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When I was initially tasked with writing this Shagaholic review I figured the name alone was a bit of a giveaway. I had some idea of what to expect before I even visited the site but I was going to approach it the same as any other.
The thing is, the more dating site reviews I do, the deeper I seem to get into the scene of dodgy ones. More specifically, the more understanding I gain of the biggest spam network plaguing the industry.
Got a bad feeling about this app? So many new hookup apps and sites are popping up that it’s hard to tell which ones are any good. If you want a surefire hookup app that’s full of active users that are looking for a good time, here are your top options:
Site | Our Experience | Our Rating | Free Trial Link |
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Best Hookup Site Right Now | Experience Highlights
| 9 | Try AFF For Free |
Great If You're Handsome | Tinder Highlights
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During this evaluation, which takes a couple of months, I’m sending dozens and dozens of messages to women of all types. I want to see how responsive they are, how friendly, and how easy it is to actually meet up with them.
The goal is to get a real feel for how a normal guy is going to do using this site. Then we compare those results to our experiences using the best apps and sites out there where we’ve had a lot of success.
As soon as I saw this very familiar template though, I knew it was another instance where that process was redundant.
Before I get into the breakdown of exactly what’s wrong with this site and how it connects, let’s look at the basics.
Here’s a comparison of the major points against AFF. Being that AFF is arguably the biggest name in (legit) dating sites, it’s a good comparison point.
Overall Our team rates each site objectively based on many hours of independent research, the features each site offers, and how it compares with other sites. The ratings are the opinion of our editors and their extensive experience. |
1 | 9.5 |
Quality of Women Our opinion of how attractive the typical woman is that uses this site and how easy they are to connect with compared to other sites. |
2 | 9 |
Popular How many people are using this site to actually meet people compared to other sites. |
2 | 10 |
Usability How easy is this site to use and how quickly can an average person begin meeting people compared to other sites. |
10 | 9 |
Privacy & Safety Does this site take proper precautions to safeguard its members, their identity, and their data. |
1 | 9 |
Effective Our opinion of how easily an average person will be able to achieve their dating goals with this site compared to other sites. |
1 | 10 |
Value Will the time and money spent using this site pay off for an average person based on the opinions and experience of our editors. |
1 | 10 |
It’s no big secret after looking at our comparison above that Shagaholic.com didn’t fare well in any comparison we could do. There were a LOT of issues we had with the site and those just became more glaring when we compared it to a legit option.
A couple of the major problems were:
If you’ve seen any of my previous reviews, you’ll see that Shagaholic is just one of many sites created to get your information, photos and credit card details. They offer no actual means of helping you meet other singles. So if you want to save your time and money, steer clear of Shagaholic.
This site is full of fake messages, fake profiles, and fake promises.
If you’re reading this review in search of a legit dating site, give Adult Friender a try. They have a broad and active user base and real dates actually happen rather than just spam tactics. AFF even has a free trial that you can use to test the waters. Once you log in, you’ll see a variety of very real users who actually respond and are looking to get busy.
Alternatively, we reviewed the best dating apps and websites recently. Have a read through that and see what works for you. It’ll save you a bunch of time and keep you safe from the cretins that operate sites like Shagaholic.
Alternatively, if you want to learn about all the other sites that operate the same way, keep on reading!
As with any other site, I do try to find something good to say. Sadly, Shagaholic’s good points are superficial, as you’ll see below:
The reason I knew immediately that this site was garbage (besides the name) is their template. It’s one I’ve become unfortunately familiar with in recent months as I continue to review these sites.
Notice any similarities?
In a recent review of BeNaughty, I noticed a footer link that pointed to Together Networks. From some research, it appeared they were the company behind this whole thing.
Looking at the Shagaholic footer I noticed it was different. Despite using the same template and spam tactics, it points to Bulova Invest Ltd instead. Since my usual review process is redundant at this point, I decided to spend more time looking for a connection here.
As it turns out, Bulova Invest, Together Networks and a host of others are just shell companies for a larger organization. From what I’ve found this time around, it seems TopOffers is the primary company behind all of this.
They label themselves as a “Premium CPA Network”. For the unfamiliar, CPA in this context is Cost Per Action— an affiliate marketing model where you receive a commission every time your users take a particular action.
In this case, that action is likely to be either user sign up (so they can sell your data or spam you from other brands) or gathering credit card info. Maybe even both.
TopOffers boasts 218 dating websites in their network. Thanks to the legwork done by Snopes, 72% of those share the same PO box in the British Virgin Islands. Most of this 72% is owned by one of the following shell companies:
Basically, if you see any of these names anywhere on a website, close it and never look back.
The remaining 28%, are spread across other shell companies, mostly grouped in other places like Malta (14%).
It’s worth having a read through the Snopes link above to see just how widespread this is. Frustrating really.
Another detail to come from the Snopes appendix linked above is an idea of the financial scale here.
From that link:
“Together Networks already operates dating websites including Be Naughty, Cheeky Lovers and Flirt, which were sold last year to Polyakov’s Grendall investment firm in a deal worth £45.1m.”
That’s right, if these numbers are correct, just three of the sites in this network sold for ~$52,000,000 USD at today’s exchange rate.
The name Polyakov, mentioned in that quote, is a name understood to be behind at least a good portion of this. Including being labeled as the “founder and director” of Bulova Invest Ltd. The very same Bulova shown in the footer of Shagaholic.
Okay, back to the regular portion of this Shagaholic review.
Since their actions are blatantly illegal I’m not entirely sure why they bother with terms and conditions. That side, they straight up tell you in those terms and conditions that they’ll use your photo and info and duplicate your profile elsewhere.
“When you sign up to any one of our Services we will send you an email shortly afterwards advising that we have created a duplicate profile on Partner Sites to enhance your chance of finding a suitable match.”
It does go on to say you’ll be given the opportunity to opt out. I can assure you I’ve been neither notified of this duplication or given the opportunity to opt out. It’s almost like they can’t be trusted. Who knew?
Going back to the affiliate company behind this, it may be that they get paid per sign-up. If an owner can sign you up to four sites at once, maybe that’s 4x the income for them?
This gem is also hidden in their terms and conditions:
“…when you upload a photo to any of our Services you are allowing us to use that photo for advertising and other commercial purposes, royalty-free.”
That’s right, upload your photo to one of these sites and you just might start to see your face around the Internet.
Last but not least, if you connect your social media to this network or add your friends’ contact info spam them too.
“If you choose to upload your Contact’s name and email address and/or mobile number you are allowing us to send an email or social network mobile invitation on your behalf, inviting your Contact to join the Services.”
It’s a hard no from me. Don’t give them your email, a common password or your friends’ contact info. Absolutely don’t go giving them your credit card or you’ll end up having to cancel it.
One scary part about this is the fact the profiles all look pretty legit. Sure, they’re blank besides their profile photos but that’s really not all that uncommon. Initiating a Tinder conversation with women who have blank profiles is a necessary skill for a reason!
Since they reserve the right to use your photos royalty-free, this may actually be the case. The photos may have been uploaded to another site by real women and they’ve just been stolen and posted here.
As for the “members” behind them, they’re just bots. There’s no actual conversation to be had.
As I’ve mentioned in the other reviews of this template, the design is actually good. It loads quickly, the menu is intuitive and the layout is nice and clean.
Even the search functionality is easy to navigate and seems to work nicely. It’s a shame really.
Interacting with “users” on this site is a premium feature. The thing is, even if you sign up for it there are no real users on this site to communicate with.
All the inbound messages you get are bots. Their goal is to convince you that a bunch of attractive women want to talk to you. Hopefully this will be enough for you to hand over credit card details and you’re in a world of trouble from there.
Take a look at my inbox minutes after creating a completely blank profile on this site:
Not only can you do nothing with those messages until you pay, they’re clearly fake. Written by people who have English as their second language and don’t seem to understand how women talk.
“My handsome guest,” really? Oh my.
As with the other sites in this network, not a whole lot. Basically a free membership allows them to use your photos around the Internet and spam you with fake messages.
There are literally no other benefits to creating a profile on these sites.
While you won’t find the porn and camgirl ads on here that you’d expect from other fake sites, there are ads. Instead, they link to other sites in their network. Like BeNaughty, this site redirects to Flirt which is confirmed to be owned by the same group.
You’ll find these in the footer as well as in the side panel when looking at a user’s profile.
Being that they’re all part of an affiliate network it makes sense they want to spread the traffic around.
The pricing for Shagaholic.com is pretty simple:
Last but not least, it’s time for the frequently asked questions. Between this FAQ and the rest of the Shagaholic review, you should have everything you need to know.
If I’ve missed anything important be sure to let us know!
Shagaholic is a questionable dating site that forms part of a larger network. It poses as a hookup site but doesn’t have any real members and should not be trusted with your credit card.
Shagaholic is owned by AriemGroup Ltd, which is a company registered in Hong Kong.
You can contact Shagaholic by emailing them at [email protected]
Yes, Shagaholic.com is a real site. However, all of the users on the site we’ve encountered look very fake.
No, Shagaholic is not a legit site for finding a date or hookups.
Shagaholic.com has all the signs of being completely fake. Based on reviews, it looks like the site keeps charging you even if you cancel your subscription.
Shagaholic is absolutely not a safe site. Stay as far away from it as you can.
Save yourself the time and avoid sites like Shagaholic.com. Instead, take a look at our review of the best hookup apps and websites. It’ll help you to spend less time looking for a decent site and more time on actual dates.
When you create a Shagaholic account, you’re free to browse through profiles and search for women based on your preferred age and location. However, to read and send messages, you need a paid account.
No, Shagaholic doesn’t have an app.
The pricing for Shagaholic.com is pretty simple:
You can only look at profiles on Shagaholic.com if you don’t have a paid account.
No, you need a paid Shagaholic subscription to send messages.
Looking at what others have to say about sites in this network, it’s unlikely this company will cancel your subscription. You’ll have to cancel your credit card if you want to stop the payments.
Official instructions to cancel your subscription are below but if you’ve signed up for a paid account, contact your bank asap.
To delete your profile just follow these steps. Note that you’ll have to cancel your paid subscription before you can do this.
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