What did the Beatles say – can’t buy me love? Finding the perfect partner can get expensive. Just ask the Texas Attorney General’s office, which recently shut down a pricey dating service and three affiliated websites operating out of Texas.
Division Chief Tommy Prud’Homme speaks to the Standard about how and why the AG’s office wanted to shut down Lone Star Introductions.
“They were simply misrepresenting the nature of their services and what they were going to be doing for people and with their information,” he says. “They also compounded that problem by really harassing and abusing potential consumers and people who actually purchased the service.”
Though most online dating sites rely on customers coming to them but Lone Star Introductions operated more like a telemarketer.
“They would buy potential customer lists from these online marketing outfits, and then they would cold-call people and try and sign them up,” Prud’Homme says. “They would often times call and call and call and just keep harassing people until they finally did sign up.”
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– How the company didn’t comply with the Texas Internet Dating Safety Act, including not advising users of safe dating practices
– What makes people who use online dating services more susceptible to scamming
– Tips for protecting yourself and your identity from a contract-based dating service