Classmates.com sued for email lies

12 November 2008 17:40 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Classmates.com, a social networking site in the US, is being sued by one of its users for sending him lying emails.

Anthony Michaels, a San Diego resident, got an email from the site last Christmas Eve saying that some of his former school mates were trying to contact him.

This kind of email is apprently one of Classmate.com's tactics to lure users into signing up for paid-for membership.

Michaels spent $15 upgrading to the membership level that would let him see the requests for contact, but found out that no one he knew had been trying to contact him at all.

In Wired's words: "Classmates.com's come-on was a lie, and he'd been scammed".

What's interesting about this lawsuit, which is seeking class action status, is that it could actually change how online businesses (or at least ones that claim to be respectable) operate, by raising the minimum standards for honesty.

The lawsuit is asking the court to force the company to refund millions in subscription dollars and fine Classmates.com for deceptive advertising. We'll keep you informed.

Full tags

Biz, Lawsuits, Social networking