Coffee Meets Bagel Review 2025: Serious Dating or Unsafe Trap?

☕ Coffee Meets Bagel Review 2025 — Serious Dating App or Risky Gamble?

Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) is one of the most well-known dating apps globally, founded by Silicon‑Valley sisters Dawoon, Arum, and Soo Kang in 2012 (Wikipedia). It's marketed as a quality-first dating service, designed to promote meaningful relationships rather than casual flings .

💼 CEO & Founders

Dawoon Kang (Co‑CEO, Chief Dating Officer) steers marketing and product strategy (Crunchbase).
Arum Kang (Co‑CEO) leads engineering and development (Apple).
They built CMB to offer a curated dating experience prioritizing quality over quantity (coffeemeetsbagel.com).

🧩 Core Features & Monetization

Curated Daily Matches: CMB sends limited “bagels” daily based on preferences (Reddit).
Safety Measures: Includes ice-breaker prompts and limits on messaging to prevent harassment (coffeemeetsbagel.com).
Revenue Model: Users purchase “beans” (tokens for extra features) and supports ads; matching is free.

⚠️ Real Issues: Safety & Culture

Despite their positioning, serious issues persist.

🚫 Danger of Predatory Behavior

Reports exist of a Hong Kong man (Henry Tam) using CMB to find women—some allegedly coerced into unprotected sex at his clinic and then blocked (Apple, coffeemeetsbagel.zendesk.com, The Straits Times).
CMB officially bans such behavior, but victims didn't report due to trauma, fear, or mistrust in platform enforcement .
One victim described being suspended after being assaulted and reported—but later saw the user reappear as another account .

🛡️ Reporting & Moderation Failures

CMB's support and moderation teams have limited capacity, leading to inconsistent handling of abuse reports .
A ProPublica report highlights that dating apps—including CMB—often fail to act decisively on assault allegations .
Victims report long delays (11 days in one case) before accounts are shut down and no apology or follow-up is provided (Reddit).

😰 Anecdotes from Real Users

Community feedback paints a disturbing picture:

“A man claimed to work in a clinic, asked for sex without a condom, then blocked her on CMB…”
“Support advised: ‘don’t meet him’ instead of banning or notifying women” (coffeemeetsbagel.zendesk.com).

Other users complain about stalking, unsolicited explicit photos, and bot-like fake profiles used for scams (Reddit).

🧩 Safety Policies vs. Implementation

CMB outlines clear safety protocols:

Zero-tolerance for harassment: Promised permanent bans for sexual assault perpetrators (coffeemeetsbagel.zendesk.com).
Reporting process: Users can report with anonymous flags, and CMB offers additional safety resources (coffeemeetsbagel.zendesk.com).

But reality often falls short—abusers return to the platform, and victims remain silent or unable to escape harassment.

⚖️ Is Coffee Meets Bagel a Scam or Legit?

✅ Legitimate company with identifiable founders and venture backing .
⚠️ Not foolproof for safety—reports of serious misconduct, ineffective moderation, and repeated exposure to predators exist.

CMB is not a scam, but not fully safe either. It remains one of the better dating apps for serious relationships, if used cautiously.

✅ Tips for Safe Use on CMB

Use the Report & Block feature immediately for any misconduct .
Verify identity—proceed with caution when meeting offline.
Meet in public and inform friends of your plans—CMB encourages this .
Trust your instincts—don’t engage with users who pressure you or refuse transparency.

📌 Final Verdict

CMB is a credible app designed for serious daters, but it operates in an imperfect reality. Its sleek algorithms and curated matches are undermined by safety lapses, predatory users, and reactive—rather than proactive—moderation.

If you choose CMB:

It can work well for honest, relationship-minded users who exercise caution.
But be aware it’s not foolproof, and sexual predators can slip through.