While cruising through some streaming video sites, at the end of each video, the Adobe Flash Player screen would present me with an advertisement for singles/dating sites, usually of the same organization.
This ad would feature two seperate pictures from supposed girl users who live generally close to my location. They would detect my actual location through my IP (internet protocol), a method that many sites use to send internet users information more relevant to their region, as well, internet cookies tend to utilize.
Today, I received yet another ad after a streaming video. Using the two picture method I've mentioned previously, this time it was actually a duplicated picture. It was two of the same exact picture, same exact girl, however it gave me two seperate locations underneath each. One picture said West Haverstraw, the other said Harrington Park.
I was already fully aware they've used fake models from places not necessarily their own, so in complete honesty, this did not surprise me at all, but in fact amused me. Months back while cruising through uselessjunk.com, they would use this same location tracking technique with their dating ads on the sides of the site. I recall at one point that one of the pictures of a "supposed user" was in fact Britney Spears.
Roughly a year ago, I was pretty big on internet dating. I was a registered user for several sites, however only with basic, free memberships. These sites would do everything possible to get you to actually join as a paid member, however. The whole basic membership in fact was a clever ploy to actually gain paid members who normally wouldn't even join a dating site in the first place.
A normal, not-so-desperate internet user would browse search engines. Out of mere curiosity he/she would see an ad for a dating site, usually with big words saying "FREE MEMBERSHIP" and join with the logic "what's the harm?". The advertisement says "free", so they figure they might as well register and see who else is using it.
While a basic member, the free registration would give them many limits. Such limits include the inability to message people or even the inability to read messages, other than the simple subject line for them. All it allows you to do is make a profile, meanwhile you are not even allowed to give information regarding alternate ways for the other users to contact you.
Because of this, you could receive several messages via the dating site and never be able to either read and/or reply to them, thus sparking the human emotions of further curiosity, and regret concerning the potentiality of a genuine opportunity lost.
That is where the sites further trap you. The site would then send you several messages from other accounts, or even fake, bot accounts saying things such as "Let's meet" or "Let's chat" or even slightly more specific subjects. They are so efficient, they even have several pictures posted on these accounts and even a unique bio, screaming that real, human administrators set this whole thing up by hand at times, if not always.
Now that you have messages in your inbox that you can't act upon, this futhers your inclination to actually go ahead with a paid registration for the site. In the end, you might actually attempt in contacting these other users, however you will not get any response back.
I have seen this all happen first hand. It's all too obvious and I do not fall for it. The generic, or repeated subject lines by "different" users makes it all a dead give-away. If you ever come across a dating site with such "free" registration deals, my advice is to wait on at least ten messages from mostly different users. If any of the subject lines are repeated, you'll know immediately it's a scam.
That is only my advice if you absolutely MUST join these sites. Personally, I truly recommend not to ever utilize online dating in the first place. I've fallen victim to psychopaths far too many times. Fortunately not homocidal psychopaths... more suicidal, vain, or just plain troubled psychopaths, who at times have even utilized the dreaded "angles".
Unless you want to be face-deep in salami (if you know my terrifying tales, you'll know what I mean by that), DO NOT ENGAGE IN ONLINE DATING. I even have horror stories from simple MySpace attempts at dating, where they have regulations against scams. If it's not a scam, and you do come in contact with an actual human being (I use that term loosely), that human being is most likely more fucked up than yourself and you better be prepared for certain trouble.
Trust me, as someone who has in fact attended a wedding for two individuals who in fact have met online through online dating organizations, it aint pretty. Let's just say, neither the bride nor the groom were even relatively close to being fit for "Bridal Monthly" or whatever the bride magazines are called. Fortunately, they spared the guests from the "you may kiss the bride" portion.
