5 BEST Background Check Sites for Dating (2025)

Are you wondering if your online date is trustworthy or they have a criminal past? Safety comes first always, hence, it’s necessary to gather details on an individual that you barely know. In 2023 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received around 64,000 dating scams, and these crimes increased by 10.6% in 2024, so you never know if these stats could get worse. Therefore, doing a thorough background check using a reliable site or tool should be mandatory before dating someone.

Researching these background check sites carefully is necessary since an ordinary tool for such a serious purpose shouldn’t be acceptable. A poor-quality background check site can lead to false positives, limited data, outdated information, missing reports, privacy issues, etc. Therefore, I tested over 35 sites, spending 120+ hours to curate this article. I tried each of these tools by looking up multiple people to ensure that the reports were trustworthy.

You can now dive into my transparent review to understand them better and make a well-informed decision.

Disclaimer: Do not use background check sites with malicious intent. At Guru99, we do not support any form of stalking or harassment using these tools. Additionally, respect people’s privacy and never share the findings publicly unless it is a serious crime that requires law enforcement’s attention.

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Editor's Choice

Spokeo

Spokeo Dating Safety Check is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to verify the background of someone they’ve met online. It allows users to perform quick, discreet searches and uncovering essential information.

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Best Background Check Site for Dating: Top Picks!

1) Spokeo

Spokeo is a widely used people search site that offers extensive background information. It can access a wide range of data sources, including various records. These include 600 million court records, 6 billion consumer records, 3.9 billion historical data, 120+ social networks, and much more.

It is a reliable, anonymous background look-up service that continuously updates the results. Therefore, you are notified via email if there are any new changes in the existing search report. I used it to look up a potential online date and gather numerous personal data, which was essential in building trust.

#1 Top Pick

Spokeo

5.0

Detailed Background Reports: Yes

Uncover Dating Profiles: Yes

Comprehensive Profile Checks: Yes

Free Trial: 7-Day Paid Trial $0.95

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Features:

• Social Media: Spokeo uncovers all social media profiles. It looks up popular, frequently used apps as well as lesser-known apps. I could view the target individual’s account on chat apps, music apps, gaming apps, e-commerce, and dating sites.
• Criminal Background: It helps you view reports on DUIs, sex offenses, arrests, convictions, traffic tickets, and pending charges. This can save you from going on a date with someone who could commit a crime.
• Personal Details: This record includes birthdate, real government name, marital status, potential lovers, interests, past relationships, etc. I could also find divorce information, education level, and occupation details about an individual I connected with on Hinge.
• Wealth Data: If you are very particular about wealth and status while dating, this can be valuable information. Mainly, if you have faced financially straining relationships or met a poser in the past, then utilize this data. It provided me with property details, lifestyle indicators, estimated salary, and investments.
• Location History: A guy claimed to be from Bel Air to my friend on Instagram. However, when she told me about him and shared his images, I didn’t buy it. That’s when I decided to use Spokeo. It showed me both his current and past locations, which included East Harlem, Idaho, and East Las Vegas, but not Bel Air.

Pricing:

Its monthly plan costs $29.95, but it offers a 7-day paid trial for only $0.95.

How to use it?

Step 1) Go to https://www.spokeo.com/, use any of the search parameters, or try all of them with the information you have. This should give you a complete report on various kinds of details. However, I shall demonstrate using a full name search.

Step 2) After entering the full name, tap on Search Now and wait for the tool to scan its resources.

Step 3) This will lead to a few questions, such as their city and state. For data types, select all to get a full background report and allow the tool to begin scanning.

Step 4) Once the scanning is complete, you can enter your name and email address to get the report. Here’s a small part of my target person’s background report:

Note: The other background check sites work similarly. All you have to do is give a piece of information and follow the straightforward prompts till it yields a report.

Visit Spokeo >>

7-Day Trial for $0.95

2) Social Catfish

Social Catfish is a popular background check site that helps you identify catfishers. It is great for online daters, including individuals of the LGBTQ+ community. That’s because Social Catfish offers gender information as well. You can gather background details using various search parameters on this site, including reverse image lookup.

I used Social Catfish on multiple individuals using its name, phone number, email, username, address, and photo lookup. Its database consists of billions of records, hence, it found these people within a few minutes. However, at times, I had to use multiple search parameters to gather complete data.

Features:

• Facial Recognition: Provide a good-quality front-facing photo in the reverse image lookup search for facial recognition. It can identify a person and offer details such as their name, age, source of the image, social media accounts, and other related information.
• Detailed Background Report: I looked up a social media connection who claimed he was in the Merchant Navy. However, my gut feeling didn’t agree, and Social Catfish came to my rescue. It showed me their name, age, aliases, employment, education, relatives, bankruptcies, etc. Thus, it revealed that he was only a bartender at yacht parties but posed with the Merchant Navy’s outfit and hat for catfishing people online.
• Search Specialist: It mainly deals with ID verification and crypto and financial checks. This is great for individuals who need a thorough, serious background check, especially victims of financial fraud on dating sites. Search Specialist helped my friend trace her crypto transactions back to a Tinder swindler. This specific search plan offers ACAMS Certified Experts, Crypto Certified Professionals, Documentation for Law Enforcement, and other customizable solutions.
• Criminal Records: If you are re-entering the dating scene after a traumatizing dating scam, then this is a must. With the help of full name search you can get a detailed criminal record on any individual. It showed me people’s DUIs, arrests, court records, sexual offences and various other violations.
• Marital Status & Relationships: Many married and committed people lie on dating sites; hence, you can uncover this by using Social Catfish. It shows marital status, ex-partners, past divorces, possible flings, etc. However, you may need to cross-verify certain ex-lovers or current dating statuses. Some of the individual’s friends and random acquaintances showed up as current partners on a few of my reports.

Pricing:

Here are the regular monthly plans offered by Social Catfish:

Free Trial: Social Search 3-day paid trial $5.73, Image Search $6.87 for 3 days.

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3-Day Trial for $5.73

3) Intelius

Intelius is a people search engine that helps you find detailed information on individuals. It is useful for frequent dating app users and even parents who want to perform a background check on their teen’s and young adult’s date. This site looks up millions of public records to build a well-informed, updated report.

All Intelius searches are confidential, as it is an anonymous lookup platform. Its reverse phone number lookup is also impressive, as it shows all the linked accounts and records. However, I found its search limited to the US, so if you want to look up someone outside of the US, you might have to try other sites.

Features:

• Background Details: Intelius includes name, age, employment history, education records, relationships, etc., in its background information. However, I noticed a few missing data, which you can get from other search parameters or a similar tool.
• Phone Number Lookup: People who are newly dating someone and want to verify that they are commitment-worthy can use this search. It lets you look up all the linked social media profiles, other online accounts, services, etc. This also enables you to know better about their interests and helps you find out the social networks they have signed up for. For example, they might still be on dating sites, so you’ll know if they aren’t serious about you.
• Address Lookup: Some people lie about their addresses to scam and get away easily. I used it to look up my cousin’s boyfriend’s location since he always seemed like a red flag to me. He wasn’t exactly lying about his residential location. However, the property was under someone else’s name, and he was only a tenant. The reports include ownership history, possible past residents, census information, granular address details, and area crime statistics.
• Public Record Search: Going through every public record is challenging and almost impossible for individuals. In this report, you will find their marital status, address history, real age, etc. This is also great for amateur law practitioners who want a quick solution related to any dating scam case. However, cross-verifying the data in this report is crucial.
• Criminal and Traffic Records: Intelius gathers federal, state and county data sources to curate this report. It shows the type of offences, the date when it was recorded, case number and the outcome. The report also showed me associated video of the person, warrants, misdemeanors, speeding tickets, DUIs, and more.

Pricing:

Here are the monthly plans offered by Intelius:

Free Trial: Paid trial only, 5-day at $0.95 for Reverse Phone Lookup+ People Search, and 7 days at the same rate for Address Lookup+ People Search.

Visit Intelius >>

5-Day Trial for $0.95

4) PeopleSmart

PeopleSmart is mainly used by business professionals to look up leads and create email lists. However, it is also an excellent tool for verifying individuals. I trust its accuracy as it is used by companies to extract contact information for business purposes.

You can look up people using their names, job titles, seniority levels, and industry. It also provides a Chrome extension for convenient search, so you can instantly verify people.

Features:

• Quick Search: Its Chrome extension helps you search professional profiles and contacts via LinkedIn. Hence, offering an accurate occupational background along with reliable phone numbers and email addresses. I also like that the targets are ranked with a confidence meter to tell you which are the most likely results.
• Update alerts: People change their phone numbers over time, and it can be difficult to get their updated contact information. However, with PeopleSmart, I received alerts in my inbox about the updated contact details. This is great for users rekindling an old connection, so you don’t have to go out of your way to contact them.
• AI-Powered Accuracy: PeopleSmart is a business contact searching and verifying tool. Hence, it is AI-powered, ensuring you get updated data all the time. Its database is updated with fresh information regularly, and it registers all types of industry.
• Email ID Verification: If you know your date’s email address, this is going to be a simple process. Just enter their email ID in the search bar and get the details. I found their educational history, job history, information on the company they work for, social media profiles, phone numbers, etc.
• Social Media Search: Username search is another helpful search parameter of this tool. I used it to look up a Facebook connection that had asked me out several times, but I was suspicious of his information. PeopleSmart provided me with their occupation details, contact information, location address, and more.

Pricing:

Here are the monthly plans offered by PeopleSmart:

Free Trial: Paid trial for 7 days at $1 for Casual, and for Plus, it’s $5 for 7 days.

Visit PeopleSmart >>

7-Days Trial for $1

5) BeenVerified

BeenVerified is another widely used people verification tool. It helps you find details on individuals you meet on dating sites and social media platforms. I found it particularly great for digging up contact information, as it helped me find several individuals’ accurate phone numbers and email addresses.

This tool also includes unclaimed money lookup, obituary search, etc. Making is a versatile site for users with different kinds of requirements. It offers apps for all devices, including Apple Watch and iPad, which makes it one of my top on-the-go search sites.

Features:

• People Search: To look someone up, you just have to put their first and last name and add their city and state. This brought up their details, such as their aliases, contact numbers, email addresses, social media profiles, current and past addresses, and more.
• VIN Number: If you are unable to retrieve much data in a people search and phone number search, try the vehicle’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) lookup. This will show you the accidents the car has been involved in and the extent of the damage. When I looked up a particular vehicle, I could also see when it was reported stolen and even auctioned. Hence, it gives you some idea about the vehicle owner.
• Fraud Scan: This is an IP address lookup tool that can pinpoint the location of the user. It helped me locate the city, state, zip code, and country. Additionally, it showed me the timezone, hostname, connection type, and risk score. This scanner protects you from dating scams, as it helped me identify whether it was a malicious user or a bot.
• Username Search: I could look up any social media platform’s username to find details on a person. It showed me their profile pictures, ages, current and past addresses, possible relatives, criminal records, and more. This is helpful if the person seems very private, and the maximum details you can gather are their social profile’s username.
• Multiple Record Search: You can conduct various record searches on BeenVerified. This includes records on marriages and divorces, voters, felonies, deaths, and more. Thus, it creates less confusion about which lookup to use for certain reports.

Pricing:

Here are the plans offered by BeenVerified:

Free Trial: Paid trial for 7-days at $1

Visit BeenVerified >>

7-Day Trial for $1

Comparison Table

Here’s a comparison between all of the tools above for a quick glance:

Solutions to Overcome Background Check Site Issues

Here’s a list of common issues people face with background check sites for dating, along with actionable solutions to overcome them:

1. Issue: You may come across inaccurate or outdated information in the reports
   Solution: Always choose a site that sources data from official and regularly updated public records. Some of these sites also transparently provide the date of the last update on their websites.
2. Issue: Some reports may seem confusing or overwhelming due to the amount of information
   Solution: I suggest using the platforms that offer precise and easy-to-read reports, such as Spokeo. However, if you want to read through a confusing report, start by looking for criminal records, social media, and employment. That’s because these are crucial information that help determining someone’s nature.
3. Issue: At times, you might receive limited or incomplete data
   Solution: Avoid using free tools or sites that aren’t well-reputed. Use premium background check sites and verify the information with other such high-rated paid services. For example, Spokeo, Social Catfish, Intelius, etc.
4. Issue: Using background checks can have ethical and privacy concerns
   Solution: Check thoroughly if the service is FCRA-compliant and legally uses data. Use the services that offer data from public records and not private or intrusive information. Some of the sites also claim that they are not a consumer reporting agency and cannot be used for credit, tenant screening, or employment. Thus, at least ensure that the site provides such transparency.
5. Issue: Some sites may take forever to scan the input data to find results
   Solution: Reputable sites like the ones mentioned in this article may take anywhere between a minute and 15 minutes of time. The result time also depends on the type of search you are conducting. If your tool fails to give any output, retry it or simply switch to a better site.
6. Issue: Relying on a single source for all information
   Solution: Always cross-reference the results using two or more trusted platforms. Some of the criminal records could be misinformation, so you might be associating a person with a clean record with an offender. You can also access publicly available official records, which may be difficult to come by, but going through new blogs and official statements online can also be useful.
7. Issue: The tool is unable to return any results
   Solution: Test multiple tools and gather detailed information. If one of them fails to deliver any information, it’s not possible that even one of the 10 tools hasn’t picked up anything.

How to do a Background Check Without Third-Party Tools

Here’s how you can conduct a background check without using third-party tools:

• Google Their Full Name + City or Profession:

Use search tricks like John Doe, California, or John Doe Dentist on Google. You can also add some keywords, such as John Doe Arrest, John Doe Affair, John Doe Controversy, etc., to uncover the truth about their background.

• Search Social Media Profiles

Go through their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Look for inconsistencies in their details like name, age, photos, relationship status, and friends. These shall give you information on their lifestyle, occupation, a layer of their character, location, etc.

• Use Local Court Records or Government Databases

Some countries and states offer public with access to online databases. These databases include civil and criminal court records, restraining orders, arrests, and more. You might have to pay a small fee in certain places, while some countries offer it for free.

• Check Google Images

Use Google Images and try its reverse image lookup feature as well. You can do so by simply uploading an image and using the lens to reverse search it. This will bring up sites with their image, related links, and information.

• Look Up Property Records

The county assessor’s website lets people search who owns a property by name or address. This can help verify residential properties so you know if the person is telling the truth about their address.

• Go Through Reddit or Online Forums

This can help you find an individual’s important digital footprint. Looking through Reddit discussions and other platforms can help reveal their opinions on things and outlook on life or expose red flags.

• Check Sex Offender Registries

Search U.S. National or State-Specific names in the public sex offender database, such as US Department of Justice NSOPW website. Hence, you can steer yourself away from anyone found in these registers.

• Review Public Professional Licenses or Certifications

Some people may claim to be practicing doctors, lawyers, therapists, nurses, etc. You can check the national licensing board to verify their profession because a person lying about their job cannot be trusted.

• Check Business Ownership or Corporate Records

Go through websites like Secretary of State, they often provide public access so you can check business records. It can help you verify if someone owns or manages a company.

Dating Sites That Do Background Checks

Here are some of the dating apps that do a background check for the user’s safety. Their background checks might not be foolproof, so you still will have to do your part.

• The League: Once you set your preferences, this elite dating site scouts the right profiles for you. It performs a complete occupation background check and conducts other personal information searches using LinkedIn and Facebook. Only the individuals who meet the high standards make the cut.
• Raya: This is another exclusive dating site built for celebrities and millionaires. It might not accept ordinary folks, but if you are popular, for example, a well-known influencer with a good net worth, you can try it. A user is kept on the waiting list until the background check is completed, so you can trust this app.
• Match: It is one of the oldest dating sites in the US that is known to be a reliable platform and can be used by everyone. This site works with Gabro, which is a non-profit background check site, making Match a trustworthy dating platform.
• OurTime: This dating site is for single seniors and does an ID verification, so you cannot create a fake profile. It also has video features, and once you upgrade, you can exchange texts and make phone calls. The app itself acts as a communication medium, so you don’t have to give out your personal number.
• Plenty Of Fish: POF is a dating site for everyone that screens out fake profiles. To gain entry to this app, you have to clear a series of verification tests, and it offers safety measures before you go on your first date. Plenty Of Fish has partnered with Noonlight, which is an app that lets you log in the details of your upcoming date and share your location with family and friends.

FAQs

Verdict

After thoroughly tracking the performances of the above background check sites for dating, I found all of them helpful. However, these tools have their own strengths and drawbacks. Keeping all these in mind, I would like to recommend the top 3 tools that I have shortlisted:

• Spokeo: It provides a detailed background check, including wealth information. To keep you updated, Spokeo also sends out alerts when any changes or new information are added to the existing reports.
• Social Catfish: I was impressed with its number of different search parameters, including reverse image lookup. Hence, I could use any information to find details about a person. Moreover, its Search Specialist feature helps you gather in-depth background details that are not available on public records.
• Intelius: I found it reliable for criminal and traffic violation data, which helps users easily protect themselves from harmful individuals.