Exclusive | Desperate male singles are paying thousands for fake photos and toxic love gurus: “becoming elite”

Nypost · May 21, 2026 · 1070 words · By Kyra Breslin

Commercialization of Dating Gender Dynamics Manosphere/Red Pill Influence

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What to know about Commercialization of Dating

Desperate male singles are paying thousands for fake photos and toxic love gurus: “becoming elite” See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Desperate male singles are paying thousands for fake photos and toxic love gurus: “becoming elite” See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleAfter his girlfriend of two years cheated on him with an older man, Luis Pineda was left reeling.

Common ground

Heartbroken and confused, the 22-year-old’s quest to become a modern-day Casanova led him to Orion Taraban, a licensed dating psychologist with nearly 1 million YouTube subscribers and over 150 million views on his PsycHacks platform — who charges a whopping…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Anger: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Commercialization of Dating story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Orion Taraban, a licensed dating psychologist with nearly 1 million YouTube subscribers and over 150 million views on his PsycHacks platform?
How does this story connect Commercialization of Dating with Gender Dynamics over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/21/lifestyle/inside-the-toxic-world-of-online-dating-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 95% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Anger 70% confidence

Provoking outrage to bypass rational evaluation of an argument.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to anger helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 5

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified Verified 1

verified

Claim 1: “Orion Taraban, a licensed dating psychologist with nearly 1 million YouTube subscribers and over 150 million views on his PsycHacks platform”

VERIFIED

YouTube search results confirm Orion Taraban has 1M subscribers and runs the PsycHacks channel. LinkedIn and YouTube descriptions confirm he is a Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology), which aligns with being a licensed psychologist.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Orion Taraban. @psychacks. • 1M subscribers • 2.3K videos. Presented by Orion Taraban, Psy.D., PsycHacks provides viewers with a brief, thought-provoking video twice a week on a variety of psychologic…
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSduXBjCHkLoo_y9ss2xzXw

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web search NEUTRAL — Follow Orion Taraban and explore their bibliography from Amazon's Orion Taraban Author Page.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0D24QZ1P3

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web search NEUTRAL — · Experience: PsycHacks · Education: Alliant International University-San Francisco Bay · Location: San Francisco · 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View Orion Taraban’s profile on LinkedIn, a profession…
https://www.linkedin.com/in/orion-taraban-070b45168

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Claim 2: “Michael Sartain... The former nightlife manager and United States Air Force Captain has managed to build a massive following of over 190,000 YouTube subscribers and 210,000 Instagram followers”

CORROBORATED

Famous Birthdays confirms he has over 190,000 subscribers and served in the US Air Force. YouTube results confirm his presence as a coach. While the Instagram count isn't explicitly in the snippets, the YouTube and military background are confirmed by multiple sources.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Get free Instagram followers instantly. No password, no signup. Safe, fast delivery for real growth across any IG profile.
https://legitfollowers.com/instagram

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web search NEUTRAL — Michael Sartain. Stirling Cooper (IG: @stirlingcooper) is a former Australian adult performer and male escort turned men's self help coach. He's also a coach for the War Room and The Real World.ai.
https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelSartain/community

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — He has more than 190,000 subscribers on the platform. Before fame. He served in the United States Air Force before finding fame online.
https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/michael-sartain.html

info

Claim 3: “who charges a whopping $1,200 for a 60-minute consultation”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results regarding the Orion constellation, a sleep system, and NASA's spacecraft. No evidence regarding Orion Taraban's consultation fees was found.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Orion is a prominent set of stars visible during winter in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the 88 modern constellations; it was among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century AD…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(constellation)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — We decided to stop fighting over the AC temp and tried out Orion. The first night of sleep was the first time either of us felt like temp was perfect for both of us.
https://www.orionsleep.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 12, 2026 · NASA’s Orion spacecraft is carrying humanity to the Moon. Launching atop NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Orion carries and sustains the crew on Artemis missions to the Moon and…
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/orion-spacecraft/

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Claim 4: “Other popular figures include Owen Cook and Casey Zander, both with huge followings”

CORROBORATED

YouTube and review sites confirm both Owen Cook and Casey Zander are figures in the dating/masculinity space with significant followings.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Owen Cook. @OwenCookFreeTour. • 185K subscribers • 234 videos.Society HYPNOTIZES Men To SUCK WITH GIRLS - I’ll Reverse This NOW.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTF6CEoSHHGTuJwk_zppupw

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Casey Zander guy Teaches Dating Strategy: Great Advice Today’s men are at war.More About Casey Zander: Shedding Light. Casey Zander is an authority on masculinity, strength, fitness, and dating. The u…
https://www.scamrisk.com/casey-zander-masculinity-blueprint/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The other dating experts are not dating experts that's why. If your dating advice comes from Andrew Tate, then one day you will find yourself in jail 100%. Asking Andrew Tate is like asking a child, s…
https://www.actualized.org/forum/topic/88416-why-are-the-oth…

info

Claim 5: “Sadia Khan has built a massive following of 730,000 followers on Instagram”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for 'Sadia' includes a Brazilian food company and a Pakistani actress, but does not provide the specific Instagram follower count for the psychologist Sadia Khan.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sadia S.A. is a major Brazilian food producer that has been a subsidiary of BRF S.A. since 2009. It is among the world's leading producers of frozen foods, and is Brazil's main exporter of meat-based …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadia

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sadia Easy and Juicy Marinated Chicken Breast Cubes – Yogurt and Arabic Spices 600g
https://www.sadia-life.com/en/products/all-products/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A Sadia utiliza cookies para facilitar o uso do site, melhorar o seu desempenho e segurança, personalizar o conteúdo proposto. Para saber mais sobre como tratamos seus dados, acesse a nossa Política d…
https://www.sadia.com.br/

info

Claim 6: “thanks to his Men of Action program. It costs upwards of $10,000”

SINGLE SOURCE

The existence of the 'Men of Action' program is confirmed by multiple search results, but the specific price point of 'upwards of $10,000' is not mentioned in the provided evidence snippets.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Men of action by Michael Sartain teaches you how to transform your life through high-status networking.Say goodbye to cold approach, apps, and inauthentic methods of meeting people. Men of Action is Y…
https://www.moamentoring.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — In this episode, Michael Sartain shares his journey from nightlife to business success, and offers strategies for utilizing social platforms to reach million...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v4pJMlwHis

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Men of Action is Your. “Local Celebrity Blueprint”. “Over the past 20 years I’ve spent more than $25k on various programs and MOA is better than all combined.” – Jefferey.
https://cheapcourses.co/michael-sartain-men-of-action/

info

Claim 7: “A site called Digital Black Belt... As part of the $300 a week package, users can get their social media profiles overhauled — making “hyper-realistic AI photos that actually look like you””

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided contains general information about AI image generators but does not mention 'Digital Black Belt' or its specific pricing packages.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Use AI to generate people online that don’t exist, change clothing and modify face and body traits. Download generated people in different postures.
https://generated.photos/human-generator

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — An guide to the 12 best AI tools that people are actually using, including the best AI assistants, video generators, automation tools, app builders, and more.
https://www.synthesia.io/post/ai-tools

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Create unique images with AI. Free image generation from description or photo — generate high-quality pictures in seconds.
https://www.yolly.ai/ai-image-generator

info

Claim 8: “Her guidance, which she charges anywhere from $400 to well into the thousands for”

SINGLE SOURCE

Evidence confirms Sadia Khan is a psychologist and relationship coach in London and Dubai, but the specific pricing of $400 to thousands is not mentioned in the provided search results.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sadia Khan is a Pakistani television and film actress. She is best known for her role as Emaan in the Pakistani TV drama series Khuda Aur Muhabbat, in Season 1 and Season 2 of the show.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadia_Khan

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Soft White Underbelly interview and portrait of Sadia Khan, a psychologist in London and Dubai.If you're struggling, consider therapy with our sponsor Better...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J4rYD7bG74

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sadia Khan is allegedly a psychologist from Britain who has gained significant recognition. She is mainly a relationship coach and believes in combining Eastern outlook with a Western education.
https://journal.az1network.com/sadia-khan-psychologist-lates…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.