So you’ve met someone online recently and would like to find out more about them before you physically meet them in person.
Thankfully with having quick and easy access to the internet and countless resources that are no longer an issue.
As sad as it is to say if you know an individual’s first and last name as well as their city/state of residence you can essentially find anyone.
The internet is home to infinite people-search databases (i.e. WhitePages, etc), social media platforms, and forums that surprisingly present a lot of personal and private information.
The subsequent tips will essentially allow you to cyberstalk potential dates without them ever finding out.
This is not as disturbing as it sounds, you need to protect yourself as well, and knowing who you are about to meet plays a large role.
If you have any dire trepidations about this, that is absolutely normal. Don’t think of this as “spying” on another individual.
Think about it as you protecting yourself, who knows if the individual you’re going on a blind date with may have an extensive criminal history.
The same concept goes for other areas of interaction for you. For example, let’s say you were in the market to buy a new home.
Potential house buyers may do extensive research on the previous owners and land surrounding the area.
This concept also applies to even buy vehicles, people utilize countless tools to find the best results.
Tools such as CarFax can instantly pull up the car’s vehicle history (i.e. maintenance, accidents, recalls, etc)
Think of your online research as a re-con mission.
Narrowing Down Google Search Queries
As you visit Google to search for an individual, start your search by entering the person’s first and last name into Google’s search box.
Learning how to “unGoogle yourself” in 2020 may be the safety net your online reputation needs.
If you have their Facebook page, that’s even better. Facebook is home to lots of private information when certain users (typically elderly) are unsure how to enable privacy functions.
We’ll discuss that in the next section.
By adding quotation marks around their name, Google will narrow down its search results to only show webpages with that full name listed.
This saves you time and stress as you do not have to manually search all pages of Google.
Google should reveal mostly property listings, people-search websites, as well as any social media platforms related to the name you searched for.
Browsing through the numerous SERPs (search engine results pages) that should give you a great idea about the type of person you’re going to meet.
Utilize Popular Social Media Platforms
If you have an individual’s Facebook page or you may potentially across some common social media networking profiles within your initial Google.
One important factor for social media is to focus on what photos are ranking on Google for you.
Most individuals tend to see old embarrassing photos from their Facebook on Google. Why? Because there is probably nothing else online for Google to show you.
Any photos posted online, especially if they are tagging close friends, can provide you a better understanding of who that individual really is.
First impressions and personality facade go together like peanut butter and jelly.
For this reason alone, it is imperative that you do your due diligence before meeting a “stranger” in person.
If the Facebook user you are looking at has their profile set the private you may still be able to find some information.
Next, head over to Google and copy and paste their profile photo to is if it prompts other social media sites.
Since individuals tend to not use their last name online, it can be extremely difficult to locate someone.
Paid People-Search Tactics
While you are searching Google for information, you may come across background services that allow you to conduct an extensive public records search on another person.
People-search websites such as WhitePages, InstantCheckmate, Radaris, Spokeo, and countless others house very private and personal information.
Unfortunately, it is only a few clicks away from anyone to access. That is why it is imperative to maintain a positive online reputation in 2020.
Most of these people-search websites require users to pay a monthly subscription, from $5 to $30 or more.
This allows you to get any individual’s home address and even they’re past addresses. Their phone number, relatives’ information, social media profiles, and a criminal record can all be viewed.
For most, this would be taking things a little far. If you have your suspicions about someone, this is a good way to discredit your own suspicions.
Even though it might better to have the person tell you about themselves face-to-face.
Cyberstalking someone is perfectly understandable if you want to avoid dating a creep or a criminal or, worse, someone who’s married.
It’s up to you how far to take it. Just know that the opportunities there to go as far as you want to go. For further assistance, get your free reputation analysis today with NetReputation.com.
