How do I know if someone online is real?

Start with a reverse image search. Tools like Google Lens show whether a photo appears elsewhere online. If the same face turns up under a different name, on a model's portfolio or across unrelated accounts, stop and ask questions. Finding nothing doesn't prove a photo is genuine, though.

Then compare the photos with each other. Is it clearly the same person at the same age? Do they all look professionally shot while the rest of the account is empty? Photos that look too polished, or edited, or generated by AI, are harder to trace with a search.

Asking for another selfie isn't strong proof. Someone using stolen photos may have many more of them. What helps is checking the photos against the live person. A video call does this informally. NoStrangers Photos Verified does it with a live face check: it confirms that the live person completing verification matches the photos they submitted. It doesn't examine whether an image has been edited.

For more on photo warning signs, see the signs you may be getting catfished.

These checks answer different questions, and it helps to keep them apart:

• Checking photos tells you whether the images appear elsewhere or belong to someone else.
• Checking online presence tells you whether the name and face have a history outside this one profile.
• Live face verification tells you whether the real person matches the photos they present.
• Government-issued ID verification tells you who someone actually is: verified details such as name and age, checked against a live face.

ID verification gives the strongest identity signal. It still isn't a background check and says nothing about how someone will behave. There's more detail in our guide to verifying someone's identity online.

The manual checks above get you part of the way. If you want something more direct, you can ask the person to verify themselves.

With NoStrangers you send them a Trust Request using a unique code. They complete Photos Verified or Identity Verified, then choose which verified details to share back with you. You don't have to verify yourself first. If you both want to, you can.

Verification is handled by established providers. Only the match is shared: their ID document and face scan are never sent to you, and you only see what they chose to share. See how to verify someone online with NoStrangers.

An in-person meeting is where uncertainty matters most. Confirming that the person turning up is the person in the photos removes one of the biggest unknowns before you commit to a time and place.

Our step-by-step guide covers how to verify someone before meeting them, and how to safely meet someone from a dating app covers the meeting itself.

The usual pattern is photos that don't add up, a story that keeps shifting, and a steady supply of reasons they can't video call or meet. Any one of those can have an innocent explanation. Several together deserve a closer look.

Read the full guide: How to tell if you're being catfished.

None of these proves a profile is fake on its own. Watch for combinations:

• Photos that appear elsewhere under another name.
• A very new account with little ordinary activity.
• Details that change: where they live, what they do, how old they are.
• Repeated excuses for avoiding a call or video chat.
• Strong feelings or urgency very early on.
• Requests for money, gift cards, crypto or a deposit before you've met.
• Questions about you, with little shared about themselves.

Buying or selling? The Facebook Marketplace safety guide covers payment scams and pickups.

Refusing doesn't prove someone is fake. People have genuine privacy concerns, and some simply haven't come across verification before. It's reasonable to explain why you're asking and that they choose what to share.

It's equally reasonable to decide you aren't comfortable going ahead without it. You don't owe anyone a meeting, a payment or your address.

No. Identity verification can help establish that someone is who they claim to be. It does not tell you about their character, intentions, criminal history, qualifications, financial reliability or future behaviour, and it doesn't make any meeting safe.

Treat it as one more piece of information. Normal precautions still apply: meet in public, tell someone where you're going, and leave if something feels wrong.