Dating website Cupid cleared of deliberately using fake profiles

An independent report has cleared dating website Cupid of deliberately luring customers with fake profiles operated by staff, although it criticised the Edinburgh-based company for not identifying staff clearly on its website.

The independent report by KPMG - paid for by Cupid - said that there was "no evidence of a company-organised practice" of staff trying to make potential customers subscribe with fake profiles.

Reports on the BBC and in a Ukrainian newspaper earlier this year claimed that the company used fake profiles to bombard potential customers with messages in an attempt to make them sign up. Once a customer had joined the website, however, these messages would dry up.

Shares in Cupid more than halved in the aftermath of the allegations - which Cupid denied - plunging nearly 60 per cent.

Monday's report admonished Cupid for not labelling staff profiles on the website, which it said could to lead to confusion. Cupid said that staff operating on the website would be clearly identified as such in future.

The Aim-traded company has, however, refused to release the report in full, citing its "commercially sensitive nature".

The allegations in March began a volatile period for the dating website, which sacked its broker a week later after its share price came under pressure. Cupid said last month it had been in talks with "third parties" over its casual dating business, although there was no update on these discussions.

Shares in Cupid rose 8 per cent to 77.7p - well down from the near 200p it traded at in January.

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