SYDNEY, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Complaints have mounted against online dating sites for collecting thousands in fees without finding romantic partners for members, Australian authorities said.
New South Wales Fair Trading said there were 186 complaints in 2010-11 about online dating sites, most relating to refunds, cancellations and quality of service, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Dating agencies often prey on the most vulnerable in society, Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts said.
"Forget sharks this summer. The real sharks are the two-legged variety swimming around the dating game," he said.
"With some of these sites, once you sign on it's like Hotel California because you can never leave and they keep charging your credit card even once you don't want any more to do with them.''
Dating scams often involved people claiming to be a soldier stationed overseas or someone recently widowed but who are actually professional scammers looking to take thousands of dollars from victims, he said.
''There seems to be a lot of people out there who are prepared to prey on vulnerable individuals," Roberts said.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is finalizing guidelines for online dating and romance sites after Australians reported losing $17 million on the sites last year, the Morning Herald reported.
