Dating in today’s world can be difficult, and the prevalence of dating apps full of questionable profiles doesn’t make it any easier. Meeting someone online or during your day can seem promising, but it may be hard to get a complete picture of a person’s history and any potential red flags before a first date.
In these cases, a dating background check can be helpful to uncover any important information that your date may have neglected to mention and to determine if they are safe to be around.
This article will tell you more about dating background checks and what these reports might show you. We’ll also discuss the best methods to start a dating background check so that you can stay informed about the individuals you spend your time with. Read on to learn more!
Why Are Background Checks Used in Dating?
Background checks are most commonly used when individuals are applying for jobs or other opportunities that have them working directly with vulnerable populations, heavy machinery, or driving. However, background checks can also be incredibly helpful in dating. Performing a background check on someone before you go out to meet them can help you determine whether or not they are a good match for you and ensure your safety throughout the date.
A dating background check can turn up essential information about the individual you are planning to meet. These searches will show criminal history records, civil records such as marriage and divorce information, previous and current address history, and any known relatives, spouses, and friends. As you review this information, you can determine if the person you are planning to date is being honest about their identity and history and whether or not it is a good idea to go out with them.
You may also see if they are keeping information about a spouse, family, or criminal history hidden from you. Again, it can feel weird looking up this information without the individual knowing about it, but these steps are often essential to making sure you stay safe and out of unpleasant situations when dating.
Is It Legal To Run a Background Check on Your Date?
It can feel a bit uncomfortable to run a background check on your date without them knowing, but there is no law saying that you can’t search for basic public information about a person. While many individuals may feel strange looking up someone’s personal data, a dating background check can be incredibly helpful in narrowing down your dating options and ensuring your safety before you go out to meet someone new.
As long as you keep the information you find to yourself and don’t use it to harass, stalk, or plan a crime, then dating background checks are not only legal but sensible.
Methods for Dating Background Checks
There are a few different methods that you can utilize for dating background checks. It’s a good idea to perform these searches before your first date, as they will give you a better idea of whether or not someone is a good match for you.
Learning background information about potential partners can also save you stress and time when it comes to narrowing down your options for dates.
Reverse Phone Lookups
One of the easiest and most effective ways to run a background check on a date is to utilize their phone number in a reserve phone lookup tool like the one on Information.com. Simply input the phone number of the person you are trying to check, run the search, and then review the results.
All the information that will be returned to you is taken from public records and online accounts associated with that phone number. You should be able to see criminal history, civil history such as marriage and divorce records, current and previous addresses, and any known relatives, friends, associates, or spouses that the person has.
Reviewing this information can tell you if the person you are researching has been lying to you about their history or if they haven’t been honest about criminal and civil problems in their past.
Social Media
A social media search is another great way to narrow down important information about an individual. Many people will initially connect on social media before setting up a date, giving you a chance to go through their history and vet them carefully.
However, you should remember that you may need to be active friends or connected with someone on social media to search through their information properly and that some people aren’t entirely truthful when creating online accounts. Some individuals may even have alternate accounts for dating versus everyday use.
Be careful and use your common sense when going through social media websites, and be aware that some sites aren’t anonymous—this may not be the best if you want to keep your background checking activities a secret.
Mutual Friends and Family
Sometimes, the person you plan on going on a date with will have mutual friends and family with you. This is more common when you meet someone in person or at a friendly gathering, but you may also have mutual friends and family with online dating matches.
Ask around the people that know both of you for information on someone, but be aware that it could get back to your date that you’ve been asking around about them. Additionally, your mutual friends might not know the nuances of a person’s criminal and civil history. This is where it’s great to supplement with something like a reverse phone search to fill in the gaps of what you don’t know.
Check Sex Offender Registries
While most background check websites and reverse phone lookup tools will show information from sex offender registries, you may want to perform a direct search on publicly available sex offender information. Use a free sex offender search such as this to help you search by name and location to verify your date.
Keeping Yourself Safe and Enjoying Your Dates
Dating can be stressful, especially in today’s world of online dating, which brings both well-intentioned people and those who may have more sinister intentions together. So whether you meet a potential date in real life or online, it’s important to stay informed about who you’re spending your time with and ensure your personal safety.
Dating background checks are a great way to ensure that a person is who they say they are, that there are no major hidden red flags and that you can enjoy your date knowing you’re with someone you can trust.
