Online Dating for 50+ Singles Has its Rewards and Hazards
Jo Ann Eichelberger did not join SeniorPeopleMeet.com looking to find a new partner or even a date. Divorced for 18 years, she had been busy raising her son, helping her mother enjoy her final years of life and, apart from a few dates at the encouragement of friends or with friendly acquaintances, she was “done with the male species,” she said.
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Casey Anthony attorney Jose Baez to represent Aruba suspect Gary Giordano
ORLANDO - The lead attorney in Casey Anthony's murder trial is turning his attention to a high-profile case involving a Maryland businessman suspected in the death of his female travelling companion.
Jose Baez says he has been retained to defend Gary Giordano, who has remained behind bars in Aruba for nearly a month. Authorities believe Giordano is responsible for the presumed death of 35-year-old Robyn Gardner of Frederick, Maryland.
Giordano claims Gardner was swept out to sea while snorkeling. Her body has not been found.
As in the Anthony case, there is a great deal of circumstantial evidence against Giordano, but nothing concrete.
Baez would not discuss his role in the Giordano case. TMZ reports his focus will be on forensic evidence.
Baez gained national attention in the Anthony case. In July, Casey was acquitted of murdering her daughter Caylee. She's now living at an undisclosed location in Florida serving probation on an unrelated check fraud conviction.
Match.com Action After Lawsuit Not Enough
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (August 29, 2011) -- Match.com is screening members through the federal, state and local Sex Offenders Registry but it’s not enough because the vast majority -- up to 90 percent -- of sexual assault cases are plea-bargained and may not result in a mandate to register with the Sex Offenders Registry.
After being sexually assaulted by a man she met on Match.com, Carole Markin sued Match.com. In a settlement this month, the company agreed to screen members through the Sex Offenders Registry. Meanwhile, a Maryland woman Robyn Gardner has been reported missing after vacationing with Gary Giordano whom she met on Match.com in early August. It’s been reported that two women had taken out orders of protection against Giordano, including one by his ex-wife during their divorce.
“Even if Match.com had screened Giordano against the Sex Offenders Registry, it would not reveal the orders of protection,” explains Andy Scott, a 30-year law enforcement veteran and co-founder of MyMatchChecker.com, which specializes in background checks for online dating community. “The only way for online daters to protect themselves is to conduct a thorough criminal background check. A comprehensive criminal background check includes national, state, local criminal databases and will reveal any arrests and convictions.”
“Online dating sites must be socially responsible and offer their members the ability to run CRIMINAL background checks through a non-biased, third-party company directly from their website,” adds Scott, “Asserting that Sex Offender Registry checks will increase the security of an online dater is misleading to the public. Only a criminal background check provides a comprehensive view of someone’s criminal history.”
"In my experience as a police Captain and Undersheriff, I have found that 90 percent of the time sex offenders plea bargain their case, which results in not having to register for the Sexual Offenders Registry," adds MyMatchChecker.com co-founder Robert Buchholz.
ABOUT MYMATCHCHECKER.COM
MyMatchChecker was founded by two retired, ranking police executives, Andrew Scott and Robert Buchholz. Keeping their families safe and keeping the public safe are their life's work. Robert Buchholz is a retired New York State Police Captain and former Albany County (NY) Undersheriff. Andrew Scott is a retired Chief of the Boca Raton (FL) Police Department and former Assistant Chief of the North Miami Beach (FL) Police Department. Both proudly served their respective communities for over 30 years each. Robert Buchholz and Andrew Scott continue to be actively involved in law enforcement based upon their affiliation with various national, state and local law enforcement associations including the International Associations of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Scott is also a criminal justice instructor at several local universities.
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LOS ANGELES (KABC): Rape victim wants Match.com offender-screening details
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The dating website Match.com has been ordered to show it has started screening out convicted sex offenders as members.
A woman sued Match.com after she was sexually assaulted by a convicted sex offender she met on the website.
This week he pleaded no contest to sexual battery.
Match.com says the company is now screening potential members to make sure they are not sexual offenders, but attorneys for a Los Angeles woman who was sexually assaulted after going out with a man she met on Match.com want more information. And now a judge also wants to know exactly how the dating website is screening for potential sexual offenders.
Carole Markin and her attorneys were back in court Friday to make sure Match.com is living up to its promise to screen potential members against a national sex-offender registry.
"We want them to do sex-offender checking so that no one who's a registered sex offender either at the federal, at the state or at the county level can be a subscriber," said Mark Webb, an attorney for Carole Markin.
Last year Markin was sexually assaulted by Alan Wurtzel, 67, who she met on Match.com.
It was later revealed Wurtzel had six previous sexual battery convictions. This week, Wurtzel pleaded no contest in the Markin case to felony sexual battery by force.
But Markin believes her assault was preventable if only the dating website had screened for sexual predators. She says she filed the civil claim against Match.com for the greater good.
"I'd never wanted any money," said Markin. "I just wanted other people not to have to go through what I went through."
Match.com claims the company is now screening for convicted sexual offenders, but is not saying how. Markin's attorneys want details.
"Now they say they are doing more than we asked them to do, in which case the whole case is over pretty much, and so we just want proof that they're doing it," said Webb.
Security experts say the National Sex Offender Registry only identifies those individuals who've been registered as sexual offenders, thereby missing other criminal offenses that may be on record.
"It does not include violent crimes such as domestic violence, battery, aggravated battery, murder. You can miss a whole host of these events that have occurred if you just rely on the sexual offender registry," said Andy Scott, The Background Guys, a background-check company.
Carole Markin says she has no regrets about going public with her story, and she's relieved changes are being made.
"I've been cautiously dating," said Markin. "I haven't done online dating since this. If I know they've got background checks then I'll go back online."
The judge has scheduled another hearing for Tuesday, where Match.com will have to produce details of its new screening procedure.
The attorneys representing Match.com in court Friday would not comment and Eyewitness News calls to Match.com headquarters have not been returned.
(Copyright ©2011 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Top Ten Questions that can be worked into any conversation
New York Times: New Online-Date Detectives Can Unmask Mr. or Ms. Wrong
WPBF.com: Website Safely Helps People Find A Date
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Retired Police Officers Speak Out on Online Dating Conundrum
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, April 19, 2011 – Meeting potential dates online at popular match making websites is convenient for many of today’s hardworking professionals looking for companionship, but the perils of not knowing much about an online date are becoming more and more prevalent.
Andy Scott and Robert Buchholz are two retired law enforcement officers who have been working to help online daters protect themselves for the last two years through MyMatchChecker.com.
“Not every dangerous criminal makes the ‘Sexual Offenders Registry.’ While it would be great if every online dating service checked the Registry as a part of the application process, there is other important information that online daters need to have to make sure they are protected,” explains Andy Scott, co-founder of MyMatchChecker.com.
For example, MyMatchChecker.com recently agreed to run their members through the Sexual Offenders Registry, which is a positive first step but not a comprehensive stopgap to dating dangers.
The Sexual Offenders Registry includes criminals who have been mandated by the court to register as part of their conviction. The reason this is not a comprehensive screen is two-fold: First, many offenders plea bargain their case and therefore are not mandated to register; perhaps, more importantly, the Registry doesn’t provide a record of other violent, criminal activity common to online predators, including domestic abuse, aggravated assault, fraud, larceny and theft, as examples.
“The only way to really protect yourself is to do a thorough criminal background check. These are often accomplished for less than the cost of lunch at a fashionable restaurant and definitely worth the price,” Scott added.
"In my experience as a police Captain and Undersheriff, I have found that 90 percent of the time sex offenders plea bargain their case, which results in not having to register for the Sexual Offenders Registry," says MyMatchChecker.com co-founder Robert Buchholz. "With an entry level, $14.95 background check from MyMatchChecker.com the name is run through a minimum of three criminal databases."
MyMatchChecker.com offers four levels of increasing depth in background screenings depending on the stage of the relationship. There's the Just Met for $14.95; Getting Closer for $34.95; Getting Series for $49.95 and All About Me for $89.00.
ABOUT MYMATCHCHECKER.COM MyMatchChecker.com can help keep online daters safe by providing insight and information necessary for making an informed dating decision before they agree to meet! MyMatchChecker.com assists in protecting individuals from the multitude of online scammers, identity thieves and sexual predators. Those who engage in traditional dating such as dating events, nightclubs, introductions from friends and colleagues, and more are also encouraged to utilize MyMatchChecker.com. You can never be too sure, "Know Your Date....Know Your Fate." ABOUT THE CREATORS MyMatchChecker.com is the creation of two retired, ranking police executives (Andrew Scott and Robert Buchholz) who are fathers of daughters and know the dnagers that lurk in the shadows of online dating. Keeping their families safe and keeping the public safe are their life's work. Robert Buchholz is a retired New York State Police Captain and former Albany County (NY) Undersheriff. Andrew Scott is a retired Chief of the Boca Raton (FL) Police Department and former Assistant Chief of the North Miami Beach (FL) Police Department. Both proudly serve their respective communities for over 30 years each. Robert Buchholz and Andrew Scott continue to be actively involved in law enforcement based upon their affiliation with various national, state and local law enforcement associations including the International Associations of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
From ABC News: Match.com to Begin Checking Users Against Sex Offender Database
Just days after a California woman filed a lawsuit against a popular online dating site after she was sexually attacked on a date, Match.com officials announced Sunday it will start to screen users against a national sex offenders registry. In a statement issued to the Associated Press, Match.com President Mandy Ginsberg said the website did not implement the screening process for years due to the "unreliability of the database" but after reviewing recent improvements, the company has decided to begin the checks with current and new members. Read Entire Story
Time.com: Woman Sues Match.com After Alleged Sexual Assault
Nothing kills romance like discovering you've been flirting with a felon. But now a Los Angeles entertainment executive is taking matters into her own hands by suing the online dating site Match.com after an alleged sexual assault.
A fun and innocent first date with her potential love interest eventually led to a second date that wasn't so pleasant. According to the woman's lawyer, Mark L. Webb said she met her alleged assailant last year at Urth Cafe in West Hollywood. He seemed charming and she agreed to see him again. After the second date, however, he allegedly followed her home and forced himself on her.
CBS San Francisco. Woman Sues Dating Site Over Alleged Assault
A California woman has sued popular website Match.com, saying she was sexually assaulted by a man she met through the online dating service.
The civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court contends the alleged assailant had previously faced sex crime charges and that the website could have prevented the attack if it had checked his criminal background. The woman suing the website is an entertainment executive identified in court documents only as Jane Doe.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11): Websites offer background checks on potential partners for online daters
Finding Mr. or Ms. Right has taken on a new identity in the 21st century.
Forget blind dates, church groups or the bar scene. Many people are turning toward internet dating to meet the love of their life. Read Entire Story
WGNtv.com: Online dating background checks
The Web site www.mymatchchecker.com lets you request background checks on dates.
Two retired police officers, who also happen to be protective dads, have created a new Web site for online daters. The Web site www.mymatchchecker.com lets you request background checks on prospective dates, for less than $15. The former cops-turned-dating-sleuths say having daughters inspired them to try to make online dating safer for everyone. You can also download a new app to check out future dates. "Look Up Before You Hook Up" is marketed to women who want to perform a quick background check on would-be romeos.
