Basically the real life version of a fake dating profile. The dating agency will hire attractive charismatic people who will pretend to be wealthy, have them go on dates with clients, and politely reject them afterwards, to give the impression that the dating service has access to attractive, successful singles.

Sometimes they will take it further and date the client for 1-2 months, then find an excuse to break up with them after the time is up, all while maintaining a wealthy charismatic persona. Meanwhile the client believes it was a naturally occurring breakup. This usually happens with dating agencies that only charge clients after a “successful match”.

This is a common scam among dating apps and agencies, the app will funnel people into “free consultations” with matchmakers, who will then funnel people into this scam. It is so common that there is a word for these hired actors - 婚托.