PRESS RELEASE
January 2017
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Singles protect themselves with personalised matchmaking - Gray & Farrar

• ‘Romance fraud’ at all time high - National Fraud Intelligence Bureau reports 3,889 lonely hearts incurred losses totalling in excess of £39 million in 20161

• Conversely, global exclusive matchmaking company – Gray & Farrar – reports meteoric growth in demand for its service………… is internet dating finally hitting its peak?

As it becomes more and more commonplace to read yet another horror story linked to internet dating, it would appear that single men and women are taking matters into their own hands and choosing an alternative, safer route to meeting the right partner.

With fees upward of £15,000 for a year’s membership, one of the world’s longest established matchmaking brands, Gray & Farrar, has seen an unprecedented surge in requests for its exclusive and confidential service, particularly within the past 12 months.

Preferring a far safer approach to their private lives and protecting themselves against the multiple risks associated with meeting people online, single high net worth individuals are choosing a far more personal route and arranging consultations with an experienced matchmaker, face to face, in one of the company’s many interviewing bases throughout the world. Acceptance criteria is strict; and all clients are personally vetted before being permitted to become a member – so there is no room for dishonesty. In testament to this, Gray & Farrar has never experienced any identity issues or questionable behaviour from its clients, throughout its 25 years of matchmaking.

Claire Sweetingham, Managing Partner of Gray & Farrar, comments: “A significant proportion of our clients come to us, after having been burnt by their experiences of online dating. Sadly with many of these sites, it is impossible to know who you are talking to and these ‘romance fraudsters’ are very good at what they do. Our business was founded on security and human interaction; algorithms have no place in our clients’ lives and we personally speak to our entire 2000-strong member base at least once a week. We only ever accept clients whose authenticity we can verify and so far from being our competition, online dating websites are actually causing an increase in our client numbers.”

For further information, please contact Gray & Farrar on +44 (0)20 7290 9585 or visit www.grayandfarrar.com

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Notes to editor: Gray & Farrar is a global matchmaking service and a second generation family business. The founder, Virginia Sweetingham, is a recognised relationship expert and has featured on ITV News, Sky News and BBC Radio, as well as in numerous written features for the national press. Claire Sweetingham is also featured regularly on dating topics and has appeared in the national press, Conde Nast Traveller, Tatler, Vogue and Bloomberg.

For further press enquiries: Jemma Williams, Gray & Farrar, 68 Brook Street, Mayfair, London, W1K 5DZ
t: 020 7290 9585
Jemma@grayandfarrar.com
www.grayandfarrar.com