• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, March 13, 2009

Last November, Tatto Media promised to nix the "My Luv Crush" campaign, which allegedly tricked people into signing up for paid horoscope services by preying on their romantic hopes.

But the company didn't keep that promise, according to the Washington Attorney General. Tatto Media last week agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a new complaint accusing it of continuing to run My Luv Crush ads on sites like Facebook, PerfSpot.com and True.com.

The Seattle-based company allegedly ran banner ads that were "styled like email inboxes" and contained messages telling people that a friend had a "crush" on them, according to the Attorney General's complaint. The ads were geotargeted by city; for instance, Seattle residents would get messages saying that people in Seattle had crushes on them.

Clicking through takes users to a page titled "My Luv Crush" with a "countdown clock" and a message stating: "Hurry! Your Love is waiting. Select your gender to begin," the complaint alleges. Users are directed to input their gender, and then taken to another page where they are asked for a horoscope sign. Eventually, users are asked to enter a cell phone number, at which point they agree to purchase horoscope subscriptions for around $10 a month.

The Attorney General alleged that these ads are false and deceptive, and also violate the settlement agreement Tatto signed last year, when it agreed to refrain from such campaigns.

"The ads rely on deception and curiosity. People find themselves buying something they don't want to find out who has a crush on them," said Paula Selis, an assistant attorney general who heads the Consumer Protection High-Tech Unit.

While Tatto agreed to pay $500,000 and to refrain from running similar campaigns in the future, the company did not admit to violating the earlier settlement.

A representative from the company said in an email to Online Media Daily that the new agreement "results from a misunderstanding between Tatto and the Attorney General over the meaning of an agreement reached earlier." The representative added that Tattoo "has never violated Washington law."