2.7 million men lured into dating website with only one female user

[yuiyoshida]

Police have discovered that more than a dozen men pretending to be women were behind an online dating service suspected of swindling some 2.7 million members out of a total of 6.6 billion yen in service fees, it's been learned.

Chiba Prefectural Police raided the online dating site operator in Tokyo's Toshima Ward and arrested 15 people, including its president Tetsuo Miura, 43, on suspicion of fraud and other charges. Police also sent papers on 23 staff members working as decoys to public prosecutors.

The website had 2.7 million registered members across the country, but only one of them was a woman. Of the 23 decoys, 17 were men pretending to be female users in email exchanges with the registered customers. Those men were in their 20s and 30s, and three of them had worked for over five years as decoys at the company. Their workplace was located in an apartment equipped with 42 computers in Tokyo's Taito Ward.

Men could register with the dating site free of charge and exchange emails with decoys they believed to be female users. If a member wanted to contact a female member via the site, it cost 250 yen each time. If he wanted to get the woman's number or email address without using the site as a go-between, he would have to pay 10,000 yen. To use the service, the members purchased prepaid e-money cards at convenience stores.

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20151003p2a00m0na009000c.html

[marym625]

1. Wow!

If my conversion is correct, that's $55,060,100. That's nothing to sneeze at

[Rex]

2. You mean they are not all Venus on the other end of the line?

[ancianita]

3. ...

[cwydro]

4. Just like that Ashley Madison thing here.

I find it hilarious that men are such dopes.

[SwissTony]

5. Hey, we've got two brains

but only one functions at any given time.

[LiberalArkie]

6. Results

On Sat Oct 3, 2015, 12:01 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

Just like that Ashley Madison thing here.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=7226680

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

This type of sexism has no place on DU. It would be disgusting to say "I find it hilarious that women are such dopes", and it is no less offensive when the genders are reversed.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Sat Oct 3, 2015, 12:12 PM, and the Jury voted 1-6 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I'm sure this gives mra's across the world a sad, but it's pretty freaking tame compared to what gets thrown at women here. Me thinks the alerter protests too much.
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Well, as a man it is truth. Put in saying that, the alerter is correct also. There are things women can say to other women that men can't. However women can generally call a man a DICK or other things and not be called out.
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: "This type of sexism has no place on DU. It would be disgusting to say "I find it hilarious that women are such dopes", and it is no less offensive when the genders are reversed."

You know, some people need to realize exactly what a "joke" is and how they can differ. Sometimes they are in your face, sometime they take a bit of thought and sometimes they can be a bit distasteful. But it's still JUST A JOKE.

Lighten the hell up, for crying out loud.
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #7 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.
Cannot reply to automated messages

[cwydro]

8. Oh good lord.

I went out after posting, and I had no idea that was alerted on.

I surely meant no offense in a serious manner, but come on...these poor men to be so easily duped.

As PT Barnum said...well we all know what he said.

Hey, some of my best friends are men!

I apologize to all men whose feelings were hurt by my offhand post. Truly.

[treestar]

7. not a presence that can be kept up long

they would realize they were not actually meeting people. Then again they got a good haul in in the short term.

People need to think in terms of living their lives and the people they come across in actual life, rather than treating this like a consumer item.

[jberryhill]

9. Speaking purely as a man....

"they would realize they were not actually meeting people"

Some hopes really do spring eternal. They weren't meeting women anyway.

Lonely guys will believe anything, if it has even an infinitesimal chance of, uh, improving the situation.

China,in particular as a consequence of the one child policy, has a severe gender imbalance "problem", and a lot of desperate guys.

And, yes, I put "problem" in quotes, because it is a matter of perspective, I guess.

[PowerToThePeople]

10. shrug

People donate massive amounts of money to mega-churches and 700 club too. A lot of ignorant people willing to part with their money in this world.

I am more concerned with investor fraud and cooking of corporate books leading to the rippoff of huge swaths of the population.