Conduct a Dating Background Check and Stay Safe

Michelle Wilson - September 20, 2019

The world of dating has changed. With online matching services, classified ads, and social media, it’s easier than ever to meet the ‘match of your dreams.’ But how do you know the person you’re dating (or about to go on a first date with) is actually who he or she says they are?

Online, it’s easy to be anyone you want to be. A person can make up a fake profile, list their age as 20 years younger (than what it really is), and use a fake picture and then connect with unsuspecting men and women.

It’s a dangerous age to live in as far as that’s concerned, which is why running a dating background check can (and is) such a good idea for men and women who wish to protect themselves. CheckPeople.com is a great resource for this exact type of search.

Stay Safer Out on Dates

One of the most effective ways to stay safer when you’re out dating is to know as much as you can about the person sitting across from you at the dinner table. Whether you meet somebody online or in person, whether it’s a coworker or a complete stranger you bumped into at the gym or grocery store, conducting a dating background check is a responsible and reasonable way to understand if this person is being honest about who they are.

Unfortunately, there are many, many people — both men and women, but predominantly men — who create fake profiles online, prey on unsuspecting victims, and create an entirely fictitious background to lure somebody in, convincing them that they are the absolute perfect person for them.

Then they meet in person, go on a date, and maybe even build a semblance of a relationship, but then things don’t start to add up; they don’t align with what they said about themselves, and those revelations don’t make sense.

Before you reach that point in any budding relationship or a first date, conducting a dating background check is a reasonable option to help you understand whether this person is genuinely who he or she says they are. It allows you to be safer when going on dates.

Discover If the ‘Person of Your Dreams’ Is the Dream or the Nightmare

Have you ever encountered somebody online, through a dating service or mutual friends or acquaintances, who seemed to be the absolute best match you could ever hope for? You may have opened up in an email conversation thread or connected on Facebook and Instant Messenger one another shared intimate details and believed you knew them, only to discover months later they aren’t really who they seemed to be.

But you started texting, and he said all the right things, complimented you at all the right times and seemed to know the perfect words to say at the right times. He was, in truth, the man of your dreams, but most of those conversations were hidden in the guise of digital formats, including email.

How much time (did you or) are you going to invest in this relationship? The average time that a person dates another individual before they realize if he or she is right for a lifetime commitment is between 1 ½ in 2 years. With a divorce rate now over 50 percent, even that’s no guarantee.

That’s a lot of time to commit to somebody else, especially if you don’t know the truth about their past, their personality, and their life.

Conducting a dating background check could potentially save you those years if you discover the person who is saying all the right things, who seems larger-than-life, better than you could ever have hoped for was really lying all that time.

It Doesn’t Have to Be a Flagrant Lie

Even if somebody is not being deliberately dishonest, but perhaps is hiding something from their past they don’t want you to know about, at least not yet, don’t you have the right to know?

For example, what if this date was a convicted felon but never said anything about their criminal history? They may very well have turned their life around and have absolutely nothing to do with that previous part of them, but you deserve to know what has happened in their past before committing time to them.

The more you know about a person’s background, especially the information they may not be as willing and comfortable sharing right away, the more equipped you can be to determine if this is something you wish to move forward with and it can also help keep you safer. Even an omission is a lie and when somebody lies to you from the beginning, once they get to know you better and begin developing a stronger relationship, lying will simply become easier and they may very well lie about more than “simple and innocent things.”

What Can You Find Out Running a Dating Background Check?

A simple dating background check through a reliable and reputable company like CheckPeople will produce public information. In other words, this information is available to the general public, so it’s not like you’re prying into their personal life and digging up things nobody has a legal right to have access to.

This public information will include their name to make sure they are who they say they are, their current and possibly some previous addresses, criminal records, any potential bankruptcies or liens or lawsuits pending or past that were filed against them or on their behalf, civil records, including marriage licenses, applications, and divorces, and so forth.

When you use a service like CheckPeople, you do need to be responsible with the information you obtain. When you’re conducting a dating background check, for example, and find something that doesn’t align with the person you thought he or she was, you can make a determination whether you want to move forward, confront them, or walk away, but avoid the temptation to disparage them publicly, especially through social media where the line between honesty and slander can become a bit blurred.

What Are You Not Permitted to Know (or Use)?

When you run a dating background check on somebody through a reputable service like CheckPeople, you can’t legally use it to search for somebody to become a caregiver for your child, for hiring purposes, or to stalk someone.

If you are an employer, you need to adhere to the Fair Credit and Reporting Act (FCRA) when you run a background check. If you were in a volatile relationship or recently broke up with somebody or they broke up with you and are having difficulty letting go, you are not legally permitted to use this type of service to track them down, especially if they have moved and are not providing you information on their whereabouts. That moves into the realm of stalking. Don’t do it.

Will a Dating Background Check Completely Protect You?

By using a dating background check like CheckPeople, it can provide a sense of comfort and security when you go on a date or begin a relationship with someone, but don’t rely on it to help you feel completely secure.

Even people who are completely honest about their life, their name, addresses, where they’ve lived, criminal background, and so forth can have ill-gotten thoughts and intentions.

In other words, just because you run a dating background check on somebody and it was pristine, don’t let your guard down, especially when this is a first or second date. Don’t agree to meet him or her in an isolated place, in the dark, away from groups of people.

Choose a public venue to meet at, stay in a well-lit area, and make sure you’re in a public place with plenty of people. This allows you to avoid feeling uncomfortable or guarded during your initial dates.

Once you get to know this individual, then you can take an invitation to something a little bit more private, such as a trip on a boat out in the middle of a lake, to an isolated garden, or even back to his or her apartment. Until then, though, be diligent to stay safe while dating.

Could Someone Run a Dating Background Check on You?

Keep in mind, too, that if you can run a dating background check on somebody else, they could run one on you. If that feels like an invasion of your privacy, just remember that public information is just that: public.

It is available to your prospective dates just as their information is available to you. There should be nothing wrong with somebody running a dating background check on you, especially if that’s something you plan to do on them.

Don’t let this deter you from running a dating background check on someone, though. It’s important in this day and age with online dating activities to remain diligent in your safety. You deserve the right to know whether this person is being honest and is who they claim to be.

Know What’s on Your Background Check

If you aren’t certain what information will come up if your potential date runs a dating background check on you, now is the time to do that. CheckPeople is a great asset when you want to understand exactly what information is available to the general public about you.

Most people have no idea exactly what’s out there regarding themselves. Take this opportunity to research yourself. You can see exactly what types of public records are available. You may discover that there are some discrepancies, including with previous employment, past addresses, and other information.

You may even discover somebody with the same name has a criminal history and it’s attached to your profile.

Imagine finding the person who would be perfect for you running a dating background check on you and seeing a felony conviction in your past that never happened. You might call and they never return your messages and you wonder why.

Be Responsible, and Be Diligent

When you’re dating, you need to put your safety and security first. No matter how good-looking this person is, how funny they seem, or how awesome their messages are they text or send you by email, you need to protect yourself.

You need to understand if this person is truly who they claim to be or if there is something they’re not disclosing. You can save a lot of time and potential money by avoiding dates with people you want nothing to do with because of information you might find on their background.

You will also likely protect yourself in some situations. Public information is accessible to anyone and when you depend on a credible service like CheckPeople, you can rest assured knowing you’re not violating the law, the other person’s legal rights, or doing anything wrong; you are simply protecting yourself because you understand the rules of dating have changed in the Age of the Internet.