Sen. Hassan's investigation found Tinder had not updated most of its AI scam-detection models for years as scammers reached users
An investigation by Sen. Maggie Hassan into romance scams on Match Group apps found that, as of the second half of 2025, Tinder had not updated most of its AI models used to detect scammers and other bad actors for years. Data Match Group gave the investigators showed that almost 1.5 million scammer or bad-actor accounts on Tinder and Hinge in the U.S. matched with at least one user in the first nine months of 2025. Nearly 500,000 of those accounts exchanged contact information with a user. In October 2025, Tinder announced the U.S. rollout of its Face Check user verification. The company said Face Check cut user interactions with spam, bots and scammers on Tinder in the U.S. by more than 70 percent. According to the report, Match later introduced a new AI model to detect scammers and other bad actors after continued follow-up from the committee. Match Group disputed the report's characterization of its work.
What the AI did
Tinder used AI models to detect scammers and other bad actors. Sen. Hassan's investigation found that, as of the second half of 2025, Tinder had not updated most of those models for years. Data Match Group gave the investigators showed almost 1.5 million scammer or bad-actor accounts on Tinder and Hinge in the U.S. matched with at least one user in the first nine months of 2025. Match said it retrains its models every year or every couple of years and disputed the report's characterization of its work.
First reported October 13, 2026 · Added to the register October 21, 2026 · 1 source
- Deployer
- Tinder (Match Group)
- Affected
- Users of Match Group apps Tinder and Hinge
- Country
- United States
- When it happened
- Not stated in the sources
- First reported
- October 13, 2026
What this means for you
Could this affect you?
If you use Tinder or Hinge, or rely on AI to detect fraud. A Senate investigation found Tinder had gone years without updating most of its AI scam-detection models. In the first nine months of 2025, almost 1.5 million scammer or bad-actor accounts on Tinder and Hinge in the U.S. matched with at least one user, and nearly 500,000 of them exchanged contact information with a user.
What to check
- Set and document a retraining and evaluation schedule for AI fraud and abuse detection models.
- Monitor detection performance against changing scammer tactics.
- Pair model-based detection with identity verification.
- Measure the effect of verification on user contact with scammers.
Areas of your AI programme this touches
Every fact and its source (7)
- Of those accounts, number that exchanged contact information with a userNearly 500,000“nearly 500,000 of those accounts exchanged contact information with another user”[1]
- Increase in views of median scammer profile on Tinder, May 2024 to Dec 2025More than 700 percent“increased by more than 700 percent between May 2024 and December 2025”[1]
- Scammer or bad-actor accounts that matched with users in first nine months of 2025 (U.S.)Almost 1.5 million“almost 1.5 million accounts belonging to scammers or other bad actors on Tinder and Hinge in the U.S. matched with at least one user”[1]
- Investigation report titleOutmatched: Tinder, Scammers, and Match Group's Efforts to Catch Up“"Outmatched: Tinder, Scammers, and Match Group's Efforts to Catch Up"”[1]
- Company-reported Face Check effectReduced interactions with spam, bots and scammers by more than 70 percent“Face Check reduced user interactions with spam, bots, and scammers on Tinder in the U.S. by more than 70 percent”[1]
- Match Group disputed the reportSaid report mischaracterizes its investment and work“The report mischaracterizes both the historical scale of our investment and the work already completed.”[1]
- Response: new AI detection modelMatch introduced a new AI model to detect scammers and other bad actors in the first half of this year, according to the report“Match also introduced a new AI model to detect scammers and other bad actors in the first half of this year after continued follow-up from the committee, according to the report.”[1]
Sources
- Report: Tinder hadn't updated most AI scam detection models in yearsmashable.com · October 13, 2026
How this record is classified. Severity M (3/5): harm to individuals, or a policy breach with limited reach. OECD level: serious hazard, an event that could plausibly have led to serious harm. Evidence: Confirmed, meaning a company, official or court statement.
The facts in At a glance and in Every fact and its source are quoted from the sources listed. The summary, What the AI did and What this means for you are written from those sources and checked against them automatically before publication. Records reflect what has been disclosed, not everything that has happened. Incidents are found through news feeds and the GDELT Project.
