After having fallen into Best-Matchmaking’s online dating trap and having written down my experience I wrote a review on Trustpilot. Afterwards I had alook on the other reviews. More and more details struck my attention.

Directly after my review, the second most recent review in German language is by Detlef Steinberg:

The review of Detlef Steinberg (a totally German given name and surname) reads somehow strange. After reading it several times I am convinced: It is a translation from English. Three times the wording indicates a translation from English:

1. „einige Mädchen von anderen Seiten getroffen“
   „met some girls from other sites“
   In German language adult females are called Frauen (women) and female children are called Mädchen (girls). While refering to female dates by the English term girls is approrpiate, the German translation Mädchen sounds oddly inappropriate and rather derogatory for an adult lady (especially if you look for a woman with serious intentions, see next point).
2. „aber leider waren sie alle nicht ernst“
   „but unfortunately they all were not serious“
   While the English translation sounds fine, the German term ernst sounds very strange in this context. A lady is ernst if she does not smille. I don’t think Mr. Steinberg was looking for an unsmilling wife. The following words make clear what kind of seriousness he expected: „…und wollten keine seriose (sic!) Beziehungen“ (…and did not want a serious relation). A German speaker would never refere to these honourable intentions by the term ernst. A German speaker would use ernsthaft or seriös. In English „ernst“ and „ernsthaft“ both are called serious. A word by word translation causes this mistake. The missing dots on seriöse is typical for a writer who is not used to the German so called umlaut letter ö.
3. Finally the closing phrase:
   „Ich wünsche Ihnen viel Erfolg und Wohlstand“
   „I wish you success and prosperity“
   Erfolg und Wohlstand – This phrase is not used in German language. We greet with viel Erfolg (success). But wishing Wohlstand (prosperity) comes from a different cultural background.

One by one, each of these three phrases could be quirke of the author. All together is too much. It must be a translation. Why would a German do not know the German language but wish to write his review for an international operating agency in this language but not just in English? It is very odd. It looks like a fake review.

The next recent German review by Uwe Schubert (again a totally German given and surname) is just 3 days older. Surprisingly, the two only German-reading reviews are posted just days apart:

Already in the headline Mr. Schubert messes up the grammatical gender of Agentur (agency). Native speakers does not make this kind of grammatical mistake. Contentwise the review reads like advertising. And finally greatings from Österreich (Austria) while Mr. Schubert locks in from Germany. These are to many accidents by chance. I cannot believe it.

Update 2021-01-17:
The two German-reading reviews on Trustpilot are on Best-Matchmaking’s testimonial list as well. They are identical word by word, except Detlef Steinberg now is called Tobias:

Further more, Detlef’s and Uwe’s reviews can be found identically word by word on the review site sitejabber.com. It is very unlikely two men from different countries would post their word-by-word identical reviews to these two review sites within just five days and would even both send dem again identically word-by-word to Best-Matchmaking, and more over, they would publish both of them on their testimonial page. These two reviews are the only two German-reading reviews of Best-Matchmaking on both review sites (besides my bilingual review on Trustpilot) and they are the only two German-reading testimonials on best-matchmaking.com. It is somehow like the copy and paste messages you receive while online dating with Best-Matchmaking.

Außerdem finden sich die Bewertungen von Detlef und Uwe beide wortgleich auch auf dem Bewertungsportal sitejabber.com (englisch). Es ist schon sehr unwahrscheinlich, dass zwei Männer aus verschiedenen Ländern beide ihre gleichlautenden Referenzen unabhängign voneinander innerhalb von 5 Tagen auf den gleichen beiden Bewertungsportalen lassen und diese auch noch beide gleichlautend an Best-Matchmaking schicken, wo beide dann auch noch veröffentlicht werden. Es sind die einzigen deutschsprachigen Bewertungen der Agentur Best-Matchmaking sowohl auf sitejabber als auch auf Trustpilot (abgesehen von meiner Bewertung) und dann auch noch die einzigen deutschsprachigen Referenzen auf der englischsprachigen Referenzen-Seite auf best-matchmaking.com. Es ist ähnlich wie bei den Copy-und-Paste-Nachrichten die man beim Online-Dating auf best-matchmaking.com bekommt.

After these two German-reading reviews, I look at the English-reading reviews:

The most recent review is not even one month ago. On this date I flew to Ukraine. This is the review of Jack Snee:

Jack Snee writes his review directly from the Ukraine. He is still there and gets supported by the agency. I was already more than one week in the Ukraine and had met my lady several times before I understood we not even had exchanged our phone numbers. The Agency had tricked me. When Mr. Snee wrote this review, this insight could still have been lying ahead of him.
Interesting as well: Kate assured Mr. Snee that she can find the women for him, while she writes on her website on her Matchmaking Program page:

• A professional agency will never guarantee a marriage;
• A good matchmaker won’t promise you relationships;

Anyhow, Mr. Snee describes his experience with the Matchmaking Progam, a „personalized service“ package where the agency looks for and proposes suitable ladies. These packages are „individually tailored“. On such a package, Mr. Snee could not walk into the trap of hidden costs I got into by searching for a woman on Best-Matchmakings online dating plattform.

The next two reviews are positive, by Abdul from U.A.E. who considers „the prices are very reasonable and affordable“ and by a lawyer from the Latvian capital Riga who is waiting for his beloved lady to come to his country. He could still face the fraud with the fake phone number I have experienced in the Ukraine.

The following review attracts my attention. It comes from Germany but is written in English:

Polina Vanda (Polina is a woman’s name) is the first one who had posted another review before. A review of a Polish company. In fluent German, she describes how she renovated her flat together with her wife. Less then half a year later follows the review of Best-Matchmaking. Now she (?) has found a new woman and met her „in Europe“. Only somebody from outside Europe would say „we met in Europe“. And finally the review is subscribed by „James Northon“. Obviously both reviews are of different origin. Why would a Mr. Northon from outside Europe borrowed Mrs. Vanda’s account and not telling his origin but using the term „my country“. Very strange.

The next review is positive and written by Pan Tadeusz from Poland. He tells us about travel restriction because of corona and his expectation for his lady to travel to him. As with Mr. Snee, the worst might yet be to come.

The next one is the most intersting review. Alireza Sabery actually wrote twice: The first time two years ago and than another time after Best-Matchmaking had replied to his review. Here the original review first:

His review adresses issues, I have experienced as well:

1. „This agency does not have office.“
   There are adresses of three offices on the Contacts us page. However, the only Ukrainian phone number on the website (on the FAQ page) connects to some private persons who do not know the agency. Kate, the CEO of Best-Matchmaking, did not tell me the address or phone number of the agency’s allegedly office in Zaporozhye when I visited the city even though I ask her for the phone number.
2. „There is no professional consultation“
   Whe I consulted Kate before my journey to the Ukraine, she just wanted to sell her tour package to me. Later she forced me to pay to meet a woman. She even claimed the woman does not speak English, intimidated her and told her I had disappeared and had no interest to meet her. The only professional part on her consultatoin was the fraud. The only advice she gave me was to bring flowers to every meeting with the woman. She could have opened a flower shop.
3. „I wrote a lot to CEO and ask them refund, though she does not have an answer but she asked me to date with other girls“
   Twice I have addressed irregularities with Kate. Twice without success. The first time, I sent an email and got no answer. Instead Kate encouraged me to date with other women. The second time, I asked by phone because of three hours of interpretation service. Kate admited that I am right. The interpretation service has been paid already. The same day, her interpreter not only asked for the concerning 60 Euros againm she even asked for 90 Euro while my date with the lady. This kind of behaviour is disrespectful towards me as well as towards the lady. I think, this was done by porpuse to confront me in a weak position and get one’s hand on a big extra tip.
4. „In my date, girl was getting lots of phone call and she pretended she is busy but why she set a date with me, while she is busy ?“
   In my case the woman did not receive lots of phone calls. Instead it was made very difficult to arrange subsequentive meetings. For various reasons our meetings were finished. Besides, the unprofessional interpreter compromised our communication.

As revealing as Mr. Sabery’s review is Kate’s reply:

The way of expression and the UPPER-CASE LETTERS actually speak for themselves. But let’s look at Kate’s reply one by one.

The accusation scammer was not claimed by Mr. Sabery. Consequently she calls him unemployed student. A student should study. Why should a student be employed es well? And why does she mentions his oriental background derogatively? As we see from the reviews, Kate is working with other oriental customers as well and very satisfyingly. I have not heard of many refugees stranding in Lithuania. And I have not heard of pilots becoming refugees. And in general it is reveiling how Kate conects refugees with crimes.

Obviously, a date is no assurance to fall in love. But what does Kate want to say with „like animals„?

About 1//: The agency might be registered in the US. The FAQ, however, reads:

I’m afraid of an Internet scam! Is your Agency for real?

YES, Best-Matchmaking (former KatesModels) is a real matrimonial and matchmakung (sic!) agency based in Ukraine. Our agency has been created more than 12years ago and our NEW ( http://www.best-matchmaking.com) web site was found in 2017 .
And our general manager is based in Ukraine and can be reached any time you need via telephones:
Ukraine: +380989899919, USA:+1 (775) 410 1005,
or skype: best-matchmaking.
Our company’s License number is 836852. We have offices in Kharkov, Zaporozhye and Kherson cities. Additionally, there are official partners in South Korea, Japan, China and USA.
And we also are partnered with many agencies located across Ukraine to introduce you to genuine marriage-oriented women of Ukraine. To learn more about our agency please visit the page About Us.
(Hervorhebungen durch mich)

This quote tells Best-Matchmaking is an „agency based in the Ukraine“. The Ukrainian phone number, however, is the one of a private home I have mentioned above. Besides the American phone number, there are „official partners in … USA.“ On the About Us page no American office is mentioned. Maybe there is just a letterbox company registered in the USA.

About 2//: I am surprised Kate could include weblinks in her reply. When I wrote my review on Trustpilot, I could not include a link to my blog. The system did not allow it. The links show customer complements. In the first screenshot, however, it is actually Kate herself who claims her agency being the best.

About 3//: Without details I cannot know whether the reclamation is justified or not. To call it blackmail looks unfounded as well.

Besides the questionable autencity of the profile, Kate obviously relates crime not only to refugees but also to unemployment.

This is Mr. Saberys reaction:

Everybody can draw their own conclusion. I have contacted Mr. Sabery. And I was not the first one. He shared some more details with me. It has confirmed and expanded my picture of Best-Matchmaking.

Right after Mr. Sabery’s negative review we find another negative review, by an American. He is the first one to talk about prices:

This post on Trustpilot made me think about hirering my own interpreter. The same as with DMS Digital and even though I had already arranged my visit with the woman and just asked for an interpreter, Kate wanted to sell her Romantic Tour to me. To finally meet the woman, I unfortunately ddid not pay the 200 Dollars as DMS Digital, but 650 Euros. Even the agency’s interpreter explained to me, how they had replied my messages after talking with the woman by phone. Just replying the message without even telling the woman, as described by DMS Digital, this is just an easy step to go. Reviewing the messages I received, it is very possible they are just written by the agency.

There is actually nothing to add to DMS Digital’s report. Still Best-Matchmaking replies:

Best-Matchmaking responds with the same patterns as to Mr. Sabery, with the accusation of „lie and blackmail“. The fecal diction does not convince me either. Kate even discloses the name of her client. For a marriage agency this is very bad. Myself, I also had a disput on services included in a package but declined later. I have mentioned above the declined 3 hours interpretation service. In the best case Kate works totally chaotic. Based on my whole experience with Best-Matchmaking, I believe, Kate just blows smoke to distract the client’s mind from the bigger fraud.
Kate’s reference to the Terms and conditions shows how Kate causes confusion. First, the paragraph 1.8 in the english-reading Terms and Conditions is missing in the coresponding German-reading page on terms and conditions. Second, for example, Best-Matchmaking’s monthly standard membership package includes 3 Skype chats. Even this monthly standard membership package does not work with the 2 weeks deadline in the terms and conditions.
Kate defends herself against the accusation the ladies would be paid even though DMS Digital does not claim this. She obviousely got this idea herself. Mr. Sabery told me, he assumes the agency pays women for dating men.
On the contrary to the paid date issue, Kate does not even say a word about the dramatic situation when DMS Digital brought along his own interpreter. When I announced my own interpreter for the next meeting, the woman and the interpreter left did not want to meet again. It is no surprise Kate says nothing about this issue. Every word would make her scam more obvious.

The following review on Trustpilot is by Paul from UK and one and a half years old. The agency found a match for him. That means he is in Kate’s Matchmaking Program. Maybe he has not yet met the woman in person. His description of the timely service, first of all by Zlata, this reminds me on my experience with Best-Matchmaking while I communicated by video chat and via Best-Matchmaking’s online dating plattform before flying to Ukraine:

The following review is again by an American who did know Kate and her service for some years, the same as DMS Digital above. However, Rudoph is fully satisfied:

The same as with Rudolph the woman who I met also insisted to have an interpreter (she even insisted to have the interpreter from the agency) up to the point when she left the agency. From this point on, she did not want an interpreter anymore, even though her English is very basic and I do not speak Russian language at all.
Reading Rudolph’s review carefully, I recognise him actually describing the trap of hidden costs: „…it costs nothing to join, however it does cost to communicate with the lady that you find interesting and the biggest challenge it’s actually meeting her in person…“ Rudolph seems to be very satisfied with Kates Romantic Tour. I consider 2300 Euros is very expensive for such an extended weekend tour.
It looks like like Kate’s offer was just right for Rudolph. He is happy to having everything arranged for him. For me these arrangements were bothersome. I felt infantalized and it did not help us (the woman and me) to come closer to each other.

The almost last review is by Holly B from Malta and more than two year old. It looks like he also joined the Matchmaking Program:

Already the headline sounds like an advertisment: „I found the love of my life and you can too!“ Who would write such an review? To find a wife „was easy and fun“ and finally he is „happily married with two children!“ Because he now got two children, he supposedly met the woman at least three years ago. DMS Digital describes how Best-Matchmaking’s service had worsened over the last 2 to 3 years. Therefore Holly B did not review the current situation. The fact he is from just the small island Malta where Best-Matchmaking got a main office (mentioned on the German-reading FAQ) makes his review a special case in my eyes.

The last review is by Amjad Hajou from Lebanon. With the help of the Matchmaking Program he successfully found a wife for his friend. He describes the matchmaking process but the wording is strange for me. It might be because of his limited English language skills. Whatsoever, he reviewed Best-Matchmaking two years ago which might not reflect Best-Matchmaking’s current bussness practices.

Conclusion

Besides the dubious reviews which looks like fakes, there are other reviews which might have been written before a possible fraud like the bogus phone number experienced could have be revealed. Further there are reviews of the Matchmaking Program. These clients obviously were not caught into the bogus online dating trap of hidden costs but decided to pay at least a four-figure Euro amount to let the agency find a match for them.

Taking out the above mentioned reviews and the ones older than two years, there are just five reviews left:

1. My Review
2. The review of Abdul from the U.A.E. who considers Best-Matchmaking’s prices „very reasonable and affordable“
3. The review of Alireza Sabery, who feels cheated
4. The review of DMS Digital, who is very dissatisfied
5. The review of Rudolph, who enjoyes having everything arranged for him and who actually kindly explains how the costs just come up just after you have fallen in love (for me it is a bogus trap purposely set up to catch you)

Together these are 5 reviews that do or might concern Best-Matchmaking’s online dating.
2 reviews are positive and 3 reviews are negative.
With a closer look we often see more than before.

Trustpilot was of crucial help for me to understand Best-Matchmaking’s fraud. Please write your honest and experience based review Trustpilot.

Remark: Best-Matchmaking got relatively many reviews from Eatern countries on Trustpilot, from the former Eatern block and from the Middle East. This has caught my I eyes. 5 of the total 15 reviews are from there. These are 1/3 of the total reviews. On best-matchmaking.com I just found one Israeli among the 15 newest male profiles today (January 3^rd, 2021). I remember Kai (name changed), whom I met on my flight home from Ukraine. He advised me against publishing my experiences with Best-Matchmaking. He said this kind of fraud could not be prevented. The Ukraine would be different. They had their computer servers in Eastern Europe…

Update January 30^th 2021:

Deleted Reviews

On January 20^th 2021 I found out on Business transparency there were mentioned 19 negative reviews flagged by Best-Matchmaking:

18 of them should be still online. One review should have been removed because of Best-Matchmaking’s flag. But on Trustpilot we could not find 18 negative reviews, but just 4. I asked Trustpilot about the missing negative reviews. Yesterday I got an answer:

Lina from Trustpilot just gives me new numbers. Now Best-Matchmaking just flagged 4 reviews and one of them has been put offline. However, Lina does not explain how the wrong numbers happened to appear on their website. Whatsoever, the Business transparency page now shows the new numbers.

Still remarkable, 9 out of the 27 reviews on Best-Matchmaking has been removed. On Trustpilot we find just 16 reviews online. One third has gone offline. This is a very high ratio.

My review has been blured out

After Lina sent me her new numbers yesterday, today my review on Best-Matchmaking got blured out:

Best-Matchmaking has flagged my review. But…

A new dubious review

…it looks like Best-Matchmaking has again focused on Trustpilot in another way as well.

The new five-stare review by John Ketcher from the US does not tell details about his personal experience with Best-Matchmaking. However, his review follows the pattern of other dubious five-star reviews before:

This review was posted on January 22^nd, just two days after I have told Trustpilot my doubts about the maybe fabricated reviews on Best-Matchmaking. Probably Trustpilot has communicated my concerns to Best-Matchmaking and therefore Kate was reminded about the review site.

Besides the suspicious timing, the review shows two linguistic indications of a fabricated text not written by an US-American native speaker:

1) Missing articles
First example: „…I have gotten result.“ The next sentence again lacks an article. The following sentence lacks two. This is typical for Russian speaker. Taya from the Ukraine explains it in her YouTube video:

2) Spelling mistake
There is a quite unusual spelling mistake, which I know from Kate. It is a rather weak indicator. But it still supports my suspicion about this review. The overall picture is quite clear to me. Contact me, if you cannot find the mistake yourself: yopa@gmx.net

Further, John Ketcher clearly talks about Kate’s Matchmaking program. He does not talk about the online dating honey trap on best-matchmaking.com, where I got trapped.

All together, John Ketcher’s review does not att all change my critical opinion on Best-Matchmaking.

Update January 31^st 2021:

My review on Best-Matchmaking is online again.