Free guide

How to check if someone you met online is real

Met someone on a dating app or social media? Free ways to check they’re real: a live video call, reverse image search, name and number checks, and the red flags to take seriously.

Most people you meet online are who they say they are. But fake profiles are common, and the scammers behind them can spend months building trust before they ask for anything. Scamwatch’s advice is blunt: never assume that someone you only know online is who they say they are (Scamwatch). These checks are free and take less than an hour.

1. The video call test

Ask for a live video call. A real person who likes you will make it happen. Scammers usually have a reason they can’t: the camera is broken, the connection is bad, they’re on an oil rig or deployed overseas. Both the FTC and Scamwatch list never being able to meet or video chat as a key warning sign (FTC, Scamwatch). On the call, ask them to do something unscripted, like wave or say a word you choose, which is harder to fake with recorded video.

2. Reverse image search their photos

Scammers often steal photos of real people. The FTC suggests a reverse image search of the profile picture: if it’s linked to another name or the details don’t match, that’s a sign of a scam (FTC). Try Google Lens, Bing Visual Search and TinEye. Our step-by-step guide shows how: how to reverse image search a dating profile.

3. Search their name, job and number

  • Search their name with the word “scam”, as Scamwatch recommends (Scamwatch).
  • Search their claimed job plus “scammer”, for example “oil rig scammer” or “US Army scammer” (FTC).
  • If they gave you a phone number, put it into our free scam phone number checker to see its country, whether it’s a mobile or landline, and any reports from other users. A number from a different country to where they say they live is worth asking about.

4. Look closely at the profile

Scamwatch lists signs of a fake profile: photos that look too professional or are blurry, an account that hasn’t been active long, very little personal information, and few connections, likes or comments from other people (Scamwatch).

5. Do their stories add up?

Keep notes. Watch for details that change (age, hometown, children’s names, job), a profile that doesn’t match what they tell you, or messages whose style suddenly shifts. Netsafe notes that sudden changes in communication style can mean several people are running the scam (Netsafe).

6. Pressure, secrecy and moving off the app

Be careful if they declare strong feelings very fast, push you to move from the dating app to WhatsApp, Telegram or another private chat, or ask you to keep the relationship secret (Scamwatch). Tell a friend or family member about them anyway; it’s often easier for someone else to spot what doesn’t add up.

7. Any request for money means stop

This is the clearest test of all. Scammers ask for help with medical bills, travel, visas, customs fees or a frozen account, or offer to teach you to invest in crypto. They want payment by wire transfer, gift cards, payment apps or cryptocurrency because it’s hard to get back (FTC). The FTC’s bottom line: never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person. See also 10 romance scam warning signs, military romance scams and crypto romance scams.

Want a second opinion?

Our AI-powered Romance Scam Check (US$29) takes your match’s photos, name, number and messages, reverse-searches the photos, checks the name and number against public scam reports and sends you a written risk rating with the warning signs found. The Personal plan (US$9/month) includes one romance check every month, plus breach alerts for your personal email addresses. If you’ve already sent money, read what to do if you sent money to a romance scammer.

Questions

Is a video call proof someone is real?

It’s one of the best simple tests, but not perfect. Scammers sometimes use pre-recorded or altered video. Ask them to do something you choose, like wave or say a word, and keep up the other checks.

They have no photos online when I reverse search them. Are they genuine?

Not necessarily. Scammers increasingly use less-public or AI-generated photos, so “no results” doesn’t prove someone is real.

Not sure about someone?

Take the free 10-question red-flag check, or get an AI-powered Romance Scam Check for US$29.

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General information only, not legal or financial advice. ImposterWatch is operated by Cloud Investments FZE (UAE) and is not a background check or private investigator service.