The Dark Side of Match2Locals.com in 2024: Insider Revelations

Positive and negative characteristics of Match2Locals.com

Report for Match2Locals.com review

Match2Locals.com is a platform which promises to find users a perfect match, after they have created a free account. They claim to operate a safe, anonymous, and free chat, with verified profiles. They estimate the locations to match members with others who are nearby. There are already several profiles on the landing page which are ready to chat with new members.

The site operator has made it hard for users to log on to the platform using location restriction programs. You have to be in the US to access their website. Another reason could be that the operating company is trying to make it difficult for clients to critically review their dating services. We could not access the member area and other sections of the website. The Terms and Conditions page, and privacy statement, were also unavailable for our review. Overall, there is very little information one can access on the landing page.

Still, we were keen enough to notice the disclaimer at the bottom of the “create my free account” button. It drew attention to the fact that Match2Locals.com contains fictional profiles and is meant for exchanging messages. Members cannot use it to set physical dates. Based on our experience in the field, this disclosure is common among fake chat operators. They are scams that target unsuspecting users who must buy “credits” to chat with profiles, hoping to meet them, only to be disappointed.

Details on the Match2Locals.com review

Match2Locals.com has concealed a lot of information on their landing page. Without signing up, it can be challenging to verify their authenticity. The Terms and Conditions, as well as the privacy policy, are not accessible, unless you sign in. However, a disclaimer drawing attention to the use of fictional profiles makes us believe the platform is a fake chat.

Fake chats

Sites that acknowledge the use of fictional profiles try to conceal this fact as much as possible. They only make such disclosures to distance themselves from potential liabilities. But they also try to hide this information as much as possible. Users can only find this information by looking at the Terms and Conditions or the small print disclaimer, on the landing page. Most users do not read everything carefully.

Match2Locals.com has employed the same tactics by making the Terms and Conditions inaccessible to users without an account. They have also printed a small disclaimer warning potential users that the site uses fake profiles. Some users may not see this warning and may sign up expecting a real connection. In our experience, these scams rip off unsuspecting users by asking them to buy credits and chat with people they will never meet.

Excerpt from the Terms & Conditions (as of 21/12/2023)

I declare to be 18 or older and agree to the Terms and Conditions, to understand that I use a chat service containing fictional profiles and is meant to exchange messages and not for making physical dates.

Data privacy concerns

The disclaimer on the landing page also informs potential users that by creating a free account, they agree that their personal information can be used by the privacy statement. This statement hints that the site may use data in ways that some users will find uncomfortable. In reviews of fake chats that we have done in previous instances, sites tend to share information with third parties. These could be advertisers, potential owners, investors, and tech companies who conduct analytics. We could not access the site’s privacy statement to confirm this to be the case, but users should be aware of this possibility.

The conclusion from our Match2Locals.com review

Match2Locals.com is a site which allegedly finds users their perfect match. We were not successful in setting up an account due to technical issues. However, a disclosure on the landing page, acknowledges the use of fictional profiles with no possibility of physical meet-ups. In our experience, these sites tend to be fake chats and sometimes subscription rip-offs. Therefore, the site may rip off members who sign up, and pay for the service with the hope of meeting someone new.