May I ask whether this answer reliably describes the background of the Church of Latter-day Saints?

Pretty Much... Yes. Joseph Smith was proven to be a liar on several accounts and his history clearly shows he was a liar. Look up the Kinderhook Plates for another account of Joseph Smith's lies. Also as far as those that testified to seeing the gold plates were people within Joseph's tight Circle and all stood good chances of benefiting from the fake religion that was easily acceptable at the time and willing to give 10% of their income. It's obviously a fraud..