“Do a Google image search to see if his or her profile is using pictures pulled from somewhere or someone other than him or herself.” This is the first step, but if you are going to meet up with this person, it’s sometimes a good idea to dig a little deeper (see tip number five).

“The day before, I Googled the guy [I was meeting] to see if anything (mug shots, arrest records) would come up, and I spent about on Spokeo to do a quick background check to verify his name, address and phone number.I wanted to be sure he was who he said he was.” Spokeo is a people search engine that combines information from various online sources, and there are many other platforms like it.“There are about 10,001 background search companies out there,” Stewart says.Bigger sites don't have to, but if they do, you know you can find information on how to contact them to complain or have some recourse.” You never know who’s reading your profile, so you should always be mindful of how much information you are disclosing.“Don't include any personal information, [such as] your last name, what dorm you live in, what sorority you are a part of,” Stewart says.