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| Blogs > Andrew > Comments from the CEO/Founder |
Ideas to combat profile fraud...
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Ideas to combat profile fraud... As you may have noticed, personal sites are increasingly becoming victim to profile fraud - frauders creating profiles simply to collect contact information for spam/etc. I have now seen it on every personals site that I have an account (including competitors). While we have been aggressive at deleting accounts who violate our terms of use, we often have to wait until abuse happens before we can act. Without disclosing all the anti-fraud tools we have in place (some are better left secret so frauders can't develop work-around), here are a few of the things we have in place, in development, and in planning to help combat these frauders. In general, there are four types of things we can do: block automated scripts that abuse the site, block bad things that human frauders manually can do, and find ways to better identify frauders, and limit the type of information passed around. Block automated scripts - so far, the most effective way to block scripts is to require a visual "challenge" to do certain things. You probably have seen the 3 digit numbers we require members to type. While this breaks automated scripts, frauders are increasingly writing software to recognize the numbers and bypass the challenge. We are testing a new challenge graphic in this release (added to photo upload page) that is tougher than before to automate. The drawback to these tests is that it will increasingly feel more like an IQ test each time you want to do something. Look for changes in theses test soon. One drawback is that blind members may be limited (we have audio versions but those are also able to be automated). I think that we can make this a painless process if we require a visual challenge every 10 or times that we currently do it (but make the challenge harder). Block human frauders - In many developing countries, people make less than $3/day. At that rate, it is economically feasible to have people sit around and do things on a site (e.g., bypass the challenges). Blocking countries/IP address have limited effect as there are ways for people to bypass these bans. Unfortunately, the only way to directly combat this is to charge for participation (even as low as a one time $1 fee to be a "standard" member). We are currently considering requiring this low cost fee to be able to see emails and respond to them. Ways to better identify frauders - we currently have a bunch of secret ways to flag a member for abuse/etc. The most visible is the links that we ask our members to use when they see something bad. We will be making it easier to flag emails and members (and perhaps even giving points for members for this). We have found that it is VERY difficult to visually determine if a fraud account is fraud simply by the profile. Limit the type of information passed - remember, the only motivation for frauders is to collect personal email addresses so that they can do bad things with it. I am becoming convinced that the only way to de-motivate frauders is to make it very hard to get emails. Currently, they are getting emails two ways. First, many men are sending external email address to every female account that they email. The frauders then simply add the email to their list. Second, when frauders reply (or send an email), they will almost always give a "direct" email account which when emailed will put the sending on the list. Obviously, these are both terrible things - fraud accounts make it harder for the millions of legitimate members to have a good experience. I am seriously considering banning ALL contact information exchange on this site (e.g., sending an email address, instant messenger account, etc automatically removes the account from the live site until the owner calls customer service to get their account turned on). We currently have something similar in place but the threshold could be set to be very aggressive. We will probably allow contact information to be exchanged only between two paying members. We might also be able to allow contact information to be exchanged after, say, 3 emails have already be exchanged. I am confident that blocking contact information exhanges will destroy the economic incentive of frauders to abuse the openness of this site - and therefore kick them out. I want to get your feedback on this as setting up the "standard member contact exchange ban" is a the top of my development list. I think that the hardest part of it is educating our members why it's needed now and that doing it will make the site a better community. |
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5/29/2006 1:52 pm |
The three email rule sounds like a good one. If someone is legitimately using the site the way it's intended, to meet adult friends for sex and swinging, it's likely that there would be three emails traded before going off-site. And, it doesn't seem smart not to allow communication at all through normal email since many people can't check TSdates.com while at work. I'll send you info soon on my book about "Confessions of a 40-Year-Old Teenager: The Year I Spent on TSdates.com."
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hey I am a standard member!! Don't block all of us bc of the fakers!! I agree that it is a problem and know that many have blocked us standard members, yet still there are some gld members with scamming profiles so watch that too!! Lady
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I've seen several people complain about the 3-digit anti-spam number but I understand why it's needed. I've talked to several different people here that have been contacted by "pros" in email and in the chat rooms. One thing I have noticed in the blogs and on some profiles is that some people blatantly publish their phone number asa their blog titlw or in their post. There is no attempt made to hide these numbers yet they make it past your review staff. When I see them I hit request review in the hope that they will be caught the second time around. Even wsith all the latest antispam programs in place your staff still needs to be a bit more careful on what goes through.  Have tongue, will use it. Repeatedly.
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Are those so called cloned "information" blogs a part of it??? They have concerned me who is behind it ... I posted in an older post on my blog [post 136683] about this and asking what it is all about. Obviously they are phony and "cloned" ... but what is the motive???? I list the ones im suspicious of on that post (or, post is on page 2 if you enter main blog itself) I would appreciate knowing what this is about, and you are the one to know. Thanks ..Lil♥Jessica♥SQuirt
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5/29/2006 2:20 pm |
I think the idea for a small one time fee might make a bit of a dent in the number of offenders. How about a standard membership for "bloggers only" with maybe a monthly blog post minimum to remain "active." GossipJunkie "Dance like nobody's watching"
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I am one that supports the Confirm ID and believe that this should also be considered to being used for the combating of fraudulent profilers; in addition, it helps in preventing minors from accessing the site too. Maybe using the Confirm ID as an alternative free option with the $1.00 charge idea. Anyone can send a dollar using any name by postal if you accept it that way. One thing to take in consideration, the main concept and purpose of the fraudulent profilers is to make money. Consequently that $1 charge would only be seen as an investment to some of them. Confirmation of ID is something they do not wish to give. Also remember, there are many members not comfortable using Credit Cards over the net. I did the confirm ID through the mail when it first began here, and had no bad experience from it.
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5/29/2006 2:35 pm |
i am a standerd member and i am not a fake i dont think it is fair to the rest of that becouse some are fakes that we get punished. not fair at all and i have meet many people on this site that we just IM back and forth meet some great friends that way why would you want to take that away from people who are real ~sexy~
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5/29/2006 3:15 pm |
I am a standard member, and as it stands my ability to communicate with other members directly through the site varies between nil and very limited. The email within site is so limited as to be of little practical value, and the same goes for access to profiles and issuing network invitations other than in chats. If I understand the economics of it correctly, you will need to achieve a sufficient conversion ratio from standard to premium members on an ongoing basis to ensure the financial viability of the operation. what I don't understand is how you hope to maintain, never mind improve, your conversion ratios if you reduce the level of service and benefits to standard members. And please don't fall into the trap of thinking we're getting it free, so anything goes. Standard members are your recruiting ground for premium members, and the standard membership is also the primary "hunting ground" for premium members. Strip out the standard members and you would remove the majority of members, leaving you with a lot of premium members wondering what they paid their money for. Now I have no problem or issue with protecting against abuse, whether it is from identity fraud, spamming, or scamming, or whatever. But I suggest you need to rethink your strategy on this one. Working on blocking automatic scripts is laudable, and I know you've got to run at 90mph just to keep up. And I don't believe people will object or find it too bothersome. Likewise, improving detection of fraudsters is very worthwhile, and I believe you would find improved response rates to a "reward" system would result in significantly higher levels of detection and onward prevention than can currently be achieved in a "sanction" based effort. But I suggest you need to rethink your strategy on the $1 fee and on restricting the passing of information between individuals Blocking manual fraud by introducing a $1 fee - Bear in mind that this will have to be paid by credit card, and will therefore leave an indelible trail connecting each joining member to your site. Considering people's general reluctance to impart personal information in circumstances such as these and their very strong desire to protect and retain their right to anonymity, it is reasonable to expect that such a measure could have a negative effect on the retention of current standard members and the recruitment of new members. Have you calculated estimates of the fall-off rate in new recruits if such a measure is introduced, and how robust are these estimates. What knock on effect will they have on the recruitment and retention of premium members? What effect will it have on member turnover ratios and intervals across the various levels of member? Blocking information flow between members - I strongly disagree with you. Introducing such restrictions might well remove the economic incentive for the scammers and fraudsters, but are you not in danger of killing off the patient? It won't just make it harder for the fraudsters, it will make it next to impossible for standard members to initiate or sustain any useful level of communication one a 1 to 1 basis with other members. And in those circumstances, what do you think they will do? Fork out for a premium membership? You don't honestly believe that now, do you? I mean it sounds great in theory - it's far cheaper, easier and lazier to widen the service gap between standard and premium membership by reducing the benefits of standard membership than by maintaining and improving the levels of service to both groups of customers. Maybe you might take a look at McDonald's....their retention rate of childhood customers into adult life is over 25% globally, and kids meals etc. are the lowest margin area of the business, and on a per incident basis McDonald's make a net loss on the majority of children's parties. But does that mean they get poor service and attention? No way! Mc D's know which side their bread is buttered on -and you're not much different. Maybe you're just not asking the right questions? Maybe your team are too focused on the problem and not fully cognizant of the environment or theater in which you are, or ought to be acting? I don't know the answers to those questions. But I think you'd achieve a far better result if you started asking yourselves and us, your members, questions like "how can we improve? what can we do better? How can we maintain or improve the benefits of membership without compromising security? How can we achieve realistic and effective security measures while maintaining and improving the quality of our members' experience?" Anyway, i've ranted on long enough, so let's finish up with something positive. I joined less than 2 weeks ago, and am thoroughly enjoying it. It's not perfect, but then, who is? Take care,
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5/29/2006 3:16 pm |
Under 'block automated scripts' you said: "One drawback is that blind members may be limited (we have audio versions but those are also able to be automated)." I would think blind members wouldnt be able to do much on this site because they cant read the wording anyway? or is there special equipment that they have? the 3 emails rule sounds like a good one, cause if you block it totally then people would never really be able to hook up and the activity of the site would go down and people wouldnt buy premium memberships because of that.
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5/29/2006 3:17 pm |
also, maybe there should be an article link on the home page about how to recognize false profiles before you contact them.
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i've never had spam mail ever,not even the i've lost my dad and have 20 kids to feed type thing,also on blogs nothing on my own. what i do see daily in networks is a lot of pics with messinger names written in them plus on into on the profile title user names. i would be happy to confirm who i am by post or fax,but i couldn't pay by credit as i'm one of the rare breed who only work in cash  Another major problem is not just spammers ita multply profiles,women as men and men as women causing trouble in chat and mails.as you know i have two profiles as i've been deleted 6 times for what ever reasons and use the second them ,but too many are using multiply profiles for trouble,so again the confirm ID is a good one to use. thanks from a lowly standard member I'm a   and i'm here to stay
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I was a gold member for a while and let it lapse into standard because of the lack of responses I got when I had to email questions in. I am an active blogger, and active group member of Tampa Area Sex Assoc that is primarly the reason I have kept my profile. If it comes to an issue either monatary, ID confirmation what ever it takes within reason I agree if it helps the issue of fraud and spam. If you want to find some of the pro's and fakes check out Tone_33756 he tries to add one profile to his blog postings. I do appreciate the efferts made in the past few months to make this site better, I will upgrade again soon to see if I have better luck from the staff. Hugz  n Smiles  ~Sim~ 
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5/29/2006 3:45 pm |
In the idea of the $1 fee, if did decide to do that...would it be possible to pay by mail or phone? either way, I think alot of the frauders would be twarted by the new graphic anti-spam number/letter combo that you were talking about and blocking automated scripts. or at least put it to a minimum where legitimate members wouldnt be complaining that they get this all the time.
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5/29/2006 4:05 pm |
Perhaps the answer lies in the levels of members. Instead of placing restrictions on standard members and leaving them few options, perhaps there needs to be a minimal fee 'bronze' membership. Use this to give members slightly more than current standard members, perhaps a limited number of views and/or initial emails each month/period. Perhaps a charge of $15 to $18 a year for this level. It would allow those who select this level to get a little bit more than standard members w/o having to 'break the bank' so to speak. Those who do not opt for this, would retain the standard membership with much stricter limitations on contact. By doing this you would not only provide an additional income stream, but prevent those 'standard' frauders from being able to contact other members. Perhaps you can also add a 'review' link on all emails so it will be easier to report those looking for personal information or other violations.
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thank you for your reply may i suggest - that paying by the only logical way, credit card on internet, is feared as vulnerable by many of us .....thus, not easy to get the 1$ to you. When we do pay for site, we do it by phone ..... and that's not really feasible i think for the 1$ charge?? - I take it that you actually saw the list of suspect profiles on that post i mentioned above?? ... i listed them in the post. They have been very active in last cpl of days. Maybe others here are aware of more of these obvious fakes which are there for "some" purpose, and not likely a "good" purpose. - that many do put phone / email address in pics .... these can pass most software i think ... similar concept to the graphical numeric you use for comments.
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5/29/2006 4:30 pm |
We're sick of reading fake blogs. At least a dozen that we have checked out have only consisted of cut-and-paste entries from a news site. Some of them post frequently and if are allowed to keep it up they could clog up the blogs for genuine glog posters. How can we get that sort of blog removed?
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5/29/2006 5:07 pm |
what about some sort of paypal setup? i'd rather use that than a credit card, even for membership.
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5/29/2006 5:27 pm |
First, I have noticed recently that there seem to be fewer profiles being posted that scream of being fake. So "Kudos" for that. I like the idea of blog vigilantes. I think you'll get more than a few volunteers, but I would suggest people that have a track record of being a member (if not a premium member) for at least 6 months.
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5/29/2006 5:28 pm |
LilSquirt_4mfm, notice the one girl 'north2thefuture', in her profile paragraph she says she is from russia, but below in the statistics section she says she is from west palm beach, florida. and the one called 'legztightlyshut' doesnt have the state listed on her profile. The one called '2soulsmeetas1' her profile doesnt have a gender or a sexual orientation, it only says 'prefer not to say' which is something that is required for you to fill out, I think. They are all very tall too...and 'near' the same age. I have a funny feeling that they are all the same person.
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5/29/2006 5:39 pm |
If you can do the $1 thing for standard contacts, that would be great. Also, another thing I was thinking. Why don't you do a screening test prior before they pay with CC. Ask some simple question or something. Not sure what the questions could be, but none the less a screening process. Carpe Diem
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5/29/2006 6:00 pm |
I like the confirm ID method. I did it with no hassle at all, it will also limit contact with a minor. I don't mind paying a little to use the site but there are people who will not pay by credit card on-line. So you may lose customers that way. Another point to this is some people are using this site discretely and having this on a credit card statement might just raise some questions with a significant other. The choice is yours on how you deal with spammers. I'm fine with anything that needs to be done. I have to admit I have yet to be spammed by anyone. I have a fairly good setup here, the perks of being an IT professional. 
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5/29/2006 6:13 pm |
I personally think the three email rule is a good one. Also I like the idea of beefing up the ways in which members can contact TSdates.com when they suspect fraudelent profiles. However, as a technical support professional for a large ISP, I can tell you that I believe your biggest fraudelent activites occur in chatrooms and have you yourself been in a TSdates.com chatroom and tried to report someone for a TOS, it is cumbersome to do. I can explain what I am talking about in an email if you would like and then you can check it out for yourself and see how it works on my ISP and see if you can implement the same set up on TSdates.com. It might be worth the effort since many people complain about the bots in the chatrooms. Which could become extremely popular if you take away the opportunity to exchange personal email addresses between standard members etc. Juicy 
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5/29/2006 6:28 pm |
Well, I'd be willing to do what I needed to do to confirm who I am.. OTHER than give any financial information. The ONLY reason I'm not a paying member is because I am SO scared to give out any information over the Internet (I don't pay bills online, I don't online bank, I don't shop E-Bay or anything online, etc.). LOL.. I guess I'm just a paranoid old-fashioned kinda girl.  Soo.. I wouldn't be comfortable with the $1 thing. It's not the $1 that concerns me, it's the sharing of my credit card info over the computer. If in the wrong hands, that $1 could turn into $1,000!Aside from that, I knew there were fakes on here, but I didn't realize it was SUCH a problem. That sucks. I really hope it gets worked out.. and bein' selfish, I hope that it works out in a way that doesn't affect me.
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5/29/2006 6:36 pm |
Would everyone who has not done confirm ID get to do the "mini" confirm ID by an 800 number? That would make life on here a lot easier for me...I procrastinate on a lot of things and thats why I have yet to do it...but if I could phone it in I would have no problem. I like what WowieZowie1 said too...make a bronze member level for a minimum amount of cash...I am on a very limited budget but I could afford 10-20 dollars for a year subscription on here. gypsy
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I am one that supports the Confirm ID and believe that this should also be considered to being used for the combating of fraudulent profilers; in addition, it helps in preventing minors from accessing the site too. Maybe using the Confirm ID as an alternative free option with the $1.00 charge idea. Anyone can send a dollar using any name by postal if you accept it that way. One thing to take in consideration, the main concept and purpose of the fraudulent profilers is to make money. Consequently that $1 charge would only be seen as an investment to some of them. Confirmation of ID is something they do not wish to give. Also remember, there are many members not comfortable using Credit Cards over the net. I did the confirm ID through the mail when it first began here, and had no bad experience from it. nor will i send information of such a nature to anyone. i support multi contacts before email info can be exchanged... some men may not like it and leave, but better odds for the rest! the whiners are probably just as guilty as anyone for sending contact info to everyone! Virtue Alone Ennobles
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Dear Doc Andrew A few questions or points....not necessarily in order of importance. 1) Confirm ID - it goes contrary to your philosophy I kinda thought, having read an article about you on a "watchdog" site. It does not work internationally. Here in Oz, we don't have the person's characteristics like height or weight on a Driver's Licence, so it would be of little benefit for the intended purpose. You have to bear this in mind. Passports also don't have these identifying information in them anymore. 2) Please explain to be fully, logically and concisely, using an example, how the current or with Friend Network works. I have read the information on your blog, but am confused. Does that mean that someone may have deleted me but they appear on my network because I have not severed the link to them on my end? I just thought it was a simple link. You delete them and they go off your network and you go off theirs, but I get the idea that it is not as simple as that. You appear to imply that at the moment it is a two-way link, not a one-way link (which is how you have modified it to be now). While I am not a mathematical or topological (?) idiot, I am very confused about this! (Avoided doing any computer science at uni!). I may not understand this the first time. (O.K, so I am spatially challenged!!) 3) I noticed some hacking must be ocurring as I noticed an email being sent to my private email using my passion.com handle, inviting me to join another site. I have deleted the email but I can forward it to you if from my delete box if you are interested in investigating it further. 4) Ethics, ethics, ethics.....umm, more to say about this later, perhaps? Kind regards G
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I think a lot of the standard members here are now worried that maybe they'll end up losing some of their privileges that they have now. I'm sure that the majority of the spammers are new accounts. Maybe someone that has been a standard member for over 6 months or a year would be grandfathered in? It's just a thought. Verifying or paying a dollar is no big deal to me, but might be harder for someone out of the states. As far as member policing, some of us do it already. Request review on TOU questions gives your staff a heads up. I will say I've even written a couple emails to them on certain issues and I have to ask if they actually read what is written? I don't know what your first level of response is, but there are times I felt it was some bot answering because they had NO clue. Second response was always a little more coherent. Have tongue, will use it. Repeatedly.
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5/29/2006 8:35 pm |
Having voluntarily taken a break from paid membership lately,(though I will be paying again very soon)I do like the idea of a small fee for Standards if you feel it acts as a safeguard. I like the three-email thing...obviously far better than a total ban of exchanging contact info. It seems to me that a paying member should be able to send all the contact info they want,because making contact is the entire reason people come here. Have you ever considered a small flat fee for Standard members who desire to contact someone? It could be worked much like ebay fees..one small charge for each initial contact. Just a thought. Could seem like a bargain, but also create a new revenue stream. I would love to see some kind of bonus given for people who report frauds...although you may become innundated with reports as a result...LOL Efforts to keep the frauds from joining seems to make the most sense, and anything you can come up with that prevents or deters them is a winner with me. This will make some butts pucker...but I would not be against a completely new concept for Standard Members..maybe a $5 monthly fee with limited features. Perhaps an "Entry" membership for free which is severely limited.
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I have encountered some attempts to spam from me...ie: women sending an e-mail asking for an off-site e-mail, and I fail to see the need for me to do that so I don't. Once I've met someone in person it's a different story. But even then we often communicate through the site. My point is that limiting exchange of personal information(offsite e-mails etc) is kind of like legislating against stupidity. I would suggest more education on the perils of doing so, and I would also suggest that making the e-mail features here more user friendly so folks don't feel the need to go offsite. I am no expert in the art of spamming and the almost total lack of spam here is one reason I use the e-mail feature for communicating with other members even after a meeting. I guess the trick is striking the right balance between useability for members while at the same time detracting those who would want to abuse it. I would be in favor of the 800 number for confirm ID...I've been meaning to check that out but frankly i am nervous about giving more than my cc info...as with the credit card i have at least some protections from the cc company.
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I think the 1-800 number idea is a very good idea for the ID verification for several reasons. 1- ID Verification can be offered for free to the members. 2- Loss of real "true members" could be avoided. 3- It can be a speedy process by a Various Inc. operator to verify the member profile by the location that was provided by the member upon signing up through the Telephone "Area Codes" on a "Caller ID" to identify the state\region the member is calling from. I do believe there are softwares that identify City, State, and Country by "Area Codes". Also I presume that the caller would be providing information to confirm themselves with the "zip code" of the location they reside. There are softwares that also identify locations by zip codes; one is offered by the USPS that I do know of. 4- Once again, it will help keep the minors that sneak on occasionally out. I also liked the idea of offering the points to members that report a fraudulent member "fake profile" since many members complain about the fake profiles, but yet the do not report them as they should. It is like rewarding the member for taking that extra time the have and initiative to helping to protect the site and its members.
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With fraud there is a distinct difference between opportunistic scamming which might be deterred by a small payment and organised/calculated fraud where a small patment is seen as the necessary "investment" to secure a much larger return. To exchange information on the third TSdates.com e-mail will delimit things further, but there is obviously never a total guarantee and as Lusty Taurus says you can't legislate against member stupidity. Whereas there is guidance on this site against the problems and pitfalls members can encounter, it is a kind of "small print" that most simply ignore until they run into trouble. For the first few times a member is on TSdates.com there should be a means of checking whether they have spent a little time on safety points. To my mind that is no different from a skydiver checking his reserve ...... not that ever he intends to, but what if ..... It still remains difficult to pay by non cc means outside the US. There is the issue of privacy and id which others have mentioned. I have often thought that TSdates.com as the named payee would be an issue in some cases and a different and more discreet holding company name might address that. On a different tack it has crossed my mind that some members, particularly women, are inundated with e-mails, most time-consuming, some undesirable and wondered if in the options for accepting an e-mail (e.g. a photo, full profile etc.) other options of network member (which would make a network of friends more than a largely token gesture) and fellow blogger could exist. There is a time when a member wants to stabilise their presence on TSdates.com, having made enough contacts etc. Fellow blogger could be activated after say 50 posts and would enable the sort of post-comment traffic that does occur, while at the same time reducing profile presence without having to turn it off completely.
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Purry as quite a few of us have stated we deal only in cash not plastic so really that is not a fair way of going about it and who in there right mind would hand over a card with number of account praying that they won't get charged,we all have passports,driving licennse,ids cards ect which are better . can i be a grandmother plus i would happily volunteer to spy and report.I'm a and i'm here to stay
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5/30/2006 6:10 am |
If this were a way to make more money then they would be thinking of charging more than $1 for it, they would be wanting to charge more like $2-5.
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These have been said before, i just want to support them Small time scammers grand"mothering", would help on those ...... someone here for a while and active with clean reputation has already proved themselves. Gets rid of mini scammers. Major Scammers - Seeking Big Bucks however, the "Real and Dangerous" ones might pay any fee as they are after big bucks, so no fee would stop them. a lil Curious? I am curious why the 8 So Obvious Fakes, and potentially dangerous scammers, I listed in [post 136683] survived to date, and are still here??? Lil♥Jessica♥SQuirt
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I changed all of my credit card information DELIBERATELY on the page in which that information is stored because someone that I know personally knew someone who clicked onto someones site and could read all of their information! I do not want people reading all of my information and I have no need for that to sit there in your system. I have, howver revealed things about myself throughI am not due to renew until next MARCH..and blogging is what has kept me here. Additionally...I do not appreciate people stealing my photos and using them on their pay sites for phone crap NOR do I like googling my handle and seeing myself on all kinds of sites that I DID NOT SIGN UP TO BE ON! I love the connections with REAL people in blogland and appreciate that you have your hands full being part of keeping it real. I will continue to give this one serious thought...it has been on my mind for awhile now. ... security... I value authenticity so much and appreciate the fact that people can be real here about who they really are...when they are willing to do that! When they are not, it is a waste of time and energy. Playful and playing games are two different things. Ok...luvpump..I'm done bitching now. ..really do appreciate your being on top of things here...no pun intended... Your devoted Goddess1946 Just a little food for thought............. If you really want to be happy, nobody can stop you... {=}
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5/30/2006 9:36 am |
I agree about the three digit scripting and I agree with you. For the blind folks the audio works fine. Sometimes I don't get the three digit script the first time but they give you three tries. The three digit scripting you mention makes it hard for computer generated programs to copy and you can add letters to them to! I also agree about charging standard members a one time fee of a dollar! Thats not too much to ask for! The three email exchange program sounds good to me as any normal person would want to get to know the other person before meeting. Some people just don't understand the meaning of "safety" on the net! I don't want to sound mean but your current three digit anti spam program is a little behind technology. As for the men sending out their personal email address the first time. That is just plain stupid!!!! They just invite more spammers in. So in general I agree with your implementations you are going to put into effect. I must also give you input about men on this site that send vulgar, crude emails. That ruins it for the men who are decent. Oh! one more thing. I think the automated profile thing should be done away with. I don't respond to automated profiles. It sends a red flag up in my head. While I am at it maybe you should implement a member confirmation since it is free already! Thanks for listening. P.S. I would give ya a wink but ahhhhhhhhh.......I prefer women LOL
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5/30/2006 9:54 am |
I changed all of my credit card information DELIBERATELY on the page in which that information is stored because someone that I know personally knew someone who clicked onto someones site and could read all of their information! I do not want people reading all of my information and I have no need for that to sit there in your system. I have, howver revealed things about myself throughI am not due to renew until next MARCH..and blogging is what has kept me here. Additionally...I do not appreciate people stealing my photos and using them on their pay sites for phone crap NOR do I like googling my handle and seeing myself on all kinds of sites that I DID NOT SIGN UP TO BE ON! I love the connections with REAL people in blogland and appreciate that you have your hands full being part of keeping it real. I will continue to give this one serious thought...it has been on my mind for awhile now. ... security... I value authenticity so much and appreciate the fact that people can be real here about who they really are...when they are willing to do that! When they are not, it is a waste of time and energy. Playful and playing games are two different things. Ok...luvpump..I'm done bitching now. ..really do appreciate your being on top of things here...no pun intended... Your devoted Goddess1946 The google thing bothers me to. I want my stuff to stay private on the site I signed up for. I don't want the entire world to see me or the site I am on. It's a privacy thing
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Would this not still allow someone to using lets say a pay phone to call and spell out their profile name where they could not be tracked. For example: Jane Blow registers on the site as living in California and calls from Russia and spells out her handle to have it approved by a recording. Would that system be able to tell if Jane Blow was legitimate or not?
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I've been here for about eight years, both as a standard and a paid member. Far more as a standard member than a paid member. So I have a few strong thoughts. I'm all for banning the scripts. They're rampant in the chat room and there's no way abuse can keep up with the bots. Not to mention, there will always be someone with an IQ in the single digits who can't figure out how to use the iggy box and will sit there screaming at the bot to shut up. I remember the days when we were allowed to post links in chat. The bots fucked it up for the rest of us. Now, if we post a link we get banned for at least 24 hours, which we don't realize until it happens. (I'm amazed none of us get in trouble for telling guys screaming for phone numbers that our number is that famous number of song and they should ask for Jenny. It's amazing how many don't know that song.) (I had to re-submit this comment, as it was denied for including Jenny's number, which the phone company no longer assigns.) Now, I'm opposed to banning all personal information between standard members for a few reasons. Yes, you can set up meetings with someone without all that and just through site mail, but what responsible person is going to do that? "Oh yeah, I met him/her on the Internet, it must be safe to run off without even knowing names." Not a great idea. Before I meet a person, I want full name, landline number, a real email address, an IM name, just about everything other than a DNA sample. I also investigate. I Google the name, throw the number into a reverse directory, make sure they're not wanted for some crime, etc. I even balk at Yahoo email addresses, as that is the only real anonymous service that masks where your originating IP is. I tend to be careful. I'm not about to set up a meeting with someone without their personal information. Then there's the fact that a lot of standard members don't even meet each other through email. Not even all silver and gold members do that. A lot get to know each other through the chat rooms and move to IMs from there. Many of us can't use this site's IM program, as our computers suck and it crashes them. The same with the flash chat. Not to mention, it doesn't work the way it should a good bit of the time. Women are also reluctant to use it, as we're bombarded with idiots who go so far as to make death threats when we tell them no thank you. I realize the Nigerian and Mari El scammers are becoming a major problem. I've been hunting down the pics used by the bloggers mentioned in the comments in this thread. Two so far I found on Romance Scam, their pics used by known Nigerian scammers. But they've found a way to mask their IP addies, as all eight that have been found so far are using a Sympatico net address out of Toronto. One is even a gold member. Yet they all have US addresses on their profiles. So blocking known scammer IP addies won't always work, as they can spoof. The Nigerian scammers who admit to being men hit the chat rooms, so email bans aren't going to work there. There was one I followed around the rooms for a week, screaming he had pledged his love to me, how dare he be offering all these other women in other parts of the country his money order offer and undying love? This is a suggestion, I know other sites are doing it. Instead of hiding how to stay safe online at the very bottom of the home page, how about raising the status of that little FAQ and adding one about the 419 scams and how they're run? How you should never believe anyone who claims to being held hostage by their hotel in Lagos because they owe money, when Nigeria tends to be a cash in advance country for lodgings? How Nigeria and the Mari El region of Russia are notorious for scams and how they do their best to prey on the lonely? How they prey on single parents, BBWs, people who have profiles that are a desperate cry for help? How they're not going to come here and marry them, but instead are going to have parties with the money they scam out of greedy people? Educating the idiots who sign on thinking they deserve a supermodel and hot, horny porn star looking sluts are all just waiting to run out and fuck them is the only way people are going to stop being scammed. Then again, I can't start to tell you how many of these guys start screaming all the women on the site are fake because they're not getting laid as soon as they join and women want to meet them in public first, if at all. They really are the ones who fall for the bots, 419 scammers, green card scammers, cops posing as 15 year old girls being bad and people pretending to be something they're not in general, as they believe in the fantasy and not the reality.
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I've been here for about eight years, both as a standard and a paid member. Far more as a standard member than a paid member. So I have a few strong thoughts. I'm all for banning the scripts. They're rampant in the chat room and there's no way abuse can keep up with the bots. Not to mention, there will always be someone with an IQ in the single digits who can't figure out how to use the iggy box and will sit there screaming at the bot to shut up. I remember the days when we were allowed to post links in chat. The bots fucked it up for the rest of us. Now, if we post a link we get banned for at least 24 hours, which we don't realize until it happens. (I'm amazed none of us get in trouble for telling guys screaming for numbers that our number is the famous number of song and they should ask for Jenny. It's amazing how many don't know that song.) (I'm also being told to resubmit changes, as my comment was denied for including Jenny's legendary number.) Now, I'm opposed to banning all personal information between standard members for a few reasons. Yes, you can set up meetings with someone without all that and just through site mail, but what responsible person is going to do that? "Oh yeah, I met him/her on the Internet, it must be safe to run off without even knowing names." Not a great idea. Before I meet a person, I want full name, landline number, a real email address, an IM name, just about everything other than a DNA sample. I also investigate. I Google the name, throw the number into a reverse directory, make sure they're not wanted for some crime, etc. I even balk at Yahoo email addresses, as that is the only real anonymous service that masks where your originating IP is. I tend to be careful. I'm not about to set up a meeting with someone without their personal information. Then there's the fact that a lot of standard members don't even meet each other through email. Not even all silver and gold members do that. A lot get to know each other through the chat rooms and move to IMs from there. Many of us can't use this site's IM program, as our computers suck and it crashes them. The same with the flash chat. Not to mention, it doesn't work the way it should a good bit of the time. Women are also reluctant to use it, as we're bombarded with idiots who go so far as to make death threats when we tell them no thank you. I realize the Nigerian and Mari El scammers are becoming a major problem. I've been hunting down the pics used by the bloggers mentioned in the comments in this thread. Two so far I found on Romance Scam, their pics used by known Nigerian scammers. But they've found a way to mask their IP addies, as all eight that have been found so far are using a Sympatico net address out of Toronto. One is even a gold member. Yet they all have US addresses on their profiles. So blocking known scammer IP addies won't always work, as they can spoof. The Nigerian scammers who admit to being men hit the chat rooms, so email bans aren't going to work there. There was one I followed around the rooms for a week, screaming he had pledged his love to me, how dare he be offering all these other women in other parts of the country his money order offer and undying love? This is a suggestion, I know other sites are doing it. Instead of hiding how to stay safe online at the very bottom of the home page, how about raising the status of that little FAQ and adding one about the 419 scams and how they're run? How you should never believe anyone who claims to being held hostage by their hotel in Lagos because they owe money, when Nigeria tends to be a cash in advance country for lodgings? How Nigeria and the Mari El region of Russia are notorious for scams and how they do their best to prey on the lonely? How they prey on single parents, BBWs, people who have profiles that are a desperate cry for help? How they're not going to come here and marry them, but instead are going to have parties with the money they scam out of greedy people? Educating the idiots who sign on thinking they deserve a supermodel and hot, horny porn star looking sluts are all just waiting to run out and fuck them is the only way people are going to stop being scammed. Then again, I can't start to tell you how many of these guys start screaming all the women on the site are fake because they're not getting laid as soon as they join and women want to meet them in public first, if at all. They really are the ones who fall for the bots, 419 scammers, green card scammers, cops posing as 15 year old girls being bad (I have seen that happen more than once in the chat rooms) and people pretending to be something they're not in general, as they believe in the fantasy and not the reality.
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5/30/2006 2:50 pm |
I agree with trillogy too. The $1 fee would make the costs go up considerably since at least 50% (if not more) of the members on this site are standard members. and alot of people wont like the confirmID because they dont believe in sending contact info, not that you cant be trusted, but who knows who else who might have their hands on it cant be trusted. I think the best idea was the one where you were talking about the 'visual challenge', or similar to the antispam numbers, added to the page where you join/make a new profile. This will keep them out to begin with, or at least keep it at a minimum where members wouldnt say that they get spammers all of the time.
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5/30/2006 5:25 pm |
Hello LuvPump! Nice to meet you! First of all, I think the most important step you can take, is an educational awareness message campaign. You don't necessarily need to rewrite all your code, if you work new icons through out the site with more messages about safety and reporting abuse. I think it should be an OPTION, when you first sign up to have the emails forwarded to your personal address, otherwise they should originally default to reading them only within your closed system. At least until someone is smart enough to find the options on how to change that themselves. I say this because I think back at how naive I was, and that I could have easily thought I was supposed to email them back from my personal email account, by replying to their given address, instead of logging back into your closed system. I think that type of fraud happens a lot, especially by individuals looking at all the recent signups. These especially are the people that the educational warnings should be aimed at, from the first moment they sign up. A new GUI of educational messages of sorts. This change in message emails going off site, will make a drastic difference. Of course, you should continue to send the member emails saying that so and so has contacted you, but don't let them read them until they log back into your closed site. Men especially seem to think they are invulnerable. One of the first persons I started talking to online, was a 6'5 guy who posted info in his network newsletter of where he could be "pre-screened" before contacting him to meet in person every week. (He also happend to mention that he was always there, with his coworkers cashing their paychecks). He thought it was a "safe" way ladies could check him out in person, without having to arrange a contact with him to meet him at a specific time. Being a rather "dangerous" looking, big guy.. he never thought HIS safety might be at risk, until I pointed out people have been shot for *way* less then a weeks wages. He was mainly concerned he was not meeting women cause they might be intimidated, so he thought he was just being a gentleman until I pointed it out to him, then he saw the light. I really think he would have been more conservative, had he been a bit more educated about online safety issues, that were more general and in our face all the time. He has clearly been stalked online, and had many pros approach him, and has since turned his profile off though I still email him... he still can't believe I want nothing from him but to be a friend. Also, I agree with the minumum three contact rules, for exchanging info instead of allowing it to be in our profiles for anyone who is a paying member to see. I would never put mine in there, just because. . I *really* PRefer going through a third party site, such as this, unless I feel really certain about someone or have my own reasons. I think on ALL of your outgoing emails, you should have a reminder about WHY everyone should use TSdates.com as their "condom" online while talking with someone. Clearly state the risks, on every outgoing message, with links to more details on another area. This way, everytime someone uses the site, male or females, they have it repeated into their brains about how dangerous going off site is... and then... teach them how to be aware of frauds and how to report them. Make it EASY for them, so it becomes second nature. Also, I suggest an upgraded service for "screening" potential partners before a first meeting. Packaging it this way, would be preferable then making all standard members pay $1. This could be a major profit center for you, as I know I personally wouldn't mind a background check on someone I am going to meet someplace in person. Confirm ID check for a $1 - $10 fee, which every member could be encouraged to pay through sending in standard mail or however. It is too easy to get prepaid credit cards now, not to expect any ADULT to be able to get a payment in somehow. ... even if they are cheating on a spouse... Five years ago, I would have said it would have been too difficult, but at the register at the grocery store now you can buy prepaid Credit Cards that can be used online, so I think the time has come for this thought to be considered. I think as your site becomes more and more safe, it will become more and more acceptable. Okay, thats a good start. That along with new high profile easy to find report abuse buttons, for copyright theft, fraud etc.. it could really help to weed out a bunch of junk that is bogging down your house here. I am soo glad to see you are "on top" of things, and watching out over your unique playground. ___________________________ Oh.. and off topic of this post, may I recommend a "professional" services listings catagory? No, I don't mean pros that kinda way, but as in like BiPolyBabe type of services etc? she has soem really educational posts onher blog, and if she is going to sell a book, thei site might be a place she would want to advertise like an ad on your magazines. You know, things it would be a bit more difficult to find in the yellow pages.... Just a Thought.
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5/30/2006 10:42 pm |
I too am a standard member and as a woman feel that women have the advantage on this site, given the ratio of male to female in general. However, more than once I have heard that the men have been contacted by some woman and get lead to a pay site for watching movies, chatting etc. Thankfully they are quick to learn how to spot the fakes and simply don't respond... I once had part of my profile copied word for word by someone that I met up with and have since totally banned him from contacting me. That seems to have solved the problem at least for now... I think the best idea I saw so far was the one cent thing for standard members or confirm ID. By the way love the new look of the mail page. Cleaner and well put together..Kudos to the designer of that one...
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5/30/2006 10:55 pm |
First, the site needs to be cleaned up! There are profiles that are years old with NO activity! And then there are those who are on 24/7! Set a few boundries: 1. Members must be active X times a month 2. Members are required to sign in after X many hours of site use 3. Members are required to participate, see #1; join groups, post articles, etc. 4. Any reports of suspicous profiles, said suspicous profiles should be removed from viewing immediately until TSdates.com has a chance to view and take action. Personally, profiles I've reported have remained active for as long as 2 weeks after I made the report! 5. Member assistance, TSdates.com should offer a trade of membership for members willing to help TSdates.com monitor the site in their areas. See #4. This is just a few things that would greatly improve this site and cut down on the fraud. Dale
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Here is an idea. It may sound a little off the wall; however, from past experience on another site I found that most spammers and fraudulent profilers will use a free email account to create their profile that they do not go back to and also winds up being deleted by the provider for inactivity or being used for spamming. Most times the email address that they will give to a "targeted" person is different from the initial email address used to create their profile with. Maybe if email account verification was made more strict (more difficult ) it would help curve the the fraudulent profilers. Say for instance each month the members would be sent an account email verification to continue use of the free services. If the email sent by Various bounces or is not replied back to within a 72 hour period time, the members account would be deactivated.
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"The email verification sounds like a good idea but for those that go on vacation 72 hours wouldn't be enough time." I neglected to mention my idea is that the account of the member wouldn't be deleted (at least not for lets say a couple months), but only deactivated. That way as you said about a member going on vacation or etc... can then email customer support and request their account activated; thus, the email address would in fact be verified as an active account and the member is real.
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5/31/2006 7:43 am |
First off let me applaud alchemistz9 Very well spoken. secondly, A large percentage of us "standards" are very uncomfortable sending credit card numbers over the net even when they say "for verification only". I would be happy to call an "800" number for a call back or does anyone see a problem with giving your drivers license number as verification? Everyone of legal age should have one. Personally... being a "standard" sucks big time. So very limited on what we can do unless there are enough points built up. Lastly would it hurt you guys to set it up so if n' when we place an email we get confirmation that they received it? You advertise "Nude cards" and they have a box to check that lets you know when they open the card. So why can't you?
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The entire idea of this site is to meet people, so exchange of contact information is important. Especially when TSdates.com IM works poorly. An IM link generally needs 1-on-1 attention; not condusive to spammers. A bot IM is easily recognized and blocked. I'm willing to put up with the annoyance of an occasional bot IM to be able to personally chat and meet with other members of this site.
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5/31/2006 1:58 pm |
Jest joined this site and find your ideas very good and hope they work to keep all of us here happy and content so we can have fun.
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5/31/2006 9:33 pm |
I have personally referred eight accounts to abuse because they were either pushing spam or actively recruiting for "donations" from members to hook up. What's also interesting is this: a huge proliferation of standard members who create and destroy profiles quickly. In between that and other strategies the use of open blogs is another way information is being captured as well, using cookies to troll your history, just as valuable to a data aggregation service. I say review the standard members and the problem goes away. Just look for the hi-def profile pictures or no profile picture accounts as a start.
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6/1/2006 9:09 am |
southrn, i noticed sometimes when i email customer service, if this certain one person named 'abel' answers back, I can always guarantee getting back a message that says 'I do not understand what the problem is...." etc. I can email the same thing again and get someone else who at least understands the email, even if i havent put enough info in the email, and they can let me know what they need.
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6/1/2006 10:44 am |
How's this for an idea? The client signs up with a credit card (no initial charges if they just want to browse... it also keeps minors off the site, since I've seen profiles that say the person is 14), and then must call a toll-free number within a certain period of time to confirm their CC number, and also a verification code sent to an e-mail address? This might stop some spammers, as I can't imagine they'd want to go through the bother of all the above. Also, might seem a bit cruel, but if you get profiles with fake pics or are spamming, you can charge them with a hefty penalty fee (which of course would be in your terms of service). If you like my ideas, I'll take a lifetime Gold Membership 
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6/1/2006 10:51 am |
Oh, and as a PS to the customer service issue - I had a problem where I could not e-mail members on the TSdates.com site, nor could I post messages on the Magazine. I was told by Customer Service that this was an issue with my computer's internet access ability. However, when I replied that I could e-mail members on Passion.com (but could not access the Magazine through Passion.com they responded that they would look into it. Lo and behold, I can now e-mail members and post to the Magazine, all within about 24 hours! Just be persistent, it should pay off. luvpump - if I may suggest, I have to wonder if having so many Various, Inc. sites interconnected isn't part of the problem? A few people on TSdates.com have pointed out that their profiles also show up on a lesbians personal page... and they are straight males! I know you want to offer choices to your customers, but when I have to log into one site to send mail, another to post to the Magazine, and see my profile on a lesbian personals page... I gotta wonder.
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6/1/2006 11:36 pm |
I have no problem with paying for the services this site provides it is the best, however whilst it is a convenient way of doing business some other option of payment either setting up direct debit or a deal with paypal or similar service needs to be considered. If one of these options were introduced I would already be a paying customer. As to business services provided by internet operating companies wishing to make a living by a touch of a button a good part of the community is being left behind mainly because they dont want to be part of the credit card rat race.
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6/2/2006 1:26 am |
just wondering... is One blogger (on His own blog) allowed 2 misrepresent another by surreptitiously (sic) replacing the others comment with His own? thank you in advance
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6/2/2006 3:17 am |
And how would this work with members in the Uk who don't want to give out their credit card details or phone long distance???? x x x Blue
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6/2/2006 4:39 am |
what about the people who dont have credit cards to pay the measely $1? thatx fuqued up shade of pink
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6/2/2006 4:19 pm |
You don't need to pay necessarily for a Standard Membership. If you could verify that it's really you setting up the account, rather than simply clicking a link in an automated e-mail sent to you (which any spammer can do) that was my general idea. There's got to be a better way of confirming your identity while not costing you anything... that's what I was suggesting. Okay, so you don't have a credit card or you don't want to phone long distance... I hadn't thought of that. There must be a way though of confirming ID that would deter spammers. ConfirmID seems to be a good idea, but I'm not keen on sending my info to Various, Inc.
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My pet peeve is that I still see profile pics that I know have been stolen from porn sites. It's usually men who do this. I report the offender when I see him, but I've noticed that sometimes nothing happens as a result.
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6/4/2006 5:50 am |
You don't need to pay necessarily for a Standard Membership. If you could verify that it's really you setting up the account, rather than simply clicking a link in an automated e-mail sent to you (which any spammer can do) that was my general idea. There's got to be a better way of confirming your identity while not costing you anything... that's what I was suggesting. Okay, so you don't have a credit card or you don't want to phone long distance... I hadn't thought of that. There must be a way though of confirming ID that would deter spammers. ConfirmID seems to be a good idea, but I'm not keen on sending my info to Various, Inc.
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I am a standard member and if I got to pay a dollar, to keep up what Im doing, Im fine with that. But it would have to be by mail only! I have NO credit cards!...and this 800 call, for the ID thing, I could do that! The thought of not being able to Blog here! Would kill me!!..ok and meet nice guys along the way! And Knocking on Wood...I have never had a problem with spammers or fake profiles. So I really dont know what to say about them!
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ok I havent read all the responses but this is my view on the content of the main post.... spammers are a pain in the butt but you have to be careful what makes this site great is that people can communicate without being paid members they can earn points etc etc .... not everyone has a credit card or wants one and not everyone can afford to spend money on such a service....and if you exclude those members from being able to respond you then lose the bulk of the fish from the virtual sea.... what you propose is a BIG mistake and will damage the popularity and viability of the site....find another way....customer education is the most important thing....first and formost....as difficult it may seem with just a hint of experience and time on the site most spammers can be picked a mile away....by members...the problem is most lose their patience before they get that experience....and creating the challenges that you suggest will only contribute to the frustration....I know of many new members who within their first few ventures on the site looking around have given up due to the limitations and restrictions of the site to unpaid members and while I understand that...and its purpose the site is not easily navigable for content by first time users who are unpaid....it is only once you understand that it is the premium content and profile links which are what is restricted that you can find your way around... the best defence is by continuing to encourage genuine members to provide content for the site..... it makes the site active and interesting and presents a validity for a profile which for spammers is absent....  WyvernRose
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6/5/2006 6:52 am |
I'm not sure how having someone mail in a money order for $1 will help the site identify a member as fraud, or not. I hope you aren't suggesting that anyone sending the $1 from a Nigerian mailing address MUST be a fraud? NO NIGERIAN MEMBERS ALLOWED. I see a discrimination lawsuit on the horizon THERE! Members CAN and WOULD do the best job of policing the site. It's in our own best interest. I often "report for review." I have been a standard member for over 3 years and have NEVER received mail from a spammer. For those members who do, I'd suggest the maxim "If it looks too good to be true, it probably IS."
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I don't think this is very easy to handle. I may not need it now, but I cannot use a credit card and have to do a money order because I am in Africa. Even if it is a $1 money order, that is no problem, but it will take a while before I can be active then. I don't mind using web phone to call though. If the main vehicle for fraud is email, then I think the email measures will be a big help. I also know from what I have seen that members grossly disregard site rules in many cases. So enforcing the rules first, will also help a lot. Honor has not to be won; it must only not be lost. ~One Minute in Life~
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I am seriously considering banning ALL contact information exchange on this site (e.g., sending an email address, instant messenger account, etc automatically removes the account from the live site until the owner calls customer service to get their account turned on). yeah good call on that... this should keep it fairly local too cos I doublt anyone outside the US will call to activate a profile....On second thoughts...I think this could be just what it would take to finish this site off...who is gonna call you? Don't you realise that sometimes the more you do ... the more you make the site complicated for people and the less people will use it (including paying members). In life and on this site...you just have to take the good with the bad Bye everyone, it was a blast
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I don't have a printer so my boyfriend, who is also on the site, printed out the form for me to verify my ID on this site. I also had him photocopy my passport for me. I filled all this in and sent it off and awaited my verification and my points I should have earned. Instead of me being verified, though, my boyfriend was verified as being me. This is the kind of thing that allows fraudsters to be on the site. Things are in place, but they ain't administrated properly. If somebody had checked the verification details they would have seen that, although it had his number on the printout..it actually had my name and all my details. These differed greatly from his profile details (as you can imagine) yet he was verified instead of me. Fix what you have and work with what you have before you go making it any more complicated, a complicated site will a) put people off joining b) make it easier for the fraudsters cos we will trust more thinking they are real. ( hope ya get this bit) Bye everyone, it was a blast
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I think you should stay with ConfirmId. The infrastructure is already in place and it would be a gradual change to make it part of the Bronze or Copper membership. I wouldn't like to see the censorship on responses and emails get any tighter. I would like to see something in the response that comes back from a censor rejection that cites the text that was rejected. It is difficult to play the guessing game on what text was rejected w/out at the slightest hint of the cause of rejection.
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Do you think that if the three digit number appears as a graphic, that would prevent someone generating an automated script? In programming, it may be easy to read the numbers, but trying to read a graphic (of 3 letters or numbers) may not be that easy.
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I'm a Standard member, and all I can do is blog and post to groups. I get Cupid Matches, but since I can't read profiles or send e-mail to them it is mostly an exercise in frustration. Even if it was only 3 profiles a month, that would be a lot less frustrating than 0. And charging extra for what little I have now would just make me close my profile and go home. A small annual fee that could be mailed in? If it allowed some e-mail, and viewing some profiles, maybe. If it was just to get what little I get now, forget it. I don't pay to get abused. Opus
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6/10/2006 2:39 am |
and there goes the free standard membership... *rolls eyes* TTFN
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6/12/2006 10:08 am |
Sounds like a problem that might be solved by confirmed membership, however the legalese on the form would keep all but the criminally stupid from ever signing it and sending it in, (all info, images, ideas, etc. are owned by TSdates.com, and anyone assigned by TSdates.com,forever, in perpetutity, anywhere in the universe..." This is not the exact language, but seriously, people really sign that form? Also, I have e-mailed the C/S dept 3 times regarding various issues and never even received a reply. My single handle is 3XLoser3.
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6/12/2006 2:25 pm |
Can we just make the BOTS go away in BlogLand ... Please! It's getting really cluttered. Feels helpless. Thanks A warm huggies 2ya
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I totally don't agree with blocking all email transfer of information. The 3 email rule is okay but i'm not a big fan of it either. plus, if they can cheaply pay people to get around current measures it's not going to be that much harder for them to send 3 emails and still get the info they want. i think instead of improving service your giving more reason for valid members to go to other sites and forego TSdates.com all together to find someone to hookup with. it's difficult ennough to find someone with out you continually making it harder and more of a hassle.
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6/15/2006 8:19 am |
My pet peeve is that I still see profile pics that I know have been stolen from porn sites. It's usually men who do this. I report the offender when I see him, but I've noticed that sometimes nothing happens as a result.
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6/17/2006 12:22 pm |
EXACTLY!!! You damn well know that some of these pics are professional shots but no one seems to be doing anything about it. You can tell when someone's pic is from a web cam or just a regular person taking the photo. There is nothing wrong with having a really polished pic but hey, 9 times out of 10, it's a fake.
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6/18/2006 8:21 am |
I am very new to this site. And a few months new to this style type of meeting people. I have tried other well advertised sites and dropped them within the first month due to all the fake people. I am a real lady who doesn't do the bars and I am very honest too. Being an adult we all know what we really want....I do! I am shy in person till I get to know someone so I decided to try this...I like to write and writing my thoughts is easy for me. For now I am only a standard member I am trying to decide if I want to spend more money which want be refunded if I am totally 100% unhappy with the site etc.. before joining. Maybe through my blog and answering blogs I can find the answer I am searching for. Other than to let you know I am a real honest lady, I don't know how to help but wish I could. If I can please let me know.
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6/19/2006 6:32 am |
I've performed sortof a test on here... everytime I log on I randomly pick and place several people on my hotlist, Why? because I've wondered if they were getting the notification.... I can't believe that out of the 30-40+ entrees not one female has even a morbid sense of curiousity about who has put them on a hotlist. So here I am wondering if TSdates.com is getting like "Erocity"? just collecting money but not letting people connect. I, myself would gladly pay your fee if you would lift your "no personal info" ban.
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I think any suggestions that do come up should involve the whole planet. Not all of the members are in the US. Outside the US we can't access a 1_800 number. Does this mean we have to pay more. Until now I have been a paying member and gold at that. I let it slip to standard because I was not protected by the site. I reported having child porn sent to me and it was ignored, three times I wrote and didn't get a reply. If people don't want anyone to access there private info they shouldn't put it on their profile. But then you do know that all the people who don't want spammed don't put it on their profile. Isn't it the case that you just want people to stay on this site rather than going to msn messenger or yahoo. You would naturally rather that people stayed on the IM on this site. My opinion, for what it's worth, is that if people want to go to IM or be spammed then they put their details on the profile and if they don't .....like me...then they don't put it on their profile...quite simple really. Bye everyone, it was a blast
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7/1/2006 1:05 am |
I would like to become a member but cant nr 1. south african with credit card nr 2. international fax is to expensive so what is there to do but be a standard member???!!! I have emailed the support team 2 times and no replies in more than a month. So how the h*ll can I become a member is my question or should I go els where?
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7/9/2006 9:20 pm |
I'm still amazed that you people really believe all this pissing and moaning is going to do anything. It really makes you all look patyhic and sad. Lord knows I pity each one of you. Andrew Conru could snap his fingers and fix every dam complaint being mentioned here and each and everyone of you are playing hell just to get a response from him about your issue, except a few brown nosing assholes that have some appearant stronger connection to Andy than the rest of you. I'm thouroughly enjoying watching and reading all of you making complete jokes of yourself while This site drains your accounts of every penny. This A.F.F is ran just like a slum. You know what a slumlord is? A slumlord is a landlord that simply don't give a flying fuck about his building or tenants, as long as he gets his rent. The whole thing could cave in as far as a slum lord cared as long as rent was paid first. And that's exactly what your dealing with here except it's a website instead of a building and members instead of tenants. If I was still a paid member I'd shut that credit card down for a couple months and see If Ol' Mr. Luv pump Likes that shit. I personally can't wait to see this site crash hard to the ground, no sweat off my browl there's more sites out there. Maybe that's what various inc. should start thinking about more their not the only whore on the corner any more. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN LUVPUMP BEWARE THAT IS NOT A BANANA IN HIS PANTS JUST ASK YOUR1DREAMLOVER THIS GUY OR EVEN TECHSTEVE THIS GUY ALL THREE ARE HIGHLY SUSPECT AND HAVE BEEN SEEN AT WALMARTS LINGERIE DEPARTMENT WITH A JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER AND HALF STARVED PUPPY. ALTHOUGH PANTLESS THEY ARE BELIEVED APPROACHABLE BUT FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T SHAKE THEIR HANDS!!!!!!!! If Nick didnt say anything in that new blog post, I would not have known anything about this post. It doesnt bother me at all. You can say anything you want about me.....nobody I care about gives a crap what you say about me There is no such thing as bad publicity Steve
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7/11/2006 10:41 pm |
I too am a Standard ONLY member. My views: I would not like NOT being able to exchange personal contact information ever! I would hope, that besides TSdates.com initializing a 3-mail guide, that MOST people here have enough common sense not to hand out personal information to complete strangers. When I joined in May 2006, at first my inbox was bombarded with requests. As flattering as this was, I know not to endanger myself, whether it be a real-live physical threat or a computer-generated spam threat. Common sense must prevail. Diligence will pay off, if the real goal is to actually meet someone 'real'. Once I felt comfortable enough with some of the men here, I only then gave my personal email address. Then we would do the email-tag game until I felt comfortable enough to share my cell phone number. After talking for a while, then we would schedule our date. We're all adults here (it is TSdates.com, right?). IF we get hit with SPAM because we passed info to the wrong person, let us deal with it. Please do not limit the Standard membership activities even more. It's bad enough I can't access the profiles when I need to! Thanks for listening. *L*
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my group has been the victim of your new protocols to stop fraud. my group description which has gone unchanged for the few years since it's creation. however, with these new anti-fraud rules my group's description was reviewed and my group denied because my group description allegedly had contact information in it. there is no contact information in the descriptionl. there are no email addresses, phone numbers, instant message, etc. in the description. my group description only has what the group is about, the city we're in, and the set day and time that we hold chats in the group chatroom, nothing else. i sent the description for update in the hopes that when you reviewed it you would see your error. however, the group was denied again. what's going on and what can i do? this is upsetting a very successful and active group. all these changes instead of improving is making things worse. i don't know if this some sort of error bug of yours but what can i do to get my group active again. here is the group i'm talking about if you want to review the decription, BBWS in houston . the onlyt thing else i can try is blanking the description which is ridiculous, or removing our chat times since i don't know what your reviewers is mistakenly viewing as contact information. please, help  sweetnurse25
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Bounces from the email of record (not necessarily the one used to initially sign up) should certainly be considered a warning sign. Rather than delete the account immediately, perhaps put it in a suspended state so that the next time the user signs on they have to provide updated information. I don't like the idea of probes that require a reply within 72 hours. Sometimes I go for several days or even weeks without checking email, especially when I am on vacation.
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I just discovered this blog today, and I have read most of the posts. I have been a member for four years, and a premium member for most of that time. Now that I am a standard member, there is very little that I am able to do. No emails (except replies) and no profiles. While I was a premium member, it was not at all unusual for me to send an outside email in my emails to standard members. I did it to make it easier for the (alleged) women to whom I was writing to be able to reply. It has gotten me a considerable amount of spam as a result. I have learned recently that it is possible for a standard member to send a reply to an email that they receive, so that it is not as important to send an initial email address as I thought it was. I like the idea of waiting until the second email to send any outside contact info, and perhaps warning of the risk when it is detected by the system. I have enjoyed using TSdates.com (and Alt, BTW) and will likely renew my premium membership. I am concerned about using credit cards over the 'net, and would like to get a confirm ID, but I am reluctant to send personal information without knowing what happens with it. Is my driver's license information kept on file indefinately or destroyed at some time? Tom
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9/4/2006 8:04 am |
We're sick of reading fake blogs. At least a dozen that we have checked out have only consisted of cut-and-paste entries from a news site. Some of them post frequently and if are allowed to keep it up they could clog up the blogs for genuine glog posters. How can we get that sort of blog removed? We are considering setting up member-driven teams that police the blogs - if 3 of these members deny something, then it goes away. Really? Then why has 'those' that made the comment I am quoting still here? I and several others have reported to the site multiple times that the pictures that were up were stolen from another pay site, that the profile is false {it is not 2 people, not female either}, etcetera...yet the profile and the blog still stand. The posts that have been deleted {who deleted them, though?} were plagarised in 'THEIR' blog. DEFINETLY THE LAST CLITICALS POST Aug 24, 2006 11:58 pm Postscript: I would have been happy to have left this as it was, though two bloggers have correctly accused me of plagarism. The blog WAS created as a scam, a spoof. The characters are so patently false that very few rational people were taken in. Most of the posts were intended to amuse the writer, or to amuse the readers, or both. Some of the content of some of the posts or ideas for posts were taken from other internet sources. On several occasions, writings by serious journalists were used to spread ideas and propositions that were very worth spreading. By not naming the sources, or by passing them off as the writings of Dee, I was guilty of a plagarism. It has been suggested that in so doing I have done harm to such writers. I honestly fail to see how. The writers of the articles on the Middle East conflict would, I suggest, be happy to see their ideas communicated to a receptive audience that would not otherwise come in contact with them. They would have been pissed, and rightfully so, at not having been acknowledged. To those writers I owe an apology and would readily give one should circumstances evolve to a point where I need to do so in person. And that is the only apology owed. economickrisis 1069 posts View my blog 8/22/2006 11:06 pm [Add a comment] [quote] Precioussss Please excuse my use of your comment space for this....Your much loved (haha) Dusty Widget has been wrongly accused in many blogs as the perpetrator of the cruel and heartless cliticals scam. But the bloke who writes economickrisis is the rotten evil scoundrel who created TheCliticals in order to take the piss out of Blogsville. Do not enter unless you are armed with a sense of humor.
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You know, a good way to combat profile fraud is to get the abuse team to investigate complaints of fruad when they recive them. They seem to just fobb people off with endless back and forward mail and no matter how much evidence is provided, nothing is done. I have recently been a victim of this, I reported someone who was abusing me in her blog citing some of her acts of plagerism, providing her real photo to prove her profile pic is fake and what.....a big fat NOTHING. Bye everyone, it was a blast
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I'm a big girl. I don't need the site acting as my mommy and deciding who I can and cannot send my contact information to. If I want to be stupid, let me be stupid. Just add a disclaimer that the site is not responsible for members' stupidity and be done with it.
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