The Week in Dating Business: October 22 to October 28, 2026
A federal deadline for scam warnings, a $9 million fraud plea, Match teams up with India's cybercrime agency, states push back on Character.AI's sale, and earnings season arrives.
Washington put a deadline on dating fraud this week. The Romance Scam Prevention Act, signed October 20, gives every U.S. dating service until October 2027 to warn users within 24 hours when someone they messaged is banned for fraud, and a $9 million guilty plea in Ohio showed the kind of long-running scam the law targets. Match Group added a government partner in India, teaming with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre on in-app scam warnings. In AI companions, California and other states challenged the terms of Character.AI's bankruptcy sale ahead of an October 30 hearing. Data from Korea's Bleet showed profile effort beats employer prestige. And earnings season arrives: Match reports November 2 and Grindr November 5.
Policy
AnalysisPolicyThe Romance Scam Prevention Act Is Now Law. Dating Apps Have Until October 2027.
President Trump signed the Romance Scam Prevention Act on October 20. From October 2027, dating services must warn users who messaged an account banned for fraud, usually within 24 hours.
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Platforms
AnalysisPlatformsMatch and Grindr Report Next Week. Here Is What to Watch.
Match Group reports third-quarter results on November 2 and Grindr on November 5. One is guiding revenue down 2% to 3%; the other raised its 2026 revenue outlook to about $540 million.
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M&A
M&AStates Challenge Character.AI's Sale Process Ahead of October 30 Hearing
California and other states objected on October 23 to Character.AI's proposed bidding procedures in Chapter 11, asking the court to give rival bidders a fair shot against Disney's $20 million offer.
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Safety
SafetyMatch Group Partners With India's Cybercrime Centre on Romance Scam Warnings
Match Group and its Tinder, Hinge and The League brands partnered with India's I4C on a romance scam awareness campaign, announced in New Delhi on October 21.
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SafetyThree Plead Guilty in $9 Million Romance Fraud Case Built on Fake Dating Profiles
Three people pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in romance scams that took more than $9 million, mostly from older Americans, federal prosecutors in Ohio said on October 26.
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The Data
The DataKorean Dating App Bleet Finds Profile Effort Counts More Than a Bonus
Bleet, the dating app from workplace community Blind, found six photos drew about 7x the interest of one, and large Samsung and SK hynix bonuses made no significant difference.
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High Intent operates consumer dating brands and a white-label dating platform that compete with some companies covered here.