Andrew Grossman

He’s got dreamy eyes, and it was only manslaughter…

This would be funny if it weren’t true:

Instead of competing head-to-head with his rivals in the business world, [True.com owner Herb] Vest has veered into the political world by pressing for new laws that would put True.com’s competitors at a severe disadvantage.


Vest has managed to convince legislators in states including California, Texas, Virginia, and Michigan to sponsor bills that would target rival dating sites like Match.com, Yahoo Personals, Spring Street Networks, craigslist and eHarmony.


Those sites would be required to stamp this stark warning atop every e-mail and personal ad, in no less than 12-point type: “WARNING: WE HAVE NOT CONDUCTED A FELONY-CONVICTION SEARCH OR FBI SEARCH ON THIS INDIVIDUAL.”

On second thought, it is funny, regardless.


The online-dating service True.com, no surprise, does perform such background checks–for felony and sexual convictions–while rivals like Match.com do not. But as Declan McCullagh reports, True.com’s background checks can be easily foiled: just provide a fake name. Any felon searching for love (or an easy mark) online should be able to figure that out.


Interestingly, the legislation, as proposed in California, would apply to any “social referral services,” including social networking sites (e.g., Friendster) and conceivably even message boards. Social software, a broad field now thriving with startups and energy, would be severely hamstrung. Could garage-stage entrepreneurs really afford to screen all their users? Would they want to?


So anyway, besides all the obvious concerns, there are two other problems with this particular proposal, assuming it could be made to work.


First, are mandatory background checks really in keeping with the free-for-all nature of the ‘Net? For many online flirts, a certain sense of freedom would be lost.

And second, shouldn’t consumer preferences matter? Should anyone visiting this site (or one of the many like it) really be forced to pay for a background check?

In the end, McCullagh’s conclusion is spot-on: “Leave love alone. It has enough problems flourishing without ‘help’ from politicians.”

March 1, 2005 | Comments |

Viewing 4 Comments

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    Vest is being sued in Dallas, Texas by his former fiancee. The details of the woman's case is very disturbing. Vest who is fighting to require background checks is now fighting to keep the detail affidavit by this woman seal. Vest sited it would damage his business and personal life.
    Some of the details includes Vest with prostitutes, Threesomes with lesbians. Several sexual harassment claims against Vest while at HD Vest, Inc. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg.



    FYI: Dr. Jim Houran was fired in October and True is sueing him. True is bullying him so he and another man will agree to sign over any rights to tests they created. Vest wants to patient those tests.

    Vest and his wife has broken their own rule : NO MARRIED PEOPLE ALLOWED. screen names Undermoose & fite

    VEST OFTEN GOES TO THE CHAT ROOM TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON. MARK BROOKS IS ON THE PAYROLL FOR TRUE.COM. VEST USES MARK BROOK BLOG TO PROMOTE HIS COMPANY AND USES A DIFFERENCT NAME.
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    An online dating site called True.com which tauts it's self as the safer dating service and the owner Herb Vest is behind litigation to require all dating services to disclose if they conduct background checks should be investigated for date bait along with several other questionable business practices.

    Vest is being sued in Dallas, Texas by his former fiancee. The details of the woman's case is very disturbing. Vest who is fighting to require background checks is now fighting to keep the detail affidavit by this woman seal. Vest sited it would damage his business and personal life.
    Some of the details includes Vest with prostitutes, Threesomes with lesbians. Several sexual harassment claims against Vest while at HD Vest, Inc. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg. VEST is going into the porno business. New ads with a nearly naked girl with a banner over her lap and True written on it. Also, check out askmen.com where True ask you to vote of the hottest True girl.

    In addition you may want to ask Vest about the following business practices.

    Apparently, Dave Evans' Corante blog has posters that claim they have seen documentation of fraud on the part of True. That is, ex-employees who claim that part of their job description was to pose as real people and keep people as members to motivate them to become paid subscribers.

    I think that this issue becomes even more pertinent in light of similar allegations currently against Match.com and Yahoo Personals. It is no secret that some "customer service" people that used to work at True are no longer there -- and having left under curious circumstances. Vest/ HDVE could be compelled to release names of such ex-employees so they can be questioned about these allegations of fraud. Vest, Buell, and Trish Bellows should also be questioned as to whether they have any knowledge of fake/bait profiles being used by True employees at the direction of Vest and/or any of the executive management to essentially deceive or defraud customers or potential customers.

    Secrets True.com doesn't want made public!

    1. "Is the endorsement from Psychology Today an academic endorsement or a paid endorsement?"

    2. "You state on your site that you have a team of experts behind your testing/psychology services... who are they exactly and how do I get in touch with them in order to ask them what they specifically do for True and examples of recent work." "Or, perhaps you (True.com) is overstating their roles as a marketing gimmick."

    3. "It seems True has been busy altering the authorship of certain online articles in its online magazine from Dr. James Houran to "Psychology Department" -- implying Houran is still a part of the psychology dept. and that True has an active psychology dept." Why is it making these changes in authorship? Does the online magazine editor (Leah Gentry, formerly a journalist with the LA Times) endorse this practice?"

    4. Why has True.com not revealed to its customers that they no longer have the benefit of Dr. James Houran? He was arguably a huge value ad to the business and the welfare of the customers, yet customers are not told he is no longer with the company. True pushes for legislation requiring disclosure and yet they curiously are not disclosing that certain features/ benefits of the site are no longer part of the price of membership."

    FYI: Dr. Jim Houran was fired in October and True is sueing him. True is bullying him so he and another man will agree to sign over any rights to tests they created. Vest wants to patient those tests.

    Also, Vest and his wife has broken their own rule : NO MARRIED PEOPLE ALLOWED.

    VEST OFTEN GOES TO THE CHAT ROOM TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON. MARK BROOKS IS ON THE PAYROLL FOR TRUE.COM. VEST USES MARKS BLOG TO PROMOTE HIS COMPANY AND USES A DIFFERENCT NAME.

    contact Herb Vest at 972-713-6134 direct home #
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    True's Herb Vest should be behind bars. True doesn't disclose that they DO NOT due background checks on everyone, nor do they disclose they are using the compatiblity test to race profile users.

    Vest hasn't disclosed that the compatibility test is flawed and has major problems with the calulations and results are not reliable.

    Vest hasn't disclosed that there has been hundreds of users that are felons or married and Vest isn't suing them. Vest only filed against Dr. Wells for media attention.

    Vest won't tell the public and industry that the background check disclosure bills are to get branding for True to be the safer dating site and he is using the lawmakers to get press for his lies.

    For the online dating to be safer we all must expose Herb Vest deceptions, manipulations, and flat out lies. To have Vest market his company with the very deception and lies Vest claims to protect us gives every dating site a black eye.

    DO NOT DO ANY OF THEIR TESTS NOR GIVE THEM CREDIT CARD INFO. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO CONTACT THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (FTC) AND REPORT THE FRAUD AND DECEPTION. THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
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    I have reported True.com to the BBB, the FTC, and the Michigan Attorney General. I would like to see a class action law suit. I have read their terms of service and I feel there are some issues not covered in the terms of service. They are using deceptive practices to get money from people and to keep them from cancelling. They are also, in my opinion, agressive spammers.

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