Two US Senators Urge Tinder To Act Against Fraud On Dating Apps

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn (photo: x @MarshaBlackburn)

JAKARTA - Two US senators sent letters to Tinder's parent company, Match Group, on Wednesday, September 24. Second, urging companies to take firm steps against the rise of dating scams on its platform and requesting information regarding user fraud and protection detection efforts.

In a letter addressed to Match CEO Spencer Rascoff, Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn asked the company to submit documents on policies and procedures used to deal with fraudulent activities on its dating app.

The case of romance scams continues to increase. The mode often used is a fraudster making attractive but fake profiles on dating apps, then building relationships with victims for weeks or months before finally asking for gifts or money.

"We are also worried that Match Group, through its algorithmic design, creates a sense of trust that romance scammers can take advantage of," the two senators wrote.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a April 2025 report said the losses from cybercrime worldwide last year reached more than 16 billion US dollars (approximately Rp261 trillion), with hundreds of millions of dollars from love fraud.

Senators Hassan and Blackburn gave Match a deadline of October 15 to prove that the company has made efforts to prevent romance fraud and explain the factors that allow the scam to occur in its app. Match is also the owner of other dating apps such as Hinge and OkCupid.

Match Group has previously faced regulators. In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused the company of deliberately sending automatic advertisements through Match.com containing interest from accounts that were known to be fake. However, the Justice Department closed an investigation into the FTC lawsuit in 2020.

Recently, dating app companies such as Match and its competitor, Bumble, are starting to focus on improving the user experience by presenting artificial intelligence (AI)-based features. Match has even launched AI-based interactive features to help match, especially to attract the attention of Generation Z.