New Truth Verifying App Aims to Assure Safer Online Connections
Converus says dating websites and online on-demand home services can use its truth verification app VerifEye to help confirm users submitted truthful profiles and don’t have a criminal background.
Romance scams are rapidly increasing in the U.S. In the past five years, dating app users have reported losing $1.3 billion to those they’ve met online. Converus claims if online dating sites used its truth verification app when onboarding new users, more users with false profiles and nefarious intentions could be caught.
LEHI, Utah – July 27, 2023 – In a world where finding new relationships or on-demand home services online has become the norm, the quest for genuine, trustworthy connections with people and professionals often comes with inherent risks.
Online dating platforms — like Match, eHarmony, Tinder and Bumble — have seen explosive growth. Last year it was a USD 2.86 billion industry with 366 million users. Whereas the global online on-demand home services market size — dominated by companies like Home Advisor, Houzz, Thumbtack, Phyxter, Porch, and Angie’s List — was estimated at USD 3.71 billion in 2021.
Unfortunately, fake profiles and financial scammers continue to pose a significant threat to those seeking meaningful relationships and reliable home service providers.
Converus, a Utah tech company, says its new truth verification mobile app, VerifEye, offers a unique way to catch individuals during the onboarding process who might create a less-than-truthful profile or who have an undesirable past history.
Using a person’s cell phone camera, VerifEye measures changes in involuntary eye behavior to detect deception during a self-administered, true/false test. The test takes 10 minutes and is about 80% accurate.
Converus President and CEO Todd Mickelsen emphasized the crucial role VerifEye can play in helping online platforms assure the authenticity of users’ profiles.
“VerifEye’s technology brings a much-needed additional layer of trust and peace-of-mind to the online dating and professional services industries,” said Mickelsen. “By enabling providers to verify information in users’ profiles, we empower people to make safer and more informed decisions when establishing new connections.”
Mickelsen suggests dating sites could even offer a premium service featuring users vetted with VerifEye.
Dating websites have become a breeding ground for deception, with false information running rampant. In an anonymous survey conducted by Healthy Framework, over 55% of adults ages 18-54 admitted to lying about something on their dating profiles. From age and height to marital status, these misrepresentations can lead to disappointment and wasted time for users genuinely seeking connections.
Even more alarming is the rise of financial scammers who exploit unsuspecting individuals for personal gain. In 2022 the notorious “Tinder Swindler,” aka Simon Leviev, defrauded an estimated $10 million from three women he targeted on the popular dating app Tinder. In that same year a 78-year-old man from Annandale, Va. was taken for half a million dollars by someone claiming to be a widowed woman from New York in her 30s.
In just the past five years in the U.S., dating app users have reported losing $1.3 billion to romance scams. According to the FTC, romance scams increased by 80% in 2021 compared to the previous year.
VerifEye, released last month in the U.S., can also be used to verify fidelity or sobriety. EyeCanKnow, a U.S.-based company, has launched an online service for addiction recovery centers, therapists or anyone who needs a test to quickly verify the fidelity or sobriety of a client, partner, or loved one.
For more information visit: converus.com
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About Converus®
Converus provides scientifically validated credibility assessment technologies. VerifEye™ is the world’s first mobile app to help organizations or individuals accurately verify the truth about a person — including background, identity, creditworthiness and claims — in about 10 minutes. EyeDetect®, which detects deception by measuring involuntary eye behavior, is a fast, accurate, affordable, noncontact, scalable, and fully automated option to polygraph. EyeDetect+ is the world’s first automated polygraph, making the testing process impartial, accurate, and less intrusive (than a traditional polygraph). It assesses credibility by monitoring and recording ocular activity plus physiological activity similar to a traditional polygraph. Customers worldwide use the EyeDetect product line for screening and investigations to help protect countries, corporations and communities from corruption, crime and threats. Converus is headquartered in Lehi, Utah, USA. Visit: converus.com
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Converus Press Contact: Jeff Pizzino, APR /+1 480-606-8292
