I think most people know many profiles are fake but this lawsuit shows the fake profiles are company policy.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle15368872/
"In her statement of claim, Silva – a Brazilian immigrant living in Toronto – says she was hired to help launch a Portuguese-language version of the site and promised a starting salary of $34,000 plus benefits.
She was soon asked to create 1,000 “fake female profiles” meant to lure men to the new Brazilian Ashley Madison site – and given only three weeks to complete the work, the document alleges.
“The purpose of these profiles is to entice paying heterosexual male members to join and spend money on the website,” it reads.
“They do not belong to any genuine members of Ashley Madison – or any real human beings at all.”
The allegations have not been proven in court and Ashley Madison has yet to file a statement of defence."