The problem of fake online dating profiles and the practice known as 'catfishing' has become so high profile in recent months that the Labour MP for Stockport Ann Coffey used an adjournment debate in the House of Commons last Tuesday to highlight the problem to MP's across all parties and strongly campaigned for legislation to be passed to make this practice illegal. Happily we can say with 100% surety that Catfishing is not a problem at Avenues. Ms Coffey urged Facebook and leading online dating companies to be more proactive in monitoring their sites for fake or fraudulent profiles, which the BBC's Panorama highlighted stand at more than 1 million in the UK alone and since the early days of the internet it has been incredibly easy to set up a fake profile with someone else's photograph that you have found online to target people genuinely looking for love. The big problem is that 'catfishing' is not a legally defined term in the UK and the House of Lords have already conducted an enquiry into criminal offences on social media as far back as 2014 and concluded that 'criminal law in this area, almost entirely enacted before the invention of social media, is generally appropriate for the prosecution of offences committed using social media'. Also the European Convention on Human Rights, does provide that every person, including 'catfishers' has the right to freedom of expression and so any proposed law which attempts to limit that is currently unlikely to be passed. This does therefore seem to leave the emphasis with the companies involved and the responsibility for them to carefully vet potential members. The question has to be however 'will they?'. Here at Avenues we are vastly different to online dating companies or the large social media sites. For the following reasons: 1) We personally interview every member or potential member often in their own home. 2) All new members are ID checked and their address is verified. 3) We ensure that all photographs are recent and up to date. 4) Each clients profile is created professionally by our team of experienced matchmakers. 5) We utilise the very latest in technology, to authenticate and verify the status and standing of each client. 6) This involves checking their residency over a number of years. 7) We check them globally for any involvement in financial fraud or money crime of any sort. 8) We also look at their financial situation and check for any county court judgements or bankruptcies. So all in all a very comprehensive range of checks that enables us to have 100% confidence that our clients are totally genuine and all at a price that is akin to leading online dating sites but with the provision of the support and expertise of your own Personal Matchmaker. Want to know more? Then please ring us on 0333 253 3588 any day from 9am until 9pm and we'd be happy to provide you with a complete overview of our service.
Catfishing Is Not A Problem At Avenues
