INTERNET dating provider Cupid has ordered a confidence-building independent audit of its member database.

The move comes a month after the airing of claims that customers were lured into paying subscriptions to Cupid sites after receiving messages from users who disappeared when they signed up.

Cupid insists it behaves in a "legal and appropriate manner".

Cupid chief executive Bill Dobbie said the audit plan is "not directly" related to the claims, aired in a radio broadcast last month.

"The audit of the data is to try to establish more confidence in the City as what we have there is a very good asset," Mr Dobbie said.

He added: "Shareholders on the whole are happy. It is you people [the media] who need more confidence in the story."

Cupid will also seek an independent audit of its customers' experiences.

Shares in the Edinburgh firm, which is listed on the junior Alternative Investment Market, plunged by almost one-third in early February as the claims became public.

Mr Dobbie blamed the drop not on the broadcast but on short-sellers, who bet on a share price falling, from both sides of the Atlantic who he said had had a big impact on the price of Cupid's relatively tightly held shares.

The stock came under further pressure yesterday, closing down 4.25p or 3.1% at 132p.

This was despite news of a 31% rise in pre-tax profits to £9.2m as revenues rose 51% to £80.9m.

Cupid's shares shot up after listing at 60p in the summer of 2010 but are well below the highs of September 2011 when they breached the 250p mark.

Cupid is keen to develop more niche dating sites after having success with Mature Dating and the recently acquired Uniform Dating brands.

"There will be more competition with the mainstream brands," Mr Dobbie added.

"So the niche segment is a sensible place to compete."