• Support Wokingham Today
  • Get the print edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Wokingham.Today
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • All
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
    • Riseley
    • Shinfield
    • Sindlesham
    • Sonning
    • Spencers Wood
    • Swallowfield
    • Three Mile Cross
    • Twyford
    • Wargrave
    • Winnersh
    • Wokingham
    • Wokingham Without
    • Woodley
    • Woosehill
    • Yateley
    Wokingham Borough Council's Shute End offices Picture: Phil Creighton

    Council defends £4.53m temp staff spend

    Arborfield Green's new district centre. Pic: WBC.

    Update on Arborfield community facilities

    The Eco Skills Learning Centre at Pudding Lane was launched on Saturday. Pictures: Emma Merchant

    New Eco Skills Centre launches in Arborfield

    The property will become the company?s headquarters and training centre.

    Global leader moves in at Winnersh Triangle

    Interactive games hosted by Climate Fresk will offer a fun way to better understand climate change and biodiversity. Here Elizabeth Corse explains the games to visitors. Picture: Emma Merchant

    Love games and the planet?

    Twyford barn dance raises thousands for charity

    An afternoon of jazz and afternoon tea will raise funds for The Cowshed in July. Picture: Zeno Aras via Unsplash

    Uplifting July jazz afternoon promises to fizz in Waltham St Lawrence

    Clive Jones being sworn in as MP for Wokingham on Tuesday. Pic: BBC.

    MP: ‘Protect free school meals out of term time’

    Wokingham MP, Clive Jones. Pic: Andrew Batt.

    MP calls for more evening trains

  • SPORT
    • All
    • Binfield FC
    • Reading FC
    Noise and floodlighting would impact the location, it was argued. Pic: Andrew Batt.

    Earley sports pitch plans in the floodlight

    Berkshire Football awards.

    Football in Berkshire shortlist revealed

    Chem Campbell

    Reading FC miss out on transfer target to fellow League One club

    Mark Bowen

    Former head of football at Reading FC lands new job

    Peter Markwick

    It’s top of the championship for Wokingham racing driver

    1871 EVENTS PRESENTS: Jimmy Quinn

    Reading FC legend Jimmy Quinn to share his memories of title success and Wembley heartbreak

    Reading FC

    Reading FC to host Swindon Town and Oxford United in pre-season friendlies

    Reading FC fans

    Reading FC chairman Rob Couhig gives update on season ticket sales

    Golf Picture: Pixabay

    Unique Golf Club celebrates 50th anniversary with publication of a history book

  • READING FC
  • COMMUNITY
    Arborfield Green's new district centre. Pic: WBC.

    Update on Arborfield community facilities

    The Eco Skills Learning Centre at Pudding Lane was launched on Saturday. Pictures: Emma Merchant

    New Eco Skills Centre launches in Arborfield

    Interactive games hosted by Climate Fresk will offer a fun way to better understand climate change and biodiversity. Here Elizabeth Corse explains the games to visitors. Picture: Emma Merchant

    Love games and the planet?

    Twyford barn dance raises thousands for charity

    An afternoon of jazz and afternoon tea will raise funds for The Cowshed in July. Picture: Zeno Aras via Unsplash

    Uplifting July jazz afternoon promises to fizz in Waltham St Lawrence

    Clive Jones being sworn in as MP for Wokingham on Tuesday. Pic: BBC.

    MP: ‘Protect free school meals out of term time’

    MP Yuam Yang outside the takeaway.

    MP says sorry for social media post

    Noise and floodlighting would impact the location, it was argued. Pic: Andrew Batt.

    Earley sports pitch plans in the floodlight

    The restaurant promises to be a 'vibrant' location and social hub.

    Date set for new restaurant opening

  • LIFESTYLE
    • All
    • Food
    • Health
    • Obituaries
    • People
    The Eco Skills Learning Centre at Pudding Lane was launched on Saturday. Pictures: Emma Merchant

    New Eco Skills Centre launches in Arborfield

    Interactive games hosted by Climate Fresk will offer a fun way to better understand climate change and biodiversity. Here Elizabeth Corse explains the games to visitors. Picture: Emma Merchant

    Love games and the planet?

    MP Yuam Yang outside the takeaway.

    MP says sorry for social media post

    The restaurant promises to be a 'vibrant' location and social hub.

    Date set for new restaurant opening

    Party in the Park 2025. Pic by Stewart Turkington.

    Rain didn’t dampen party spirits as Elms Field hosts Wokingham’s Party in the Park

    Wokingham MP Clive Jones Picture: Andrew Batt

    MP to talk about his first year

    MICHAEL TATLOW DARLISON

    Jenni Donato.

    Wokingham businesswoman nominated for award

    Ascot Top Hats is based in Wokingham.

    Ten tips for a top day at Royal Ascot

  • WHAT’S ON
    • All
    • Arts
    • Entertainment
    1871 EVENTS PRESENTS: Jimmy Quinn

    Reading FC legend Jimmy Quinn to share his memories of title success and Wembley heartbreak

    RaW Sounds celebrates five years of championing local music

    Party in the Park on Saturday.

A balcony view.

    Get ready for Party in the Park

    Marvellous is a tribute act festival. Pic: WBC.

    A Marvellous tribute at Dinton

    Double Standards

    New play ‘Double Standards’ at South Streets Art Centre to explore hypocrisy in dating

    Wokingham Pride

    Could you help Wokingham Pride 2025?

    REVIEW: “Three Hens In A Boat” at The Watermill Theatre

    Siren RG1

    Siren RG1 to mark first anniversary with weekender celebration

    Wellington Farm Shop

    Wellington Farm Shop celebrates its 20th anniversary

  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT
No Result
View All Result
Wokingham.Today
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

From Dateline to Tinder swindles

by Brian Hicks
March 20, 2022
in Featured, Opinion
How to meet people for dates has changed a lot over the years Picture: Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

How to meet people for dates has changed a lot over the years Picture: Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

How we find our partners is changing.

About 30% of us now do so through dating sites and apps, with a much higher percentage in the younger age groups.

The other main ways are through work and friends, about 20% each. Childhood sweethearts represent about 10% of partnerships. Introductions through family connections now account for less than 5%.

As a youngster, I often saw advertisements in magazines and on billboards for the first UK computer dating service, Dateline. It was launched in 1966 by entrepreneur John Patterson.

He copied the idea from two Harvard undergraduates.

Dateline tried to match individuals by interests and tastes using software run on an IBM mainframe computer. It became very successful, but failed to adapt to the internet world and went out of business in the late 1990s.

Related posts

Council defends £4.53m temp staff spend

Update on Arborfield community facilities

The first online dating website, match.com, was set up by Stanford University graduate, Gary Kremen in 1995. He had previously been paying over £100 per hour for a telephone dating service and felt there had to be better and cheaper ways of finding a partner.

Match.com now operates in over 20 countries. Kremen’s company also went on to develop several other dating sites, including Tinder and Plenty of Fish.

When I first moved to Wokingham after the break-up of my marriage, a friend recommended that I try match.com.

He also suggested I drop five years off my age, as he had done, to open up more opportunities. It worked for him and he married a lady this way, but had a few nervous moments explaining the age discrepancy.

My experiences were less successful. I had my first date on a Sunday evening.

No trains were running and the replacement bus did not arrive, so I got a taxi.

The lady, a yoga teacher, was very nice and we got on well. She later drove me back home after I explained about the trains.

As I was about to get out, she said that she could not possibly go out with someone without a car. I was out of work, but decided to buy a car, although it was too late to sway the yoga teacher.

I then managed to get a job in Germany, where I could still use my match.com membership. However, it was soon made clear to me by a couple of German ladies that I did not measure up to German standards. One told me she would explain exactly why, but never did. At that point, I conceded defeat and ended my membership.

When I returned to the UK at the end 2019, I signed up to Tinder and Plenty of Fish. Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, it proved impossible to meet anyone in the flesh. Later I decided to try match.com again, after a 10-year gap.

I was in touch with several ladies who were suddenly removed from the website, presumably as they were scammers. With some, there were clues, but with another, who had written six books, none.

It is good that hosts are removing potential scammers, but the problem is growing. One of the worst cases was highlighted in the Netflix documentary Tinder Swindler.

This focused on the scams of an Israeli national, Simon Leviev, who wooed his victims by whisking them off in private jets and flash cars to luxury hotels. However, he was funding this through money from previous scams.

Leviev is accused of conning over £300,000 from ladies he met through Tinder. He had changed his surname to that of a Russian diamond billionaire and pretended to be his son.

Tinder announced a new service earlier this month that will allow users to conduct checks on potential dates for violent crimes and sexual offences. And better checks for fraudsters in due course. If you are looking for love online, be warned.

As for me, I did eventually meet someone special through match.com, so never give up hope.

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Previous Post

CHURCH NOTES: A call to unity, despite conflict

Next Post

That’s a Purdy good line-up: Music legends Chris Difford, Nick Heyward and Carol Decker on bill at charity concert for Ukraine

FOLLOW US

POPULAR THIS WEEK

Yuan Yang

Local MP subjected to hate crime as ‘assassination’ comment removed

June 6, 2025
Noise and floodlighting would impact the location, it was argued. Pic: Andrew Batt.

Earley sports pitch plans in the floodlight

June 11, 2025
Thames Water

Thames Water is a ‘sinking ship’ says MP

June 9, 2025
Peter Markwick

It’s top of the championship for Wokingham racing driver

June 10, 2025
Sign up to receive emergency alerts from the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Sign up for AWE emergency texts

June 9, 2025
Carers from across the borough were celebrated at this year's BCA Care Awards. Picture: Priscilla du Preez via Unsplash

Berkshire Celebrated Excellence in Care at the BCA Care Awards 2025

June 7, 2025

ABOUT US

Wokingham Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Wokingham. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Wokingham Borough.

Wokingham.Today is a Social Enterprise and aims to ensure that everyone within the Borough has free access to independent and up-to-date news. However, providing this service is not without costs. If you are able to, please make a contribution to support our work.

CONTACT US

[email protected]

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Support Us
  • Book Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: [email protected], or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
  • COMMUNITY
  • LIFESTYLE
  • SPORT
  • READING FC
  • OBITUARIES
  • WHAT’S ON
  • JOBS
  • PHOTOS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • CONTACT US
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION
  • SUPPORT US

© 2022 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.