Catfish Finder: Check a Dating Profile's Photos by Face

A catfish finder checks whether the photos on a profile belong to the person using them. You upload one photo and a face search looks for the same face on public web pages, so you can see whether it appears somewhere under another name.

No. Most dating-app profiles are shown only to members inside the app, so no web search, ours included, can list them. A face search covers public web pages, such as public social media profiles and sites where photos are reused.

It is a strong warning sign. Catfish often use photos taken from someone else's social media, a model's portfolio or a stock site. Compare the names, dates and accounts on each page, and send no money or personal details until the person can show who they are.

No match is not proof that someone is real. Their photos may simply not be on the public web, or the pictures may never have been published anywhere. Treat it as one check: a live video call and a few details you can confirm independently are stronger evidence than any single search.

They answer different questions. A reverse image search finds copies of the same picture. A face search finds the same face, even in a different photo, which matters when a catfish uses several pictures of one stolen identity. Running both is the most thorough check.

No. Nobody is contacted or notified, and uploaded photos are deleted within 24 hours.

Stop contact, send no money, and report the profile on the app or site where you met. If you have lost money, report it to the police and, in the US, to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If the stolen photos are yours, you can ask the sites using them to take them down.