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Conclusion: Supposed to be a "free" app to be primarily used on a phone or tablet, CoffeeMeetsBagel.com has a model that is claimed to be free, but many users report effectively you must pay (by buying "coffeebeans") in order to "like" people, and even then, those people may not be able to see you or that you liked them. The app also appears to have many of the same issues as other dating websites, such as fake profiles and scammers.
There is little meaningful explanation of their app on their website.
We create meaningful connections that spark hearts and inspire people to share themselves authentically and enthusiastically. Every day at noon, receive quality matches curated just for you by our ever-evolving algorithm.
It finds potential "curated" matches through connections found in Facebook through your Facebook friends. In other words, someone you do not know but with whom you have a mutual friend. You get matches once a dat and you have a limited amount of time to review them. In onder to connect with (message) someone, you must each indiviually like each other. Just because you have "liked" someone does not mean they will be shown, see nor like your profile.
The app is free to install, and you are supposed to be able to earn points ("coffee beans" or "beans") for free, but many people report you must buy likes (buying "coffeebeans" to or else wait a long time to accumulate free points.
Here's how you get their points / coffee beans:
What does this mean? One user says "To like one person costs you 380+ beans"
One review website explains their paradigm much better than CMB does: excerpted here, click here for their full explanation: (note that this review dates to back to 2014)
SiSigning up for Coffee Meets Bagel takes only a minute because, instead of loathsome personality quizzes and time-consuming match-preferences, it simply connects to your Facebook profile. ... Coffee Meets Bagel curates potential matches by finding other Coffee Meets Bagel users that share friend connections with you on Facebook. (Each day) You have 24 hours to review their profile information and choose to "like" or "pass" on your match. Mutual "likes" leads to a private chat line that expires in 7 days. Both parties must "like" each other to initiate contact and be a match.
OnOn Google's Play Store, it receives 4 stars out of 59,000 reviews as of March 2019. In Apple's App Store, it has 74,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.4 stars. Women seem to like it better than men but both complain about the costs. It is difficult to know if these 4-star ratings real; many of the high ratings have very little text liuke "great app" which suggest they are fake reviews. Meanwhile, the critical reviews are typically details, lengthy and articulate. Many rewviers complained that the system appaers to move people who are frequently liked (in other words, the more desirable or attractive people) into the paid "discover" section and out of the free section.
A summary of some excerpts of the reviews is:
If you are active on online dating websites, or via classifieds, chat rooms and forums, beware. Some reports indicate that as much as 30% of the personalities are scams. That beautiful woman (or handsome guy) may be in love with your wallet or purse, not you! Here are some of the typical scams:
Even the biggest and oldest dating websites, such as Match.com, eHarmoney, POF (Plenty of Fish), AOL, etc., are not immune to scammers. Dating has changed since the advent of the internet and you have to be knowledgeable and have you guard up to find true love, instead of a real scam!
The relationship may not be what you think, especially if your suitor:
You suffer heartache, but you don't have to lose your savings, too. Never send money! Scammers often use these excuses to ask you to send them money to cover:
Don't send money to tide someone over after a mugging or robbery, and don't do anyone a favor by making an online purchase or forwarding a package to another country. One request leads to another, and delays and disappointments will follow. In the end, the money will be gone along with the person you thought you knew.
Here are visitor-submitted reports of dating scams. And here are some key points to remember about the scams.
Also see this page on Russian dating scams.
Scammers are present everywhere on the dating websites. Even if you use established dating websites, like Match.com, eHarmony, etc., and even the women say they live in your own country, you may be scammed.
Before you invest your emotions into a long distance relationship, compare what they say against common sense. Someone who claims to be in love without, sight unseen, never having met you in person, is mostly a scammer or simply unbalanced.
Apply the same common sense rules of safe dating online as you would in person.
And please let us know about any suspicious calls or emails you receive. We look for patterns so that we can alert the authorities and victims to new scams, before it is too late!
For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.