U.S. Senators Press Match Group to Address Rising Romance Scams

Two U.S. senators are calling on Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid, to provide greater transparency around its efforts to tackle romance scams on its platforms.

In a bipartisan letter sent to Match CEO Spencer Rascoff on Wednesday, Senator Maggie Hassan and Senator Marsha Blackburn requested documentation detailing how the company detects fraudulent activity and safeguards its users. The lawmakers set an October 15 deadline for Match to respond.

Romance scams have become one of the fastest-growing forms of cybercrime, with fraudsters creating convincing fake profiles to build trust with victims before soliciting money or gifts. The FBI reported in April that cybercrime overall caused more than $16 billion in global losses in 2024, with romance scams accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars. Match has introduced a number of recent safety measures to counter scams, namely the face check systemn, but scams continue to plague dating apps as a whole.

The senators raised concerns that the company’s platform design could inadvertently aid scammers. “We are also concerned that Match, through its algorithmic design, creates trust that romance scammers can exploit,” the letter stated.

In response, Match said it welcomed the opportunity for dialogue. “In recent years, we have made significant investments in advanced fraud detection, cutting-edge safety features, and expanded partnerships with law enforcement, industry, and civil society groups to better safeguard our communities,” said Yoel Roth, the company’s head of Trust & Safety, in a statement to Reuters.

While this letter targeted Match Group specifically, it’s a sign of higher scrutiny for the entire industry. Romance scams prey on users that may already be desperate for successful matches, and only some apps are taking effective steps to combat or detect them – meaning that they could be a new point of tension for the industry until properly addressed.