP saw the need of this new community to allow these singles an easier time of meeting other like minded people, where time and distance make a crucial difference.

An article at Consumer Affairs tells the story of Annette (not her real name) who met someone online at eHarmony and was ultimately scammed her life savings, over $37,000. The scammer named John, who she met online and fell in love with had reportedly traveled to Nigeria where his luggage and $45,000 in travellers checks got confiscated. Everyday his situation seemed to get worse (including the kidnapping of his daughter) which prompted him to ask Annette to send him another few thousand dollars. John used guilt in part to motivate Annette to send him money including comments about "if you loved me ..." and dealing with God and the church.

I really feel sorry for Annettes situation. Some people can be real vulnerable when they are looking for love and this is what the scammers are relying on. Annette did have several warning signs though. They were:

• Someone requested money from her who she had only chatted online and over the phone with. She had never actually met face-to-face with him.
• John was in Nigeria were a large number of dating scams seem to originate from.
• He had bad grammar and spelling.
• She did have doubts.
• According to eHarmony they did warn her about John who was discovered to be using a stolen credit card. This warning came 3 days before she sent the first $1,300. It is unclear in the article if she did see and ignored the warning.

eHarmony does offer some safety tips too its members to make sure their experience is successful and safe (see full list here). Under the heading "Always Use Your Best Judgment" they warn members:

eHarmony works hard to screen out dishonest applicants, but assessing a match's truthfulness and honesty is ultimately your responsibility. Don't ignore any facts that seem inconsistent or 'off.' Trust your instincts—if something doesn't feel right, close communication or if on a date, leave. You're in control of the entire process, so you can choose a comfortable pace for your relationship.

Watch out for someone who:

• Asks for money
• Asks inappropriate questions
• Wants to speed up the pace beyond your comfort level
• Tells stories with inconsistencies, some which may sound grandiose
• Gives vague answers to specific questions
• Urges you to compromise your principles
• Constantly blames others for troubles in his or her life
• Insists on getting overly close, overly fast.

The above tips are good for all dating sites (and social networks too). Remember this was an extreme example of what can happen to someone who is scammed. Above all I would recommend to trust your instincts, If the situation doesn't feel right then, it probably isn't.

Find out more of the story on ConsumerAffairs.com.

An independent film called Single: a documentary film was released recently which looks at the lives at some of the 100 million Americans who are single. While I haven't seen the movie, there is a trailer available. The trailer runs over 4 minutes and it does give a good impression of what the film is about.

The website Tin Ape, did a review of this film in which they summarized:

Single delves into a plethora of issues about being single in America, from the role of the burgeoning independence of women to the social stigma of men, all backed up by the candid testimonies of single 30 somethings and knowledgeable sociologists.

Tin Ape also mentions:

The film also does not attempt to solve the “problem” of being single.

This is a different spin from most of the other media available on singles found on the internet. Most similar type of videos or articles tend to try and help the "single" become a "couple" which inadvertently casts a negative light on being single. The movie is available for purchase on their website for $14.95 US.

See the full film review at Tin Ape and the website for the actual movie can be found here.