Swindler Buster Review and Alternatives (Free & Paid)
Katherine Young
Wondering why SwindlerBuster is no longer working? Well, if you visited it recently, you will see that SwindlerBuster now redirects to the Social Catfish website because it has stopped using its own database. The site now relies on third-party sites hence, we have created this article listing its best alternatives. Before we move ahead, it is highly important to use a reliable people verification site, because an ordinary tool may provide outdated data, mislead you by offering false information, or have a limited database. I also come across apps that have a lot of missing data, highly inefficient search speed that lasts for hours or even days, and some even misuse personal information, such as login and payment details.
Therefore, I decided to spend over 180 hours going through 32+ SwindlerBuster-like sites and shortlisted the 7 best tools. This review article is backed by my firsthand experience and completely unbiased opinion. You can now dive into this article and find the suitable tool for your requirements. Read more…
Best SwindlerBuster Alternatives: Top Picks!
| Tool Name | Key Features | Free Trial/ Moneyback Guarantee | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spokeo | • Alerts for updates on reports • Billions of records • Instant search |
$0.95/7-day paid trial | Learn More |
| Social Catfish | • Reverse Image search • Linked social media • Search filters |
$5.73/3-day Paid Trial | Learn More |
| Intelius | • Phone number lookup • People directory • Reverse address lookup |
$0.95/5-day paid trial | Learn More |
| BeenVerified | • IP lookup • Genealogy research • Username lookup |
$1/7-day paid trial | Learn More |
| PeopleSmart | • Reverse email lookup • Chrome extension • Personal & Work data |
$1/7-day paid trial | Learn More |
1) Spokeo
Spokeo stands out as a powerful search engine that gathers its data from publicly available sources. So, if you want to confirm whether your partner has secret contact numbers or social media accounts, Spokeo is the right place to start. It goes through over 120 social networks therefore, it can help you uncover Tinder, Bumble, profiles, etc., within a few minutes.
It is an excellent alternative to SwindlerBuster and offers multiple search options. You can use its name, phone number, email, address, and username search to gather comprehensive data. I was able to help a friend find out if their online date was genuine with the help of Spokeo. Hence, I’d recommend it for background verifications as well.
Features:
- Social Media: Spokeo can scan 120+ social networks and includes 6 billion consumer records, 3.9 billion historical records, and more. I not only found usernames and linked profiles, but it also showed me images and comments of the person. Although the number of images is quite limited, unlike a regular search engine.
- Reverse Phone Lookup: I was able to trace several unknown callers and even find additional linked numbers of an individual using Spokeo. This enables you to look up those secret callers of the wee hours on your partner’s phone. Additionally, it can be useful for detecting spam and scammers.
- Email Search: Its email search reveals all the linked accounts, including dating apps. If the social network search doesn’t bring up your target person’s Tinder, then reverse email lookup is also a good option. In fact, I could also determine some email addresses’ validity using this SwindlerBuster Alternative.
- Address Lookup: All I had to do was enter the address of the person to find out if it was really associated with them. The site showed me the current and past owners of the residential property. I could also see who the tenants were in the past and who currently reside in it. Thus, if you want to see if your online date really lives in the said location, this is an excellent way to confirm it.
- Related People: You can take multiple routes of research using Spokeo. It shows the potential relatives and linked people along with their contacts. Such information can help you conduct further investigation by contacting the relatives. In one particular search, I even came across the person’s old linkup.
- Background Check: Its comprehensive reports include multiple background information such as the DOB, gender assigned at birth, criminal records, occupation, education history, etc. You will also find their wealth information, hence, if your spouse made any property purchase without your knowledge, it will be listed here.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the plans offered by Spokeo:
| 7-day Trial | 1 Month |
|---|---|
| $0.95 | $29.95 |
Free Trial: No, only easy cancellation available.
7-Day Trial for $0.95
2) Social Catfish
Social Catfish is another robust SwindlerBuster alternative that is great for finding people’s linked dating apps. Apart from name, email, phone number, username, and address, it also includes an image lookup feature. I used it to help a friend who was struggling to find out if their partner was really getting work calls or if it was someone else.
There was multiple information on the linked social profiles, phone numbers, addresses, etc. It also showed me the dating profiles that the person’s email ID was linked to. However, fortunately, this was an outdated profile. Although everything else was current and accurate when my friend and I verified it.
Features:
- Reverse Image Lookup: I put the reverse image lookup to test and found multiple information. For example, other related images of the person, sites where their images appear, etc. Therefore, it also helps you verify if a profile picture is real, a stock image, or a stolen identity. However, make sure you use pictures where the person’s face is clearly visible, front-facing, and has no distractions in the background or is heavily accessorized.
- Linked Social Media: This feature put my cousin’s worries to rest. I helped them find out whether their online date was a catfish or a genuine person. It showed us their Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tinder, Hinge, and many other linked social networks for easy verification. Moreover, I found related images and videos as well while conducting this search.
- Search Filters: The search filters offered by Social Catfish really help narrow down the results. These filters include state, age, city, middle name, address, possible family member, etc. Using these filters and identifiers, you can easily find the correct individual among the search results.
- Detailed Background Data: People can utilize this search for safety and avoid possible scammers. I found several details regarding a person’s background, such as criminal history, which included DUI, sexual offenses, arrests, charges, etc. It also showed me their occupation, education history, related scandals, real DOB, and much more.
- Address Search: For example, if you want to verify someone’s address or find out if your target individual has a second family, Social Catfish can be an ideal tool. Many times, just looking for a Tinder profile doesn’t clear the air. Therefore, I would suggest you use multiple techniques on Social Catfish since these methods, like address search, give both past and current residential locations.
- Search Specialist: This is one of the unique features offered by Social Catfish. You can use this option to hire a professional investigator to verify an individual. For research, I got on a call with a professional for 20 minutes who provided me with insights. This option even helps you track an IP address, teaches you to detect discrepancies, offers unlimited image search, etc.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the plans offered by Social Catfish:
| 3-Day Trial Social Search | 3-Day Trial Image Search | Monthly Social Search |
|---|---|---|
| $5.73 | $6.87 | $27.48 |
Free Trial: No, you can contact support for refund inquiries.
3-Day Trial at $5.73
3) Intelius
Intelius is easy to use and offers results instantly. It has three different search parameters, name, phone number, and email address. I found it to be an excellent choice for people who want to do a quick background check on someone, for example, a new roommate, a tenant, etc. You can also use it to find the linked dating apps of a person, hence, it can be a good alternative to SwindlerBuster.
I tested it by looking up a friend of mine since I already knew they were on Tinder. Intelius was quite fast in uncovering their details and provided me with accurate results. However, its database is slightly smaller than the other two sites mentioned above. Thus, there were a few data gaps in some of the reports.
Features:
- Caller Information: Wondering who is calling your partner constantly, and they are giving you vague answers? Well, Intelius can tell you exactly who it belongs to with details such as name, age, gender, occupation, address, etc. I urge you to verify the data, since at times I found some outdated information on Intelius.
- Criminal &Traffic Records: It can dig up several criminal, court, and traffic records. I came across multiple red flags while looking up a certain someone as requested by my friend. It showed me their shoplifting fines, DUIs, pending court orders, etc. Thus, you can use it to protect your loved ones from meeting dangerous individuals online.
- Reverse Address Lookup: You can look up a property and find out details on it, such as the current and previous owners and tenants. I could also see the property value, street, county, zip code, and more. Therefore, if anyone is lying about their address, such as– an online connection, you can use this feature to verify it.
- Search Sources: Intelius provides an anonymous lookup and uses sources such as federal, state, and county data. Therefore, you will receive publicly available information collected from trusted sources. Even with a smaller database, it gets the job done, so it wasn’t a wasted effort when I looked up some of the individuals.
- People Directory: You get both the first name and the last name directory, A to Z. This makes the search simpler and easier, since, within just a few taps, I was able to gather a massive amount of details on a business owner. It can also be a helpful tool for journalists who want to conduct some research on public figures.
- Phone Directory: It includes a phone directory with all area codes, so you can look up any US number. I was able to view the prefixes, number of cellphones, city, carrier, number type, and much more. Thus, just using the area code itself, I gathered several information on a number.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here’s what Intelius offers for its users:
| 5-day Trial | 7 Day Trial Address Lookup + People Search | People Search |
|---|---|---|
| $0.95 | $0.95 | $25.11 |
Free Trial: No free trial, and you can contact support regarding refund queries.
5-Day Trial for $0.95
4) BeenVerified
BeenVerified is a comprehensive background check tool that is designed to uncover several details about an individual. As its name suggests, it’s basically designed for verifying people. My friend was really hung up on her recent ex and wasn’t ready to believe how shady their behavior was. Therefore, I took it upon myself to get her over them by doing a little background check.
Using BeenVerified, I could help her confirm that her ex was indeed using multiple dating apps and had aliases she didn’t know about. Its insightful reports also included contact details, employment history, email addresses, social media profiles, etc.
Features:
- Username Search: Its username search brings up social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, etc. I also found linked accounts with apps like WeChat, TikTok, Snapchat, Douyin, Twitter, Pinterest, Sina Weibo, and more.
- Reverse Number Lookup: With the help of BeenVerified’s reverse number lookup, I was able to monitor my minor’s dating scene. You can’t really expect a 16-year-old not to rebel; therefore, I had to look up their crush, whom they were texting 24/7. Luckily, I could protect my kid from a 27-year-old predator who was posing as a teenager.
- Reverse Email Lookup: A work friend was quite worked up about their partner, as they saw an email from Tinder in their spouse’s inbox. Hence, I decided to look up their partner’s email ID and confirm if they really were on Tinder. Beenverified dug up the individual’s linked social networks and confirmed that they were indeed on Tinder.
- Genealogy Research: Along with background information, you can also explore a person’s family history with this tool. It brings up ancestor profiles, historical documents, and photographs. A certain blogger whom I know writes about dating mishaps mentioned that they used BeenVerified’s genealogy research. This led them to find out that their date made up stories about fake family members.
- VIN Number Search: One of the unique features that this site offers is a vehicle number lookup. You can use it for a deeper investigation in cases when you need to look up vehicle incident records. It also helps you identify stolen cars, which can be helpful for additional research.
- IP Lookup: You can use IP lookup and verify if your Tinder date is lying about their location. It shows you the city, state, region, zip code, timezone, and country of an individual. I also noticed that it reveals the risk score, hostname, ISP/ organization, connection type, and other information.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are some of the plans offered by Beenverified:
| 7-day Trial | 3 Months | 1 Month |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | $23.9 | $36.78 |
Free Trial: No free trial, but refunds are offered if you are unsatisfied, and it may take up to 10 days, depending on the bank.
7-Day Trial for $1
5) PeopleSmart
PeopleSmart is a well-known site for finding professional contacts. However, I find it quite helpful in looking up an individual’s information. It offers a person, phone, email, and username lookup. The search option provides filters like company name and state. You may also add job title, industry, and seniority for better accuracy.
I tested this with a colleague of mine, with consent, and PeopleSmart gave me their work and personal email. Additionally, I received multiple contact numbers, company insight, social profiles, education history, and more. Hence, it is great for creating a lead email list, but also useful for finding out background details.
Features:
- Phone Reverse Lookup: The reverse phone number lookup uncovers the owner’s name and their other contact numbers. I was also able to view linked social media accounts and some apps. You may also come across a few photos of the individual in this search.
- Contacts Dashboard: On your dashboard, you can save the retrieved reports and manage a list of contacts for future reference. I could also easily export them, download them in a PDF format, or even remove the contacts that were outdated.
- Confidence Score: It’s easy to get overwhelmed with a lot of data, therefore, PeopleSmart offers a confidence score. With options like “Best Match“, you can go through the results and find the right information. Unlike other tools, where you might have to go through multiple reports before finding the correct person.
- Update Alerts: I enabled its notifications and received update alerts whenever new information or changes occurred in the existing report. This keeps your data fresh, hence, if a person changes their contact number or creates a new social account, you can view it instantly.
- Confidential Search: All the searches of PeopleSmart are anonymous and confidential. Thus, the person is never notified, no matter how many times you look them up. To test this out, I looked up myself, my friends, and family members– none of us received any email or SMS whatsoever.
- Chrome Extension: Instead of continuously conducting a search on the site, you can also download its Chrome Extension. I used it to quickly look up details on LinkedIn. However, the extension isn’t designed for dating apps. Thus, for such information, you will have to conduct an email/name/phone number lookup.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the most affordable plans offered by PeopleSmart:
| 7-day trial | Professional/Month | Business |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | $69 | $99 |
Free Trial: No, but you can contact support for a refund if you are unsatisfied with the service.
7-Days Trial for $1
6) PeopleLooker
PeopleLooker is a people’s background research tool. It is used both for professional and personal use cases. I liked the fact that it can provide information on some of the top dating apps in the US. Which makes it an excellent alternative to SwindlerBuster. Hence, even if your partner or any target person is using a niche dating site, it will show up on PeopleLooker.
A few years back, my friend had a huge crush on her colleague, whom they wanted to have a casual check on. My friend, being old-school, said they wouldn’t go further if their colleague were already on a dating app. I helped them using PeopleLooker and found their crushes’ social profiles, plus OK Cupid and Tinder accounts.
Features:
- Search Parameters: It offers people, phone numbers, email lookup, username, address, B2B, and unclaimed money. You can use all of these searches to find valuable information on an individual.
- Contact Information: Using PeopleLooker, I was able to verify the phone number, email address, current and past residential location, and more. At times, you might find a few outdated contact information. However, the site does update the information, so give it a few days.
- Dating Sites: I found multiple dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, POF, Match.com, Grindr, OKCupid, Hinge, Zoosk, Meet Me, etc. It shows all the profiles of an individual, including photos, which is impressive and the best way to verify.
- Social Media: PeopleLooker can bring up accounts of individuals from several social media sites. It gives details on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Tumblr, Google Hangouts, TikTok, Skype, and many more. It also brings up the images used by the individual on these social profiles.
- Relatives and Associates: It can identify family members, relatives, neighbors, flatmates, spouse, exes, and other associates. This information helped my friend find out that their new flatmate was a second cousin of an ex-classmate. Thus, this information can be quite helpful if an individual’s reports have some data gaps.
- Criminal Records: Wondering if a person you met online or if your blind date is safe to meet up with? Then, conduct a background search before trusting them. PeopleLooker can access federal, state, and local criminal databases. It also aggregates publicly available court documents, civil lawsuits, bankruptcies, judgments, and liens.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the plans provided by PeopleLooker:
| 7-day Trial | 1 Month | 3 Months |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | $26.89 | $64.53 |
Free Trial: No, but a refund is considered on a case-by-case basis. Contact the support for a refund.
7-Day Trial for $1
7) mSpy
mSpy, unlike other tools in this list, is a parental monitoring app. It is a phone spy tool that helps you track an individual’s online activities in stealth mode. You can gather all the details, such as call logs, SMS, social media chats, and more. I was amazed by its ability to track real time location, deleted text access, etc. Thus, it enables you to keep your minors safe and also helps catch a cheating partner.
However, although it is quite robust, mSpy is an intrusive app and should be used only on your kids and adult family members with consent. I found it helpful not only to protect my teen but also my grandparents, since it is quite easy to scam elderly people. Thus, I track their call log and help avoid scammers.
Features:
- Calls and SMS: mSpy can track every incoming and outgoing call and SMS. It provides the details of the caller and the receiver with timestamps. I was also able to view deleted calls from call logs and archived messages. You can also view the media and links shared in the chats, which provide clear context.
- Social Media Tracking: Whether you want to track Messenger, Insta DMs, Snapchat, WhatsApp, TikTok, etc., mSpy gives you a detailed insight. Using it to view my teens’ chats, I was able to see who they were chatting with on each app at what time. It also shows the images and videos that are shared along with emojis and website links that are sent and received.
- Dating Sites: This SwindlerBuster alternative can also track the chats on dating apps such as Tinder. Therefore, user who want to find out if their spouse is secretly using a dating app can gather solid proof. I could also view the matches of an individual while testing mSpy, which adds better details.
- GPS and Geofencing: It helps you track your live location and offers a route history as well. I could also set geo-fences for my kids’ safety, hence, every time they left the safe zone, I was alerted immediately. You can also use this to track the arrival and departure of your partner from the places they visit.
- Internet Activity: mSpy gives access to browsing history, bookmarked websites, and connected Wi-Fi networks. You can also block sites that you do not want your kid to visit or stop them from connecting to certain networks for safety. This also helps you find out if they are using some apps on the browser instead of installing them on the device.
- Remote Control: You can set a keylogger to get updates on what is being typed on the device, including passwords. I was also able to install, delete, and block apps on my kid’s smartphone. Additionally, it helped me screenrecord to get a view of their screen’s activity, which offers additional details that app tracking might miss.
Pros
Cons
Pricing:
Here are the affordable plans offered by mSpy:
| 12 Months | 3 Months | 1 Month |
|---|---|---|
| $11.66/month | $27.99/Month | $48.99 |
Free Trial: No, but it has a free demo and offers a 14-day money-back guarantee; T&C apply.
14-Days Money-Back Guarantee
Comparison Table: SwindlerBuster Review and Alternatives
In this section, I have given a quick comparison table for you to look at the features of the above tools:
How did We Select the Best SwindlerBuster Alternative?
Guru99’s review on people verification and phone monitoring apps is conducted by 15+ years of experienced experts. We spent 180+ hours evaluating more than 32 SwindlerBuster alternatives to ensure a firsthand, unbiased opinion. All of our recommendations are based on in-depth independent research, which helps the readers choose the best tools. Here are some of the important points that we focused on while reviewing these sites and tools:
- In-depth Research: We examined each platform’s background check accuracy and verification methods, along with privacy protocols.
- Source Reliability: Our team prioritized tools that offer consistent, updated information after thorough verification.
- Security Standards: The team made sure to check the security standards, such as compliance with privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA.
- User Experience: We selected tools that are easy to use and provide a simple dashboard with an intuitive interface, and are highly responsive.
- Pricing: Our reviewers always put readers first; hence, we looked into the plans and subscriptions. Thus, making sure we add tools and sites with trials and a refund policy in place.
- User Feedback: The researchers also made sure to go through multiple reviews and ratings that were made by genuine users to include only reliable and high-success rate tools.
What is SwindlerBuster and How Does it Work?
SwindlerBuster is a people verification tool that was created to catch cheaters and identify catfishers. It can uncover Tinder profiles and other dating platforms, contact numbers, related images to the individual, and other details. This site works by searching the publicly available data. Although the accuracy might vary due to the size of its database, and sometimes because of a few outdated information. However, currently it is no longer active and its site redirects to Social Catfish, another reverse lookup site similar to SwindlerBuster.
How to Verify Site Data Accuracy and Legality?
I am sharing 6 important pointers that will help you verify the site data accuracy and legality when it comes to reverse lookup:
- Source Transparency: First, check where the site’s data originates from and how often they are updated. A reliable site shows a verified public and licensed database with transparency and explains the collection methods.
- Cross-Check: Every report you obtain from these sites must be cross-checked, such as names, addresses, numbers, etc., across multiple reputable databases.
- Review Legal Policy: You must read the terms and conditions, privacy statements, and disclaimers thoroughly. Additionally, ensure that the platform follows data protection laws and avoids sharing any personal information with third-party sites. Moreover, look for options like “Opt out” and “Do not sell my data” for easy data removal.
- Jurisdiction Compliance: Make sure to confirm that the usage aligns with the local laws, such as GDPR, CCPA, FCRA, etc. These laws depend on the country and region you are residing.
- Read Disclaimers: Go through the accuracy limitation and usage disclaimer. These websites usually put out information on how their data needs to be cross-verified to prevent misuse and avoid issues related to inaccurate information.
- Reviews: Always check reviews and ratings on trusted sites, and read customer feedback and ratings to find out if the tool is really reliable.
What Ethical Guidelines To Follow While Using SwindlerBuster Alternatives?
The important ethical guidelines that you must follow while using SwindlerBuster alternatives are:
- Respect Privacy: Do not share any personal information of anyone publicly.
- Verify Information: Cross-verify the information found in the search reports before you make claims and accusations.
- Avoid Bias: Remain neutral while researching without resorting to personal grudges or favoritism, which can distort truth and cloud your judgment.
- Respect Boundaries: Do not look up people unnecessarily or use their contact information to get in touch or harass them. Even if you need to call or message them, having a genuine reason and being polite is mandatory.
- Educate, Not Gossip: With the help of these tools, you must educate yourself with the information. Use this data to keep yourself and your loved ones safe and informed, rather than using it to find something on someone to gossip.
In addition to the above points, “Dr. Sarah Roberts, Associate Professor of Information Studies, UCLA,” says – “Accuracy and ethical use are the cornerstones of any people verification tool. Users must always cross-check information from multiple sources and respect privacy boundaries to ensure their searches protect, not harm.”
Verdict
After thorough research, I must say that all of the sites and tools above offer reliable information most of the time. Although cross-validation is always required when it comes to people lookup sites. As for mSpy, apply caution while using it and do not install it on anyone’s device other than your family members with consent. Although I did like all of the tools above, here are my top three SwindlerBuster alternatives:
- Spokeo:This is my top pick since it offers a comprehensive search report and quick results. I was also impressed with its paid trial, which is the lowest among all the sites in the list, and it lasts for 7-days.
- Social Catfish: Its unique reverse image lookup search parameter and an expert investigator option are truly helpful. Hence, people who need extra search assistance can use this site.
- Intelius: I especially liked Intelius’ phone number lookup due to the accuracy in the reports. Although its other search features are also quite robust.
