Japanese dating site busted for using fake profiles
TOKYO —
Seven people in Fukuoka Prefecture were arrested on Jan 15 on charges of fraud after raking in over $22 million from operating an online dating community populated almost entirely by fake members.
The site, called DEAiBBS, was started in 2005 and boasted a user base of nearly 120,000 lonely Japanese singles — roughly 80% of whom weren’t actually real.
Over 45 claims totaling 85,000,000 yen in damages had been filed against the site before the arrests, and the site is said to have made over 2 billion yen during its seven years of operation.
According to police reports, four of the men arrested were part-time staff employed solely to flirt with real members, enticing them to become paying members or renew their subscriptions.
Among the victims were a 30-year-old woman from Aichi Prefecture who spent nearly 20 million yen and a 70-year-old man from Kanagawa Prefecture who spent 10 million.
Source: Sponichi Annex, Merumo
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35 Comments
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1
Daijoboots
The other 20 percent weren't keeping it real either, not looking at the camera or using obscure angles in their profile picture. This isn't an episode of Batman. I need a girlfriend now.
8
ChibaChick
Sorry if I am being exceptionally dumb, but how do you spend 20million yen on a dating site? Assuming she even joined in 2005 when it started, thats a subscription of roughly 2 1/2 million yen a year! Is that normal?!
0
FPSRussia
Praying on the lonely with false hope and lies.
0
paulinusa
80% weren't real and the men and women in the photos probably looked too attractive to be true.
3
GG2141
"Sorry if I am being exceptionally dumb, but how do you spend 20million yen on a dating site? "
First off; you're not the one being exceptionally dumb. That'd be the 20 mill. guy.
The site was a scam specifically designed to vacuum money out of the pockets of sad losers. To that end it did exceptionally well.
1
rickyvee
p.t. barnum is laughing in his grave right now.
3
Mirai Hayashi
I am almost willing to bet that there are a whhhhhooooole lot more of these scam sites out there.
-2
Crazedinjapan
I say get of your a$$ and go out to meet someone. Too many people using the Internet today to get what should be done by physical interaction. I agree there are probably dozens and dozens of these scam sites doing the same.
2
Patric Spohn
Same. "Operating an online dating community populated almost entirely by fake members" or all the rest of "legitimate" sites that host 30% fake members :)
1
WA4TKG
To CrazedInJapan: You have to be able to get the GIRLS out there to GET OFF THEIR PHONES long enough to get them to TALK to you, before THAT can HAPPEN!
5
combinibento
To the chick that had the 20mm yen to drop on a website: I'm available!
1
Scrote
This kind of fraud seems common. Sometimes I see ads for dating sites that claim something like "Meet these singles in Sendai, Japan", but the photos are all of non-Japanese. It's clear they use random photos in their ads.
-1
WilliB
That story is kind of a non-surprise. I doubt very much other dating sites have much different stats.
-1
WilliB
ChibaChick:
I assume the subscription is just for being allowed to look at the (fake) pictures. Then, if they want to contact one of the (fake) candidates, they have to pay extra. Hence, the outrageous amounts.
1
DudeDeuce
A lot of them are linked to websites. You leave your e-mail address then get bombarded with junk mail.
-1
WilliB
DudeDeuce
What do mean "a lot of them"? This article is about an "on-line dating service". How can an on-line dating service not be "linked to a website"???
2
Noliving
I just don't like the idea of calling the people sad losers or really just losers by itself. I guess I prefer the term lonely people.
-1
Crazedinjapan
Actually they need to stop focusing on other fashions that other women are wearing to take notice of free men out there. These sites need to be closely regulated and screened to see if they are legit or not. This being said on top of that I'm sure there are many subscribers to these sites that are just as bogus as the site they are on.
0
DudeDeuce
Here is an example-
Akemi, 26, single and waiting for your e-mail. picture attached
Leave my e-mail address.
www.hornyhousewives.co.jp sends me 20 e-mails to join their website to watch Akemi enjoying one of her many hobbies.
1
Elbuda Mexicano
Sad! But only the tip of the lonely iceberg!
-1
WilliB
DudeDeuce:
You are talking about spam e-mails. That is an entirely different topic. This article about a dating website.
1
Noliving
A dating website that was fake and then took those e-mail addresses and then sold them to a company or an individual to send out their spam.
0
DudeDeuce
Um, it IS a dating website with individual profiles. Anybody can easily sign up and put their profile on a dating website even sex websites looking for customers. If you think that every person who signs up to a dating website is that actual person, this news must be a crushing blow to you.
-2
WilliB
DudeDeuce:
It seems you comment without reading. My first comment on this article was: "I doubt very much other dating sites have much different stats."
I only asked you to explain your strange comment: "A lot of them are linked to websites" I still don´t know what you were trying to say. Of course a dating website is "linked to a website". In fact, it is a website.
Go figure...
0
Morry
These scams are everywhere. Check out AsianBeauties.com...... The women are HOT as hell. Then google "AsianBeauties.com is a scam," and read stories from guys who spent thousands of bucks and got nothing.
1
Thunderbird2
So I wonder how many other dating sites are like this all over the world? Probably around 99% of them?
-2
Lowly
Too bad about the money, but good on the 70 yr old guy for getting out there and giving it a shot again!
0
cramp
so they populated nearly 120k fake profiles? they deserve the dough, thats hard work..
0
Lew Archie
This story makes me wonder how does a dating website begin? Do they start with a blank page? How would you attract those first customers if there is no one on the books? Any ideas?
0
WilliB
Thunderbird:
I think you can pretty easily recognize the legit ones.... they are the ones where the participants don´t all look like models and have profiles that are too good to be true.
-1
Laurenço Iscariot Shells
Good grief. Put you Iphone down and look around for a second.
There are plenty of lonely girls/guys out there but it seems the headphones in/ face into smartphone screen will always win out
0
Cos
Er... paying millions to a dating site ? Then if there were mostly men joining, how come that they couldn't introduce them this woman's profile ? That's weird. The story is not complete. .
0
blendover
The site fees are not always where the big money is scored. The big money comes from one or multiple fake personalities starting off cyber 'relationships' with the mark and then bulding a profile on them to determine what kind of hard luck story from one of the personalities will lead them into sending cash.
0
UsagitoSaru
I hate that this happened to them! I used a dating site for a few years and met my husband there which lead me to live in Japan with him and his family. There is nothing wrong with using dating sites! People say "get off the internet" to find your partner well some times your destined partner doesn't even live in the same country as you do. I hope these people can get their money back and continue to search for their partners.
0
whiskeysour
i bet all dating sites are like that !!!!!
What's the difference between 2000yen - 20000000yen ?
Fraud is everywhere....
I bet this the formula for all dating sites.
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