In the age of global digitalization and social media, a simple Google search can reveal a lot of information about your future date, including criminal charges or a secret husband or wife.
Top 4 Reasons Why You Should Do a Background Check Before Dating
Running a background check before your first date is no longer considered invasive or outlandish. On the contrary, it’s a necessary precaution that everybody should take. Here is why.
1. Because You Can
Everyone with an internet connection should try to find some preliminary information about the person they are planning to start dating. There are many pre-dating background checking apps and websites to use.
Tinder Has Launched In-app Background Checks
One of the largest online dating and casual sex apps, Tinder, has unveiled a new functionality: in-app background checks.
You need the person’s phone number and name to run the check, but it won’t show drug-related records.
Stud or Dud Can Spare You a Ton of Troubles
The mobile app Stud or Dud can help you find out your potential date’s true age and if they have had troubles with the law.
The app scrapes gigabytes of online data per second and reveals one’s financial, property and work status, as long as there’s a record of it online.
Online Background Check Apps
There are many online apps that allow you to check your potential mate instantly. You might even get full access to its database for as little as a dollar.
The reverse phone number check is one of the most useful features. It will help you discover if your future date has built a fake online identity.
2. Pre-dating Background Checks Can Help You Verify Data
Before moving your online relationship into the brick-and-mortar world, you may want to cross-check the information you’ve received from your future date.
Even if you only use your browser’s search engine to perform a background check on your love interest, it can still help you cross-check key personal details they have shared with you.
If you notice any striking discrepancies, you’d better ghost before it’s too late.
3. Pre-dating Background Checks Are Essential to Your Safety
If you don’t take the time to check the person you are going to meet, you may run into many troubles later. Stalking is just the tip of the iceberg, mind you.
Predators use several phone numbers and fake pics to build different online dating identities and cajole naïve girls into a suffocating web of lies.
Many free online background check sites are good enough to reveal suspicious activities and mismatching information.
4. A Preliminary Online Search Can Help You Prepare for Your Date
Suppose your future date mentioned they were into art or writing but, out of sheer modesty, did not reveal more details.
A pre-date background check may reveal that they are a promising writer or a budding contemporary artist. You can use the collected information as a conversation starter or ice breaker during the date.
How to Interpret the Results of a Pre-date Online Check?
Not everything an online check on your future date has revealed is a red flag. Here’s how to correctly interpret the results the site or app has generated.
They are Married
Not necessarily a red flag. They may be in the process of separation or divorce. However, it’s definitely a question you need to consider.
They Have Children
Single parents sometimes withhold this fact while flirting online. If you are not ready to accept them and their offspring, you can take measures.
They are Neck-deep in Debt
If they can’t manage their personal finances, how can you trust them to pay a mortgage or raise children together?
Excessive debt might be a good reason to close communication channels. They might keep plummeting into debt and you will face liability as their partner.
No Information Online
If you come across such a person, you might be tempted to walk away. They could be paranoid about their privacy. They are not necessarily untrustworthy.
Google Yourself before Going on a Date
Finally, it’s a good idea to carry a background check on yourself after googling the guy or girl you are going to meet.
You should not rule out the possibility of being checked by your future date. So, do check what information about you is accessible online. If the results are unpleasant, it’s time to take measures, like revising your privacy settings on Facebook or Instagram.
