Trust your gut — then verify
Meeting someone from a dating app is exciting. It can also be risky. Before you commit to a first date, a few simple checks can tell you a lot about who you're actually meeting.
1. Reverse-image search their profile photos
Catfishing is more common than most people realise. Copy their profile photo and drop it into Google Images or TinEye. If the photo appears on multiple unrelated accounts or stock image sites, that's a serious red flag.
Genuine people usually have a consistent online footprint across platforms. A completely invisible person — no LinkedIn, no social media, no search results at all — can be just as concerning as a stolen identity.
2. Look for inconsistencies in their story
Pay attention to the details they share over time. Does their job title match their LinkedIn? Does the suburb they claim to live in match what they've mentioned about their commute? Small inconsistencies on their own mean little — a pattern of them means more.
3. Check public court records
Australia's court systems maintain publicly searchable records. Domestic violence orders (DVOs), assault charges, and fraud convictions are all matters of public record in most states. You can search these manually, or use a service like Vett that pulls them together in seconds.
4. Search their name alongside concerning keywords
A quick search of their name plus words like "scam", "assault", "fraud", or "AVO" can surface news articles or community warnings that you'd never find otherwise. It takes two minutes and can make a real difference.
5. Tell someone where you're going
Before any first date, let a friend or family member know: who you're meeting, where you're going, and when you expect to be home. Share your live location if you can. This isn't pessimism — it's standard practice.
The bottom line
Checking someone out before a date isn't about distrust. It's about informed consent. You deserve to walk into that coffee shop knowing as much as possible about the person sitting across from you. A quick background check is one of the easiest ways to do that.