Reaction to the BBC Panorama Documentary

There’s no doubt that online dating has been the focus of negative press coverage recently with the BBC Panorama show, but sadly it’s the minority ruining it for the rest of us. We felt we had to comment after a similar Channel 4 News feature about online dating scams in November 2012, but for anyone who didn’t read it, can we remind you that…

• We are independent – Muddy Matches is a family-run business that is not linked to any other dating websites. This means that your details will not be shared with any other organisations. If you sign up to Muddy Matches, your profile will only appear on Muddy Matches!
• We do not create fake profiles – This means that you will not find 1000 members based in the Shetland Islands, but those people who you do find on Muddy Matches are genuine country-minded people who are looking to meet fellow muddies.
• We do not employ ‘pseudos’ – Both the BBC Panorama Show and the Channel 4 news investigation highlighted the use of ‘pseudos’, who were employed to flirt with members. We believe this practice is immoral and cruel and we would never employ people to do this.
• Inactive members are not shown – People who have not used their Muddy Matches account recently will not appear in searches. This means that you will not be in contact with inactive members.
• We work to prevent scammers – We read through every profile that is sent through to us and we carry out checks (including those used in the show) to make sure that only genuine ‘muddy’ people join Muddy Matches.
• It’s easy to contact us – We have a real human being in charge of our customer care department, which means that members can contact us by phone, email or even by post if they have any questions or concerns.

If you’re looking to meet genuine country singles, you’re in the right place. However, if you’re not a fan of the countryside you may wish to consider the following advice when looking to join an online dating website:

• Ask for recommendations from friends, or failing that look at peer-to-peer review sites.
• Read the websites terms and conditions thoroughly to make sure that your details will not be shared with other websites.
• Check that the website uses secure payment methods and that you can cancel your payments easily.
• Make sure that there is a real address, telephone number and email address for you to contact if you have any queries.

To take a look at BBC Panorama – Tainted Love Secrets of the Dating Game, click on the link below.