The Federal Trade Commission sued Match Group, the owner of Match.com, Tinder, OKCupid, PlentyOfFish, and other dating sites, alleging that the company “used fake love interest advertisements to trick hundreds of thousands of consumers into purchasing paid subscriptions on Match.com.” The agency also alleges that Match has “unfairly exposed consumers to the risk of fraud and engaged in other allegedly deceptive and unfair practices.” The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 4-0-1, with Chairman Joseph Simons recused. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. “We believe that Match.com conned people into paying for subscriptions via messages the company knew were from scammers,” said Andrew Smith, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Online dating services obviously shouldn’t be using romance scammers as a way to fatten their bottom line.” Shares of Match Group fell 4% to $70.09 following the FTC’s announcement.