Science & Tech · Big Tech & Internet · 3 hrs ago
US probe finds nearly 1.5 million bad actors matched on Tinder and Hinge
A US congressional investigation found nearly 1.5 million bad actors matched with users on Tinder and Hinge during the first nine months of 2025.
The inquiry examined dating apps run by Match Group, including Plenty of Fish and Match, and was led by senators Maggie Hassan and Marsha Blackburn.
Romance scammers build relationships to persuade people to send money or gifts, and the senators said these scams cost Americans at least $1.3 billion a year.
The investigation said Tinder’s systems had not kept up with threats, and nearly 500,000 of the flagged accounts exchanged contact information with another user.
Match Group says it has added facial checks and other safeguards, including video selfie verification for new Tinder users in the US.
The company said trials of the verification tool reduced interactions with scam accounts by 70% in the US, while Hassan said more progress is needed.
A Senate-passed bill would require dating apps to warn people who interacted with a scammer, even if the account has since been removed.
A US congressional investigation found that nearly 1.5 million scammers and other bad actors on Tinder and Hinge matched with legitimate users during the first nine months of 2025.
The report said Tinder’s systems detected scammers less reliably and struggled to keep pace with emerging threats.
It also found that nearly 500,000 of those accounts exchanged contact information with another user.
Match Group said it had introduced major safety measures and disputed the report’s characterization of its efforts.
The investigation examined romance scams on dating platforms owned by Match Group.
- Who
- The US Congress’s Joint Economic Committee investigated Match Group and its dating apps.
- What
- A report detailed the scale of scams and criticized the company’s efforts to combat them.
- When
- The report was released on Tuesday, October 14, 2026.
- Where
- The investigation covered Match Group dating platforms, including Tinder and Hinge, and data from the United States.
- Why
- The committee investigated romance scams and the measures Match Group took to address them.
US congressional investigators
Match Group
Fraud prevention
US congressional investigators
The report found serious shortcomings and said Tinder detected scammers less reliably and struggled to keep pace with emerging threats.
Match Group
Match Group said the report mischaracterized its investment in security and the work already done to stop scams.
Safety measures
US congressional investigators
Senator Maggie Hassan said Match Group had made some progress but that more remained to be done.
Match Group
Match Group said it had introduced major safety advancements, including biometric verification across Tinder and Hinge.
Senators Maggie Hassan and Marsha Blackburn launched an investigation into romance scams on Match Group platforms.
Match Group rolled out Face Check, a video selfie verification process for new Tinder users.
Nearly 1.5 million scammers and other bad actors on Tinder and Hinge matched with legitimate users.
The Joint Economic Committee released its investigation report.
- Affected apps
- Tinder and Hinge
- Accounts matched
- Nearly 1.5 million scammers and other bad actors during the first nine months of 2025
- Accounts exchanging contact information
- Nearly 500,000
- Mary’s reported loss
- About $100,000 in cryptocurrency payments
- Face Check rollout
- October 2025
2 sources
What people are saying
Romance scams are devastating – both financially and emotionally – to people who are looking for connection and instead find themselves targeted and exploited by global criminal enterprises
Alongside our engagement with the Committee over the past year, we’ve made the largest safety advancements in Match Group’s history
I call it like being in a vortex. You don’t even realise what’s happening.
There was a lot of conversation, and then it started with the constant contact, pressure and repeated asks for money