| | Verify Authenticity of usersPage 1 of 1 | | Lately it seems that there are a lot of fake accounts on POF. In my area alone I would guess 30-40. It would be nice to verify users (as an optional service) by bank account. A simple charge of $1 and POF deposits $.05 into your account to verify your identity. This is how the government auction sites like GSAAuction.gov do it. It would cut down on multiple profile posters, kids, and other fake profiling. Either way it would be nice to filter out those that are not verified and at the same time still keep POF a free site. | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 8/30/2010 1:57:10 PM | I agree with this type of optional service. I would like to see this go a little further. I mean we are trying to find someone to share in our lives and there is no authenticity validation. We are investing in one of the biggest assets in our lives. I have spent so much time on this site wasted with people that lie and post completely false information. It would be in the interest of the company to offer this service. The serious member option is a joke and means nothing. There are so many people just following around, I spoils it for the serious people.
POF should authenticate the users profile by confirming the basic date:
Gender, Age, Marriage status, Education, Children, ...
This could be a service that we pay for and all viewers know that they are a truly serious person and not just playing around.
Is this too obvious or am I the only one?
DrMoodle. | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 8/31/2010 3:33:05 PM | Crooks never steal credit card numbers? It would be easy to set up fake accounts with stolen information.
People lie all the time off-line. The definition of "a few extra pounds" varies greatly here. Are they liars? Not to me. I have seen quite a few profiles that say "I'm really 40, but set my age to 35 because I don't date people my own age." It would be nice if we all told the truth, but people don't always like the truth.
What authenticity scheme could Plenty of Fish put into place that will convince you, absolutely, that the potential mate won't cheat in 3 years, or isn't secretly married? No other dating method will bring you those assurances, so why is this site held to a higher standard?  | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 8/31/2010 5:07:17 PM | Your on a FREE site with no staff or employees. Get used to that fact. We don't have ANY info on users except an email address. No name or real address or anything! NOTHING TO VERIFY!
I had WAY more problems on the paid sites from scammers etc than I ever have here.
If you have problems with a profile REPORT IT using the links on the profile. Be part of the solution. TONS of the supposed or assumed fake accounts are not.
Or go find a $40 a month site that won't be any better.
Personally with the security on this site regarding emailing passwords etc to us twice a week in plain text there is NO WAY I would be willing to cough up a credit card number here for anything.
Look get a grip. People lie online. They lie about their age, their weight, height, marital status and if they smoke and drink. You want that verified also? And maybe swear they are really good people and honest etc...
I wish we could figure out a way to actually weigh someone from a keyboard but doubt thats possible.
Focus on learning how to write to people and ask questions and you won't have problems with fake profiles. Just like in real life you need to be able to weed out the fake or dishonest people online. Best advice is to not expect others to do this for you. Just work on your own ability to spot the fakes and report the ones your SURE are. I have been on here for several years. Met at LEAST 100 POF women. Been stood up one time. ONE. It is not really to difficult to spot the time waster/chatters. I ask a LOT of questions and try not to wait to long to meetup. If they are not serious I move on. This really is not that hard if you pay attention and listen to what they are saying.
Good luck!
Cowboy | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/1/2010 12:40:36 PM | Hello Nice Guy,
I am new here but happened to read your post. I am just testing the waters. What you said remind me of what my co worker friend mentioned and how he now requires proof at the beginning of conversation when using an on line dating forum. Aside from a phone call a picture of yourself holding a current local newspaper is rather hard to fake. If any one takes the time to do that they are probably sincere and real. I find that to be a little extreme. If I decide to become actively looking on Plenty of Fish, I don't think I would do that for a man on line who contacted me. | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/1/2010 1:52:44 PM | Soccer mom you are naive. There are websites that do that for ya! Holding a pic or sign. You want a sign with me holding todays paper and a pic of king kong or Brad Pitt? Got it for ya! Or ya want George Clooneys divers license? I think I can russel up that rascal also! LOL
ANYTHING can be faked easily today on the net by those that want to. THERE IS NO WAY TO VERIFY STUFF VIA PICS!!! I CAN COUGH up a BRAD pitt with KING kong abs and YOUR DRIVERS LICENCE number if ya REALLY WANT ME TOO
Intent is the key
If the intent is there then so is the way.
You trust or you don't! You decide what is real! Welcome to online dating Darlin!
Cowboy | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/1/2010 2:05:52 PM |
picture of yourself holding a current local newspaper is rather hard to fake.
In this day and age, I could go out and find a boyfriend faster than I could find a newspaper. | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/3/2010 5:52:34 AM | 
I wish we could figure out a way to actually weigh someone from a keyboard but doubt thats possible.
The DL renewal has it built into the floor so no one can lie about their weight. Why not use DL's numbers? | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/3/2010 8:00:12 AM | It would be nice to verify users (as an optional service) by bank account.
You hae to be kidding. I'm not about to provide any personal information AT ALL to some random website, much less a bank account number or cc number. I've never even considered providing that information to anyone over the internet. Trust me when I say that once you give out enough personal informtion to identify you, you've just given out enough information to find out your entire life history. Furthermore, it's not a guarantee of anything. Who you are online doesn't depend on who you are. It depends on something you know, so anyone who who knows something about you is, for all practical puropses, YOU.
Either way it would be nice to filter out those that are not verified and at the same time still keep POF a free site.
A lot of things would be nice, but the reason a lot of nice things aren't done is because doing them without creating more problems than doing them solves, is either very difficult to do and inconvenient for users, or impossible to do within the constraints one has to work with. If you want to use publicly accessible web sites, you need to take some responsibility for using them intelligently. I can't see how a fake profile created by a flake could be worse than a real profile created by a flake.
The DL renewal has it built into the floor so no one can lie about their weight. Why not use DL's numbers?
If someone knows your real name, doing that isn't very difficult. Do you really want someone to know how much you weigh more than you want to prevent a random stranger from knowing everything about you? | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/3/2010 8:24:31 AM | Hey I can SAY I weigh 230lbs on the DL. They don't weigh me. I just write a weight down. Sorta like here !! LOL
Maybe they do this different in canada and the UK versus the states. I can say my eyes are purple and I am 6'4" and 230 lbs for my license. NO ONE CHECKS what I write into the form. Stamp, Stamp Stamp..... I am 5' 9" and 140 lbs drippiing wet on my best day (and YES that probably inlcluded me holding stuff in both hands trying to load up) LOL Anyoone can fake anything IF THEY WANT TO. Serious!
In 10 minutes I can cough up a pic of Brad Pit with George Clooneys licence and todays paper. You want a Dallas or London or New York paper??? Easy! Anyone can lie online. EASY to see the frauds too if your eyes are open and your paying attention. If that gorgeous doctor 20 years younger is in Nigeria and needs money to help the starving natives. DO NOT PULL OUT YOUR CREDIT CARD!!! lol this is NOT that hard! lol keep your credit card in your pocket and this is very easy.
Cowboy | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/4/2010 2:04:59 AM | Totally. That's why it is a joke when so many women scrutinize ANY body for not having a picture up. Often the general concensus is that a pictureless person must be cheating or doing some thing shifty. Myself, I just grew up with computers before pictures(and had my first true love romance starting from that -- Dating sites were not even around. ) and with all the lies than can be manipulated with old pictures, doctored pics...etc...etc. I don't see the point in even bothering to put one up.
If someone knows your real name, doing that isn't very difficult. Do you really want someone to know how much you weigh more than you want to prevent a random stranger from knowing everything about you?
Where can you get some one's pic knowing just their name? I've googled myself and no pics every came up.
Well obviously I would expect Admin to keep our names and addresses safe from other users or totally unused once authenticated. But I wouldn't have a problem, personally, with sharing my DL # if others did the same. At least then the pic would be real (provided it was obtained from a state agency & the user had no chance to modify it), the WEIGHT would be real and so would the DOB. This covers the majority of lies and eons of threads we have all seen created about these topics.
For non-drivers, state IDs would contain the same info. | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/4/2010 10:43:30 AM |
Totally. That's why it is a joke when so many women scrutinize ANY body for not having a picture up. Often the general concensus is that a pictureless person must be cheating or doing some thing shifty.
The same can be said of men; yet you criticize only women. If someone isn't posting a picture there is always a reason, good or bad. I was conversing with a woman on here that had to keep hiding her profile, because an ex kept bothering her. She had to pull down the pictures to make it more difficult for the ex. Men have been known not to post pictures when they are cheating on the wife. It cuts both ways.
I leave the option open for picture-less profiles to contact me. However, there should be a point where she sends one. Otherwise, how will I know her when I go to meet her? | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/5/2010 3:38:00 PM |
Where can you get some one's pic knowing just their name?
Why do I need the photo?
Well obviously I would expect Admin to keep our names and addresses safe from other users or totally unused once authenticated.
Exactly how does giving your driver's license authenticate you? I really am losing my sympathy for people who are victims of identity theft. If you're that willing to hand over personal information, I don't know what to say.
At least then the pic would be real (provided it was obtained from a state agency & the user had no chance to modify it), the WEIGHT would be real and so would the DOB.
*sigh* And exactly why would a person not be able to modify anything he/she wanted to modify? If I had to supply a driver's license number, then asssumig that I still wanted to be here, I'd just go through driver's license numbers until I found someone who matched the information about my height and weight that I liked and use person's driver's license number. I'm not giving anyone information that could be used to identify me until after I meet that person, in person. That's why I used a pre-paid phone for dating. | |
|
| Verify Authenticity of users
Posted: 9/11/2010 1:43:10 PM |
I leave the option open for picture-less profiles to contact me. However, there should be a point where she sends one. Otherwise, how will I know her when I go to meet her?
I've met hundreds of people before there were pics available on computers. There is no advanatge to a picture... it may even be a disadvantage if you're looking for a true soulmate. But how you meet... You simply describe yourself. Some prefer not to and just say they'll be wearing a purple hat or whatnot. Usually you know because you're the only two people alone in a restaurant looking around as if waiting for some one. Sometimes you tell the hostess. Some are comfortable with their gut level and will meet in a private location. I've been invited right into a woman's house, only seen on her doorstep. Not everyone thinks like you do, you know. Some of us, after some talking, can know who is safe and who is not. It's called life experience.
I'd just go through driver's license numbers until I found someone who matched the information about my height and weight that I liked and use person's driver's license number. I
And just how would you have this magical power?
Why are you so critical about giving out one small bit of info when there is all kinds of information about you on the internet. A user here even posted the code for a simple data miner and when ran it looked him up through many mediums and gave his home phone number, address, etc...etc... no prepaid phone would stop that. Just that you have a wire leading to the net you are trackable. Period. | |
|
Home
login 
