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Reverse Scammer Image Search: 3 Ways to Verify Someone’s Identity

clock Updated: May 25, 2023

Reverse Scammer Image Search: 3 Ways to Verify Someone’s Identity

Find & Verify Someone’s Identity With A Picture.

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Have you met someone online and worried that they could be a scammer? Maybe they are asking you to transfer money to them because of some unpleasant situations they land into, or they’re dropping the L-word when you’ve only talked to each other for days.

Whenever in doubt, you can start with a reverse image search to verify if your new online friend is really who they claim they are. And here’s how…

Before you tease it out, make sure you stay your distance from the individual – physically and emotionally. Scammers are notorious for pulling at emotional heartstrings to achieve their gain. It’s better safe than sorry.

1. Social Catfish

Social Catfish should be your go-to option to verify a photo and the person who uses it. With its own proprietary technology, the website allows you to upload an image, then it scans hundreds of social media sites and public forums, tracks down the online profiles, and runs an information check on the found information. The service even gives you a heads-up if the person is a scammer.

  1. Go to Social Catfish Reverse Image Search.
  2. Upload the photo whose owner you wish to find out, then click Search.
  3. Within minutes, you’ll receive a detailed report about the person you searched. This usually includes their personal info, social media accounts, job history, and criminal records if available.
Can’t find what you need or want help for your search? Consider contacting a Search Specialist at Social Catfish. They’re a crew of private investigators that leave no stone unturned to help you get the results you need and give you some much-needed peace of mind.

Google is more than a keyword search engine. So far, it provides us with two methods for looking up a photo. Namely, Search image with Google lens, and reverse image search:

Google reverse image search

Google reverse image search allows you to upload a photo from your device, then it returns results that are exactly the same or visually similar. From there, you can track down the origin of an image and see if your online friend’s story adds up.

Here is how to run a Google reverse image search:

  1. Go to Google reverse image search.
  2. Click the camera icon.
  3. You can click to paste the URL of the image or upload the photo from your computer. Once the photo has been uploaded, click Search by image.
  4. See if Google returns to you the same or similar photos. Then click on each link to see if you can trace the source of the photo.

Search image with Google lens

If you’ve come across a photo online and want to find out where it originates, you can get a peek quickly with the Search image with Google lens feature. All you need to do is right-click on the photo, then click Search image with Google Lens.

3. TinEye

TinEye is another nice option to help you find out if a photo is fake. As a company that specializes in image search and recognition technology, the tool is able to quickly identify a photo and find out all sites where it is posted. The results also include the dates of these posts, which could help you determine the source of the picture and well as the validity of your friend’s online profile.

  1. Go to TinEye official website.
  2. Choose Upload to upload the image, or, you can paste the URL of the image. Then click the magnifying icon to search.
  3. In a millisecond, TinEye will present you with all the results where the photo appears.

Online dating vector created by pch.vector – www.freepik.com

exclamation-blueThere’s no guarantee you’ll find the information you’re looking for with the tools discussed in this article. They all source their information from publicly available data sources, such as county, state and federal courts, government departments, and police records, and those sources may contain incorrect or incomplete data. It’s illegal to use these tools to make decisions about employment, admission, consumer credit, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. Read the Fair Credit Reporting Act to learn more....

About this article

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Meet Enya – a passionate content writer who loves crafting insightful and helpful articles. Since 2018, she's built a reputation as a reliable source of knowledge. She explores topics far and wide, from online dating and people search tools to new streaming platforms to identity theft protection services and the latest tech.

When researching, Enya digs in deep. She sees to it that every article is backed by first-hand testing, rigorous analysis, and/or thorough investigation. Her commitment to in-depth research and comprehensive testing ensures her articles deliver trusted guidance readers can count on.

Embracing both quiet and thrill, Enya is a reserved extrovert who happily cruises between me time and socializing. Outside of writing, you can find her soaking up sights and sounds, chilling with friends or lost in a good book.

About this article

round-success 56 Revisions

file-success Reviewed by Social Catfish

Enya Zhang

Writer

Meet Enya – a passionate content writer who loves crafting insightful and helpful articles. Since 2018, she's built a reputation as a reliable source of knowledge. She explores topics far and wide, from online dating and people search tools to new streaming platforms to identity theft protection services and the latest tech. When researching, Enya digs in deep. She sees to it that every article is backed by firs [...]

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