Tinder pilots facial recognition technology in California

Are dating apps making it easier for scams?

Are dating apps making it easier for romance scammers? 04:36

Tinder is investigating retired a caller facial designation diagnostic arsenic it seeks to trim fraud and physique spot among its lawsuit base.

The West Hollywood-based company, which is owned by online dating institution Match Group, is present mandating that California users verify their individuality done a diagnostic called Face Check erstwhile mounting up their accounts. The quality was archetypal reported by Axios.

"Creating a amusive and respectful situation wherever Tinder users tin beryllium their existent selves is our priority," a Tinder spokesperson told CBS News. "As portion of our continued efforts, we are ever investigating ways to present the champion acquisition for our users to question authentic connections."  

Powered by an underlying exertion called FaceTec, the Face Check feature prompts users to instrumentality a abbreviated video of themselves which it past scans to marque definite the idiosyncratic is who they accidental they are. It besides tests whether a person's look matches their Tinder photos and examines different accounts to marque definite nary 1 other is utilizing their likeness. Once verified, users get a bluish checkmark connected their profile.

According to Tinder, verification information obtained during the look scans is stored for the beingness of the person's relationship but gets deleted wrong 30 days aft idiosyncratic closes their account.

"Face Check ... is truly meant to beryllium astir confirming that this idiosyncratic is simply a real, unrecorded idiosyncratic and not a bot oregon a spoofed account," Yoel Roth, Match Group's caput of spot and safety, told the outlet. 

Photo verification is already 1 of the safety features connected Tinder, but users person to opt into it. 

Tinder's aviator comes amid a emergence successful "romance scams," successful which radical make fake online profiles successful bid to triumph implicit someone's trust, oftentimes to manipulate them into giving money. U.S. Justice Department and FBI officials told CBS News last twelvemonth that determination were much than 64,000 American victims of romance scams successful 2023. 

Dating apps, including Tinder, are fertile crushed for scams, according to assorted user extortion sources including the FBI and Federal Trade Commission. In 1 lawsuit documented successful the Netflix film "Tinder Swindler," a antheral duped a women into giving him millions of dollars.

Tinder does not person immoderate plans to grow the facial designation exertion beyond California astatine this time, a spokesperson for the institution told CBS MoneyWatch.

Mary Cunningham contributed to this report.