Unmatched: Federal Trade Commission Sues Match.com Parent Company Match Group, Inc.

It seems Match.com has met its match in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The FTC filed a lawsuit in the Texas District Court yesterday, suing the online dating website’s parent company, Match Group, Inc.

In the court filing, the FTC argues, “Since at least 2013, Defendant has maintained the following five deceptive or unfair practices to induce consumers to subscribe to Match.com and to keep them subscribed.” The file proceeds in detailing each of the five:

• “First, until mid-2018, Defendant sent consumers misleading advertisements that tout communications from persons Defendant identified as potentially fraudulent users of Match.com and led consumers to believe that the communications are from persons interested in establishing a dating relationship with them.
• Second, until mid-2018, Defendant exposed consumers to the risk of fraud by providing recent subscribers access to communications that Defendant knew were likely to have been sent by persons engaging in fraud.
• Third, until mid-2019, Defendant guaranteed certain consumers a free six-month subscription renewal if they fail to “meet someone special” but failed to disclose the requirements of its “guarantee” adequately.
• Fourth, Defendant has misled consumers with a confusing and cumbersome cancellation process that causes consumers to believe they have canceled their subscriptions when they have not.
• Fifth, until mid-2019, when consumers disputed charges relating to any of these practices and lose the dispute, Defendant denied consumers access to paid-for services.”

Match Group Inc. is the leading service in online dating in the United States. It controls “approximately 25 percent of the online dating market, which is more than twice the market share of its nearest competitor. Defendant owns, operates, and controls approximately 45 online dating services, including several of the most popular services in the United States, such as Tinder, OKCupid, and Plenty of Fish,” according to the court filing.