The controversial “sugar dating” platform SeekingArrangement.com—now rebranded as Seeking.com—has been implicated in sex trafficking, fraud, and other forms of exploitation, according to allegations made by a former public relations representative for the company.
Brook Urick, 33, who spent approximately five years at the platform and has since authored a critical book about her experiences, called it “a very nefarious place” during an interview with The Post. “[It] has been for almost two decades,” she said.
Ties to Matt Gaetz Scandal
SeekingArrangement played a significant role in the ongoing scandal surrounding former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). According to a House Committee on Ethics draft report, Joel Greenberg—Gaetz’s associate now serving an 11-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and other crimes—used the site to introduce Gaetz to various women.
The platform, Urick said, often misled young women. “The girls come to it with the assumption that they are going to find a man who is just going to simply give them money for existing,” she explained. “And then, lo and behold, it comes to fruition, but it’s a scammer.”
The Ethics Committee’s report also criticized platforms like SeekingArrangement, claiming they “mak[e] it easier for traffickers to exploit victims and connect with buyers.”
The Platform’s Controversial History
SeekingArrangement rebranded as Seeking.com and toned down its marketing following the passage of the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), which limited liability protections for platforms facilitating sex trafficking. Concerns about federal scrutiny, especially following the Backpage.com indictments, also contributed to these changes.
Urick described the platform’s past marketing campaigns as aggressive and salacious, often targeting vulnerable women. Events like sugar baby summits, curated user case studies, and misleading advertisements painted an unrealistic picture of the sugar dating lifestyle.
“It’s just so damaging to young women because they don’t have a consequence mindset when they’re 18 or under 18, and unfortunately, that is the time when they can make the most money on these types of platforms,” she said.
Issues with Minors and Sex Work
The anonymity afforded by SeekingArrangement’s platform, combined with minimal verification measures, made it susceptible to underage users. Urick recounted cases of minors slipping through the system and emphasized that even when identified, they could easily create new accounts.
The Ethics Committee’s report details how predators used the platform to exploit women and lure them to parties where abuse, drugs, and trafficking sometimes occurred. Urick explained how predators would test victims’ willingness to engage in illegal or dangerous activities, often manipulating them afterward to prevent them from coming forward.
“When bad things happen on the website,” she said, “the website doesn’t do anything about it.” Victims, she noted, were often left to navigate a legal system that required subpoenas to obtain information about their abusers.
Matt Gaetz Allegations
Among the allegations surrounding Gaetz is an accusation that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a minor in 2017. However, the Ethics Committee found no conclusive evidence that he knew her age. Gaetz has consistently denied the claims, calling the investigation a “smear campaign.”
The report also describes Gaetz paying women through checks after sexual encounters, including a $750 payment to help cover tuition. Gaetz’s camp has pointed to statements from some women in the report who said they did not consider their relationships with him to be transactional sex work.
Moving Forward
Urick, who left the company in 2019 and recently published Wink Wink Nudge Nudge: Sexual Exploits and Secrets from Inside a Sugar Daddy Website, expressed deep regret for her role in promoting the platform.
“It’s kind of traumatizing,” she said. “The marketing and everything has just completely changed, but the toxic culture is still there.”
The company did not respond to The Post’s repeated requests for comment. Gaetz also declined to comment on the allegations.
