Did y'all read the email Brandon Wade sent out this morning to all users of Seeking? they are planning a new feature to combat the acknowledged fake profiles and fraud that is rampant on thier platform as well as so many others. there's a link to a video explaining it:
https://blog.seeking.com/seekings-commitment-to-combating-fraud-in-online-dating?utm_source=sa_ibm&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Liveness_textLink&utm_content=all&utm_campaign=Seeking-Announcement_Dec-2024_us-ca&xtor=-[SA%20Newsletter%20-%20Announcement%20-%20(Dec-2024)%20-%20US-CA%20-%20v4%20-%20%20(no%20hero)%20(1)]--[blog_seeking_com_seekings_commitmen]-&bxid=[OTEwMDg1OTE5MzAxS0]--&spMailingID=24473090&spUserID=OTEwMDg1OTE5MzAxS0&spJobID=2980530990&spReportId=Mjk4MDUzMDk5MAS2
I for one applaud the effort and I hope it is implemented successfully. Wouldn't it be nice to know that on Seeking, every profile is indeed a real person whose identity matches the photos they posted! That's still no guarantee that they are good people with the same desires as we have. But it's a big step in the right direction.
I applaud the effort as well. It's been rather frustrating to go so long without Seeking or any other platform actually admitting there is a problem.
Yet to be seen is how this gets implemented: new sign ups only? Will they require current profiles to selfie-verify as well? All of them asap, or in groups staggered over some schedule? Will there be an appeal process for false negatives? Will they expand by adding a verbal/vocal verification? Will they expand by requiring an ID that gets validated as well (seen this on other non-sugar sites)?
Next, will the SD's and SB's with a SO be willing to participate? There are a LOT of guys here and seen on other blogs that go to great lengths to stay anonymous. Will they end up leaving if they are forced to use real pics and a live selfie? Is Seeking prepared for the revenue loss from some percentage of SD's leaving and so not paying? Is Seeking calculating that they will recoup that revenue from remaining and new/returning members who now value the "verified" profiles as trustworthy?
Will they allow an "unverified" profile (SD and/or SB) to be active on the site, but labeled as unverified?
For those of you with SO's that want to stay anonymous, is this a deal breaker?
It's going to be interesting to see how this experiment plays out.
Life is good
The Cat
Sounds like a recipe for a costly ugly divorce
Just a quick question: Is Seeking a US company subject to subpoena, etc., by US legal authorities? Or, are they officially based in a jurisdiction where they can keep their private info PRIVATE and secure from US snoopers (e.g., like TER)?
Posted By: sympathyforthedevil
Re: SD with a SO
Sounds like a recipe for a costly ugly divorce
Here's the link to the Wikipedia article on Seeking.
Life is good
The Cat
A requirement to provide a real ID is a deal breaker.
The selfie will NOT be posted online! Only the photos you already decided to upload to your profile will be posted online, same as now. The selfie will only be used to determine if your posted photos are really you. I believe Seeking already requires some clear photos be posted before a profile can go live, at least for new members, and I assume this requirement will be applied retroactively to existing profiles eventually. So anonymity on the site is already , or soon to be, impossible. The new protocol simply provides some proof that the photos you posted are yours, not stolen elsewhere. This is a Good Thing for both the gals and the guys.
Of course it's no proof that the person you are looking at and talking to is not a scammer of some sort. You still have to do your own due diligence when vetting a new potential person for an arrangement. But it's a good step in the right direction and I applaud Brandon for acknowledging the problem of fraudulent profiles and trying to eliminate them.
Know more than a few guys who are waiting to see what is going to happen, how they are going to do this
They do not post their real photos on the site and will definitely not give them any selfies of themselves or any
way to identify them.
They are prepared to be done with Seeking and move on if they get intrusive about this
Can't say I blame them, think Seeking is going to have problems and many guys will leave over this
Not sure they have thought this through as it seems Brandon is listening to his wife about this
This could cost them huge amounts of revenue
Posted By: bobby_orr
This could cost them huge amounts of revenue
I'm sure it will... in the short run.
But my guess is they are counting on the long-term impact of significantly increased credibility with users. That could bring back past users who left due to the huge number of scammers as well as attract new users who see it as a (once again) better alternative to other sites that do not do this level of verification. Finally, they may find increased retention (through repeated rebilling) of all users.
As I think about it, this really does shift the site's model much closer to dating site (vs sugaring) and will go a long way toward moving away from their reputation as a destination for "legally gray area" prostitution. Which makes me wonder if/how much Brandon actually consulted with LE (or former LE "experts") about making this change...?
Fo me, I will go through the process if/when required. I have no reason not to; not married, no SO, retired, no kids, not a public figure, and all of the friends I care about already know I date younger women. In fact, I make a point of giving my SB's all my real-world info; full name, LinkedIn profile, home address, etc. (only after a M&G, of course).
Life is good
The Cat
I too am fine with showing my real name, photos, etc on seeking. My situation is a bit different since my wife knows, approves of, and encourages me to enjoy sugar dating. I'm not out to all my friends, but if any of them should notice I'm on seeking and disapprove, I couldn't care less. When I meet a new SB, esp one who looks young enough to pass for a teen, I always suggest we trade IDs. I'm glad I can offer to show her mine as well as ask for her proof of age.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out irl. If seeking does wind up losing significant revenue, I wonder if it has occurred to them to consider charging the women to join the site? If there truly are many more gals than guys on seeking, charging them even a nominal fee of $25/month to join might restore meaningful amounts of revenue as well as raise the quality of profiles on the site and weed out at least some of the scammers who are attracted by the zero cost membership. Idk, just thinking out loud.
Even if they only charge SB's a single dollar to get their profile live, it will drive many scammers away.
With free account set up, there is no reason for scammer farms, using pre-written scripts, stock pics and even AI tools not to generate hundreds, even thousands of fake profiles. They only need a few SD's a day or week to get sucked into their trap to get paid for their crimes.
If they must pay, even a dollar, they will need to use a valid payment instrument, most likely a card. So now, it could cost thousands of dollars to create thousands of profiles. And they will need hundreds of valid cards as well.
I can see a broke 20-something balking at paying $90 a month to get a paid account on Seeking. That $90 could be their phone bill or the gas they need to get to their minimum-wage job. But a dollar will just be an eyeblink in their $5.75 Caramel Macchiato life.
Life is good
The Cat
I agree totally. Any payment requirement would be a deterrent for the scammers as you said. I wouldn't suggest $90, cuz that would deter some honest, but broke, cuties. Which is why I suggested $25. But maybe even less, like $10/month would serve just as well. On a side note, it has been my experience using SA over the years that the girls have ZERO clue how much it costs us guys to be on the site! When I tell them, they are always shocked. I think it would be good for everyone if seeking made the cost of membership more transparent to both SBs and SDs
