It is unfortunate that when you venture outside of the United States for love that you need to be extra careful with the women you court and the dating services you use. The prevalence of dishonesty, fraud, and neglectful service from international marriage agencies is very high. These guidelines will help you select a marriage agency (mail order bride service) with integrity and capability.

Are the Women Profiled Real?

Do not use an International Marriage Agency based on the number of beautiful women profiled on the website. Any agency that has a high percentage of beautiful women should be suspect. Beautiful women are naturally rare and beautiful women are the most sought-after. So it would only make sense that the most attractive women would have the highest turnover in a marriage agency. The best-looking women will find a man sooner because they have more suitors and in turn will be more difficult for a marriage agency to replace because there are fewer beautiful women available. To work around this it is a common practice for foreign marriage agencies to show beautiful women as unattached regardless if whether they are married or with a boyfriend. Two other common practices used to inflate the beauty and quantity of women in an agency is to steal photos from other marriage and model agencies´ websites and to illicit arrangements with local photographers for the purchase of personal photos of women without their consent or knowledge. Beautiful women profiled in a marriage agency are meaningless if they are not available and, unfortunately, this is often the case. Many international marriage agencies will do whatever it takes to lure beautiful women to join. For example, here is an ad placed by a Barranquilla marriage agency in the local Colombia paper El Heraldo.

"Latin Wife Connection invita a todas las damas interesadas en conocer Americanos y Europeos con la oportunidad de participar en el Sorteo de diez visas, inscribete y participa en eventos sociales. Cra 48 No. 75-83 oficina 101. Telefono 3690250 seccion fotografica gratis."

"Translation: Latin Wife Connection invites all women interested in meeting American and European gentlemen with the opportunity of participating in a visa raffle, enroll and participate in social events, free photographic session."

There is no such thing as a ´visa raffle´ in Colombia. This marriage agency, like others, is trying to entice women to join under a false pretense of getting a travel visa. So instead of attracting women looking for love they attract women trying to leave the country. The fact that you may end up with a woman that is hiding her true intent for marrying you is obviously of no concern to such agencies. By using a trusted marriage agency the beauty you see will be real and available.

Do They Have Good Referrals?

A good marriage agency should be able to provide you with many past clients as referrals. Talk to these men about their experience with the agency and the experience of other Americans they met while using the marriage agency’s services. If the agency provides introduction events ask them how many guys attended the last event. Ask if they were all successful in finding a likely wife. If the answer is yes then ask for the contact information for all these men. If everyone got what they came for then the agency should be eager to provide all their glowing references. If the answer is no then find out why. Ask what the agency could have done differently to have helped this guy. Be sure everything they tell you is consistent and reasonable. A good marriage agency will be able to provide ample live referrals to back up their services. Do not rely on website testimonials that can be fabricated. Your best insurance on the quality of the marriage agency is positive customer experiences.

Do They Have a Positive Reputation?

A marriage agency should have a good reputation. Find out by accessing the dating forums that specializes in the region of the world in which you are interested. Ask the agency what the largest active forums in his industry are. Go there and search out the particular agency in the forum’s archives. Post a question asking about the good and the bad agencies. An agency with a good reputation should not fear the spotlight of the open forums. An agency with a good reputation would participate in the forums and have a history of dialogue that can be used to evaluate their services. Don´t make your selection a guessing game when the recorded history is out there for a sound judgment on the best marriage agency to use. An owner that claims not to know any international dating forums is lying.

Is the Owner Trustworthy?

Talk to the owner. Is he a man you can trust? How long has he been in business? Can he verify a record of success? Be cautious of any push to get you to sign up prior to the next upcoming event. You dictate the deadlines, not the marriage agency. Ask the owner what distinguishes their agency from the others and why you will be more successful under their care. Are you going to be treated as an individual or as part of the pack? Ask as many questions as possible to scrutinize all aspects of the service you are interested in. Your trip itinerary needs to be clearly defined. Understand the details and specifics that will make your travels to find a wife successful.

Do They Have an Established Office with Experience Support?

When you use an international marriage agency without a staffed office at your arrival destination you will be relying on temporary freelance labor. Such help will rarely have your long-term best interest in mind. In poor, developing countries survival often brings out the worst in people. We have seen too many examples of freelance translators taking advantage of Americans through theft, dishonesty and manipulation. In corrupt third world countries a lot of effort is required to find competent individuals with integrity and reliability who you can trust, particularly in delicate, private and emotional matters. A qualified intermediary takes training and experience. You will get neither from most marriage agencies where the only requirement is that they speak English. The difference between Latin American women and Western women requires a cultural navigation best guided by trained professional matchmakers who will help you bridge the cultural differences and build a successful relationship. You are best served by an established local office that supports you with full-time, experienced, trained, dedicated and professional matchmakers who can properly assist you.

Are They a Middleman?

Most international marriage agencies on the Internet are resellers and franchises. They’re marketing middlemen that associate with foreign local agencies. They fabricate an alternative website and use the database of girls from the other independent foreign agency which has its own separate website that actually provides the services. Any time an extra layer is added you can expect increased delays, miscommunications and problems. Deal with a trusted source and verify that they are not just a commissioned agent with a good tongue for promotion and hype.

Are They an Objective Source of Information?

Many marriage agencies will create phony dating directory websites or dating forums that will try to mislead you into thinking that they are an objective, independent source of information and advice on mail order brides. They will then recommend particular marriage agencies, that unbeknown to you, they own. Their objective is to sucker you and others as a valid resource on mail order brides when they are nothing more then advertisements that funnel you to a deceptive marriage agency. These false dating directories and forums are not easy to detect without a knowledgeable eye. While legitimate dating directories can be a valuable resource, it is best to use a variety of the above check methods for validating a quality marriage agency.

When you use a bad marriage agency you obviously you lose time and money but you also perpetuate the continued theft and disservice of those who will follow in your footsteps. By not scrutinizing the agency’s track record and referrals you allow the dishonest marriage agencies one more day to profit and prey on the unsuspecting. Most but not all of the dishonest agencies will have much lower prices than the legitimate marriage agencies because their intention is to do very little. It’s easy to flout discounted prices for services and promises that will never materialize. By following the above precautions in the selection of your agent the international path for finding a quality wife will be well worth the effort.