Man Sues OKCupid For $70k Because The Person He ‘Met’ Happened To Be A Con Artist

A New York online dater is suing OKCupid for the $70,000 that (not-so) “genuineguy62″ swindled him out of during their month-long virtual love affair, the New York Post reports. Why? Michael Z. Picciano is contesting that if OKCupid really was “the best free dating site on Earth,” then it wouldn’t allow scammers.

According to court documents, Picciano “trusted” his match because of the site’s reputation, when really, “even minimal screening of its subscribers and therefore deceptively creating the impression that their dating service was safe . . . when in fact . . . [it] was a trap for the unwary.” OKCupid did not immediately reply for comment.

After 10 days of messaging with genuineguy62, who claimed his name was Bruce Thompson, Picciano said things moved to personal email and Skype conversations. And when Thompson said that he needed money for his computer parts business, Picciano quickly transferred him various installments adding up to $70,000 via Capital One. And thus, Picciano was catfished.

The trusting dater is also suing IAC, OKCupid’s parent company, and Capital One. While we feel bad for Picciano, this kind of thing happens a lot. The FBI even put out a warning of “Online Dating Scams” before Valentine’s Day this year. Just remember, putting your heart on the line is very different from putting your bank account on the line.

[NYPost]