THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has joined an international initiative to protect vulnerable consumers by sweeping dating websites for misleading offers, unclear pricing policies or consumer contracts with unfair terms.

“The ACCC is today sweeping the internet to ensure that dating sites are being true and fair in their dealings with customers, and provide protection from scammers,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

“Online dating sites have proven to be a popular forum to meet someone special and we’re reminding this booming industry to treat customers in a fair and transparent manner.”

The ACCC is concerned that some online dating service providers may be offering ‘free’ trials that hide within the fine print that people are actually being signed up to an ongoing contract.

The ACCC has also received reports of some online dating services signing people up to long-term fixed contracts with onerous or restrictive cancellation clauses. Transparency or a lack of disclosure around automatic renewals is also a concern.

“If a ‘free’ offer isn’t really free, pricing isn’t clear, or a contract is easy to sign up to but hard to get out of, then we will find it,” Ms Rickard said.

The ACCC will also be sweeping these sites to look at what measures they have in place to protect consumers against scammers, as part of its Scams Disruption Project.

“Unfortunately the ACCC continues to hear the devastating impact of dating and romance scams, with over $16 million reported in financial losses and nearly 1700 complaints already this year,” Ms Rickard said.

“Protecting consumers is a shared responsibility and the ACCC will continue its previous work with industry to develop best practice guidelines and identify ways to protect consumers from romance scams.”

Dating websites – Important consumer tips:

• Read all the terms and conditions to make sure you know what you are signing up to and how much it will cost
• Ask your friends if they have used the site before and whether they had a positive experience
• Before signing check your options for cancelling the contract
• Set reminders in your phone or diary to cancel your subscription to avoid your subscription inadvertently rolling over for a further term
• Research and get to know the business: conduct an internet search on the name of the company and verify any contact details
• Examine the site and check for advice about safe online practices
• If you are meeting someone you’ve met on a dating site make sure you meet in a public place and tell a friend of family member where you are going
• Most of all, know who you are dealing with on these sites: if you have never met a person you are interacting with face to face, you shouldn’t be sending them money
• Any request by a person you have met on an online dating site to wire transfer funds overseas should be raising alarm bells.

[Photo by Itinerant Tightwad, attribution licence]