Canadian owner of online dating site arrested for fraud

Barrie Turner,65, from British Columbia, Canada is alleged to be in connection with the operation of more than 200 web sites offering "executive dating" services. The accused is the owner of Executive Dating LLC, a company which offered online dating services through various linked websites such as Executive Catholic Dating, Executive Gay Dating and Executive Seattle Dating.

Each of his sites demographically targets a particular group of customers, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court by officials with the U.S. Postal Inspection Services.

Turner was arrested Friday, after he crossed the border into the United States to pick up mail at a Point Roberts post-office box - the address where payments for his sites' services were addressed to.

Customers said they paid as much as $997 for a six month membership and were told the fee would pay for "two to seven introductions or 'matches' per month."  Most of them received the same "match" profile and sometimes fictitious ones, and when they attempted to date this person, the system replayed that the person had chosen to date someone else.

Since 2005, more than 100 people filed consumer complaints accusing Turner of fraud for failing to provide any legitimate matchmaking services which they had paid for. Investigators estimate that Executive Dating received more than $1.2 million in mailed and wired payments.