JDI Dating site 'using fake profiles' to lure singletons into signing up British playboy Billy Thomas is behind dating website JDI Dating Form paid out £400,000 in settlement over 'virtual Cupids' last month Investigation reveals the website is still using fake profiles JDI dating owns 18 websites and claims to have 12m subscribers A British playboy is behind a dating website that uses fake profiles to lure singletons into paying to subscribe. Billy Thomas runs JDI Dating, a Hampshire-based network of online dating sites including CupidsWand.com and FindMeLove.com. The 27-year-old boasts online of living in a waterfront apartment, driving a Mercedes and of enjoying holidays in exotic locations like Mexico and Egypt. British playboy: Billy Thomas is said to be behind JDI Dating which was fined in the US for using 'virtual cupids' to lure singles into signing up for paid subscriptions - something the site continues to do JDI Dating is a Hampshire-based network of online dating sites including CupidsWand.com and FindMeLove.com Last month the firm paid nearly £400,000 to settle a case in the US brought by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for allegedly using 'virtual Cupids' to encourage internet users to sign up to a website. The scheme works by matching users with attractive singles who live nearby and have seemingly genuine profiles that include photographs and list their interests. According to an investigation by The Sunday Times, Mr Thomas is continuing to use virtual Cupids. Within minutes of creating a profile one of its reporters was contacted by a 23-year-old woman, but when he tried to reply to her the journalist was redirected to a subscription page, where he was informed he could sign up for a £101 a year. A short time later another woman contacted him. An attempt to respond to her also led the reporter to the subscriptions page. According to the Sunday Times, both women's profiles were created by the dating site, something that was indicated by a small grey VC symbol in the top right corner of the profile. JDI Dating owns 18 websites, including CupidsWand.com, and boasts having 12million global members When the symbol is clicked the customer is directed to the sites terms and conditions, which states the site uses virtual profiles. JDI Dating owns 18 websites and boasts having 12million global members. Tests conducted by the paper on the JDI website, DateAgency.com's homepage revealed all of the 'most popular' profiles were those of virtual Cupids. Mr Thomas previously worked at Intellichat which created an 'automated sales agent' it claimed could dissuade customers from leaving websites. Intellichat directors founded JDI Dating in 2010, but sold it to American investors in 2011. Mr Thomas was then made chief executive. A JDI Dating spokesman told The Sunday Times of the FTC fine last month: 'JDI has reached a solution to these issues with the regulatory authority without admitting any wrongdoing, and thus will not respond point by point to the issues raised. He added: 'JDI obtains proper licences to display all content associated with virtual Cupid profiles. JDI cannot comment as to how other sites, or the copyright holder, might decide to use or promote the same content.