Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Two Former Police Officers Founded MyMatchChecker.com

WEST PALM BEACH - Jan 7 - MyMatchChecker.com allows clients to run a background check on their next date. The 2-year-old site was relaunched in Apr by Andrew Scott, a former police chief, and Robert Buchholz, a retired police captain. Prices range from $9.95 for a basic background check to $64.95 for an advanced search. Most dating sites do not screen members to make sure they are not felons, sexual predators or married. They contend that state and county databases are often incomplete, so claims of screening can give members a false sense of security. "All of the information that we acquire is in the public domain. There is no invasion of privacy," Buchholz said. Buchholz and Scott plan to expand their business by offering a subscription to the site and partnering with dating websites.

The full article was originally published at West Palm Beach, but is no longer available.

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Background Checks

NY TIMES - Dec 18 - New York and New Jersey have begun regulating Internet dating sites. A law that takes effect this month in New York State, the Internet Dating Safety Act, requires sites to post common-sense safety tips, like “meet in a public place." In New Jersey, dating sites with a membership fee have to inform users whether they do criminal background checks. Whether it is possible to effectively screen people and make sites more truthful is unclear. "Background checks might lead daters to think everyone they encounter on the sites is safe", said Mandy Ginsberg, GM of Match.com. “What we want to do is provide some degree of safety,” said Robert Buchholz, founder of MyMatchChecker.com, a site that enables people to request background checks on anyone they have met on a dating site. The basic background search costs $9.95. Mobile phone apps, such as ValiMate, aim to make background checks as quick and easy as ordering a pizza. FULL ARTICLE @ NY TIMES

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Site Checks Social Media For Dating Fakes

WPBF - June 2 - MyMatchChecker.com is a new site that can help people find out if their Internet date is a fake or the real deal. The service was created by former police officers and performs background checks. The price for a search on MyMatchChecker.com ranges from $10 for the simplest one up to $65 for a more detailed search.

The full article was originally published at WPBF, but is no longer available.