Top-10 things to look for when seeking a legitimate Ukrainian dating site. Dating advice for western men considering an option of meeting women from Ukraine.

How Ukrainian dating sites get media mentions

Ukraine has been dubbed by some pay-for-play reporters as the “matchmaking capital of the world”. When you hear appraisals like this, you know it’s not a journalism but product placement. The same company mentioned along these accolades has been known to engage journalists and movie makers for years. PR companies are being paid generously to ensure the marketing machine is well oiled.

From paying commissions to people sending traffic as the rates of as much as $500 per sale (I know it, because I used to be getting these payments myself from ‘A Foreign Affair’ aka loveme.com), to placing seemingly unbiased, but in fact totally skewed in one direction comments online, as well as getting glamorized mentions in various current affair programs.

I also was also used by one such movie maker, who seemed genuine but produced a totally one-directional movie, shown by Netflix, obviously sponsored by the same company (Loveme.com). I was used as a pawn, naively agreeing to give an interview under a false pretence. Still leaves an unpleasant taste in my mouth when I think about it.

I guess I got out mostly unscathed, with the reporter obviously fishing for a certain types of comments: Asking me what I thought about AFA’s stating that any old guy would be a dream come true for any young pretty girl from Ukraine. When I responded it was not true, the reporter asked why would they say so, to which I responded, “I have no idea”. He asked the same question again in another form a couple of times (the usual way to try to get a different answer), but I gave the same response. It was only when the movie went out and I saw how it was designed, I realized what it was about: a promo for AFA.

Strangely enough, the same excited reporters seem to never be able to dig one inch deeper and discover what any decent investigative journalist would be able to do in 30 seconds by running a search “pay per letter (PPL) dating scams“.

This would unveil a wealth of reports on how Ukraine, the “matchmaking capital of the world”, is really a place for some of the most outrageous dating scams of the 21 century.

So, what would you look for when seeking a legitimate Ukrainian dating site?

Top-5 tips to find an honest Ukrainian dating site

Before we start, let’s just spell out the biggest problem in Ukrainian dating: Pay-per-content scams.

This is how it works:

1. Pretty girls are hired to pose as “Ukrainian brides” (getting commissions and outright payments for photos, videos).
2. English-speaking writers are hired to impersonate “brides” from p.1 above (getting standard payments per message or minute of chat).
3. These two types of workers are hired by Ukrainian marriage agencies. The agencies are getting commissions paid directly by the ‘Mother site’.
4. ‘Mother sites’ denounce any responsibility for any scams while charging male clients per letter, per message or per minute of chat, as well as paying marriage agencies commissions per communication. Along with that the ‘Mother site’ claims that all women are 100% real. (Of course the women are real… The communication and the intentions are falsified to make men pay.)

If you are struggling to understand this simple scheme, read the testimony of a Ukrainian bride who worked for a marriage agency. It will make the scheme easy to comprehend.

Having said that, let’s get on with 5 tips to find a legitimate Ukrainian dating site.

Can you find a good place to meet Ukrainian girls? Look out for these 5 things.

1. No payment per communication

Legitimate dating websites may charge for membership, but they do not charge for every mail, message, or minute of chat.

When you are prepaying some packages of “credits” or other internal currency in advance and then you are charged some tokens every time you read a mail or a message or keep chatting, this is where the PPL scams become possible: Remember, the agent need to pay the writer for the amount of content produced. It is only possible when you are charged for every message, otherwise there is no incentive to the writer to continue talking to you in length for months or even years.

2. Ability to immediately move away from the dating site

Legitimate portals for singles allow you to exchange direct contact details and move away at any time. You are able to start talking on Skype, or WhatsApp, or any other messenger at once, and most importantly, the woman is happy to move to these systems and communicates happily and in detail, without the request to move back to the site of paid communication.

3. No need to pay for translations

In the past, PPL scams were masked as payments for translations from your language to Ukrainian or back. Some of the websites still use this legend to explain the need for payments per message.

It’s really unnecessary with utilities like Google Translate making it easy to understand each other without the need for payments.

Even if the company states that software translations are not perfect and there could be mistakes, no genuine translation is happening anyway. It’s a paid writer who is just making up stories and love confessions to suit the customer (you) and make you pay forever.

Or maybe, to buy a $5,000 tour to Ukraine through them (that’s without airplane tickets).

4. Ability to book your own accommodation

Legitimate dating websites are doing the job of connecting eligible singles. They are not travel agents. In case of your being on a genuine dating site, they do not offer to book your trip.

If the company is offering tours or accommodation, this is where they are making money. In this case, they are obviously interested in your having a love interest to visit. It is a large chunk of money at once, so any introductions through them could easily happen to be false.

5. Distinct partner requirements in women’s profiles

Most profiles on scam websites have very broad requirements to a partner, which nearly any man in any country will fit. On genuine dating websites women have much more precise requirements to the type of men they wish to meet.

I hope this gives you a better idea about legitimate Ukrainian dating sites and things to look for. Check the posts I mention for more information.

Good luck in your search!

Read also:

1. Legitimate Russian dating sites: List of thing to look for
   There are only 3 legitimate Russian dating sites I can recommend
2. 10 tips to win a Ukrainian woman’s heart
3. 20 tips for dating in Kiev: Ukrainian women vs. western women