Meeting people online has become the norm—whether you’re dating, hiring, looking for roommates, or doing business. But not everyone online is who they claim to be. In my 15 years across law enforcement and licensed private investigations in Colorado, I’ve seen the same patterns repeat: identity fraud, catfishing, romance scams, fabricated business identities, and worse. The techniques below are the same ones my investigators and I use before a client ever signs an engagement letter — and most of them are free.
The good news? You can verify someone’s identity using professional investigative techniques — many completely free. This guide walks through the exact seven-step process we use in Denver-area cases, including the specific red flags we look for, the tools we use when a quick check isn’t enough, and the point at which you should bring in a licensed investigator.
Why Identity Verification Matters
The scale of online identity fraud is not a marketing exaggeration — it’s documented every year by federal agencies:
- Romance scams: The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel data tracks hundreds of millions of dollars in reported romance-scam losses each year, with median individual losses in the thousands.
- Confidence fraud: The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) annual reports consistently rank confidence/romance fraud in the top five categories by reported financial loss.
- Identity theft: Sharing personal info with the wrong person can lead directly to fraud — report incidents at IdentityTheft.gov for a personalized recovery plan.
- Business & investment fraud: Fake partners, fabricated credentials, and shell-company schemes target Colorado entrepreneurs regularly — we work these cases constantly.
- Physical safety: Meeting someone whose identity you haven’t verified is a risk I’ve seen go badly in cases referred to my firm.
Taking 15–20 minutes on the front end saves clients thousands of dollars, months of stress, and in some cases their physical safety. In more than a decade of work, I have never had a client regret verifying too carefully.
Step 1: Reverse Image Search Their Photos
This is the fastest and easiest way to spot a fake profile. Scammers and catfishers routinely steal photos from models, influencers, or random social media accounts. In my experience, roughly one in five suspicious profiles we’re asked to verify has at least one photo that appears elsewhere on the open web.
How to Do a Reverse Image Search
Google Images method:
- Right-click on their profile photo (on mobile: long-press and save)
- Go to images.google.com
- Click the camera icon and upload the image
- Review results for other instances of the same photo
Alternative tools I use in casework:
- TinEye — specialized reverse image search, indexes back many years and flags the oldest known instance of an image. Invaluable for catching reused scam photos.
- Yandex Images — in my experience, Yandex finds matches that Google misses, particularly for photos originating on Eastern European or Russian platforms. I check Yandex on every suspected romance scam.
- Bing Visual Search — catches a different slice of the web than Google.
Investigator tip: Run the photo through all three search engines. Scammers are increasingly aware of Google reverse-image search and will edit, crop, or lightly filter images specifically to evade it. They rarely bother to evade Yandex or TinEye.
What to Look For
- 🚩 Photo appears on modeling or stock websites — almost certainly stolen
- 🚩 Same photo, multiple names — definitive proof of a fake
- 🚩 Photo appears in news articles, obituaries, or memorial pages — we see this pattern in roughly a quarter of military-romance scams
- ✅ Photo only appears on their own social accounts — a good sign, though not conclusive
Step 2: Cross-Check Their Personal Details
People who are lying often can’t keep their story straight. Verify the specific details they share — and pay attention to what happens when you press for specifics.
Details to Verify
- Full name: Google the full name in quotes together with a location (
"John Smith" Denver) - Employer: Check LinkedIn — but confirm it independently on the employer’s website. Fake LinkedIn profiles are trivial to create.
- Education: Most universities maintain alumni directories, and many will confirm attendance dates by phone
- Location: Ask open-ended questions about local specifics — their neighborhood, nearest grocery store, favorite local restaurant. Scammers working off a map freeze on these.
- Phone number: A reverse phone lookup can tell you the carrier and region — a number registered out of country for someone claiming to live locally is a hard flag
- Email address: Search the exact email address in quotes on Google, and separately on social media platforms. Reused emails leave a trail.
Colorado-Specific Public Records
If the person claims to be a Colorado business owner, licensed professional, or court-adjacent party, several state records are free and public:
- Colorado Secretary of State business search — confirms whether a business exists, its registered agent, and filing history
- Colorado Judicial Branch — public case information
- Colorado Judicial Department — official court records portal
- County assessor sites — each Colorado county publishes property ownership records; a 2-minute lookup confirms whether the person actually owns the home they claim to own
Free Verification Tools
- Google: search name, phone, email in quotes
- LinkedIn: verify employment history, mutual connections, post history (a brand-new profile with 3 connections is a flag)
- Facebook/Instagram: look for authentic-looking profiles with tagged history
- WhitePages: basic name and phone lookup
- TrueCaller: identify phone numbers and spam flags
Step 3: Analyze Their Social Media Presence
Real people have real digital footprints built up over years. Fake accounts have telltale signs that become obvious once you know what to look for.
Red Flags on Social Media
- 🚩 Account created very recently (last few weeks or months)
- 🚩 Very few friends or followers (fewer than 50–100)
- 🚩 No tagged photos from other people
- 🚩 No interactions or comments from friends
- 🚩 All photos are professional quality — real people post selfies, blurry party shots, and screenshots
- 🚩 Generic or vague posts without personal details
- 🚩 Profile is completely private with minimal public info
- 🚩 Follower/following ratio is bizarre — following 4,000 accounts with 12 followers is a bot pattern
Good Signs of an Authentic Profile
- ✅ Account is several years old with consistent posting history
- ✅ Mutual friends or connections you recognize
- ✅ Tagged photos with other people who genuinely interact
- ✅ Mix of photo quality (not all professional shots)
- ✅ Personal posts about daily life, events, and interests
- ✅ Comments and interactions from real-looking friends
Investigator tip: The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine occasionally captures public social profiles. If someone claims a long history but their profile only shows recent content, older captures sometimes reveal inconsistencies.
Step 4: Request a Video Call
This is non-negotiable before meeting in person or sharing sensitive information. In our casework, a persistent refusal to video call is one of the single most reliable indicators of a fabricated identity.
Why Video Calls Matter
- Confirms they look like their photos (recent and accurate)
- Verifies they’re in the location they claim (background context, ambient light/time-zone consistency)
- Allows you to assess demeanor and responsiveness
- Scammers overwhelmingly refuse, make excuses, or use poor-quality video to mask identity
Red Flags During Video Call Requests
- 🚩 Repeatedly cancels or reschedules
- 🚩 Claims camera is broken (for weeks on end)
- 🚩 Only wants to text or voice call, never video
- 🚩 Video quality is suspiciously poor, glitchy, or pre-recorded-looking
- 🚩 Background doesn’t match their claimed location (e.g., visible power outlets or signage inconsistent with the claimed country)
- 🚩 Lip sync is off — a growing flag as deepfake-video tools mature
Pro tip: Ask them to do something spontaneous on video — hold up a specific number of fingers, wave to one side, or show you something in their environment. This defeats pre-recorded video and most current deepfake workflows, which struggle with real-time unprompted motion.
Step 5: Watch for Common Scam Patterns
Scammers follow remarkably predictable scripts. After working dozens of these cases, I can usually tell within a few text-message screenshots whether we’re looking at a scam and, roughly, which variant.
Romance Scam Red Flags
- 🚩 Professes love or strong feelings very quickly (days, not months)
- 🚩 Claims to be military, working overseas, an oil-rig engineer, or a traveling surgeon — all classic distance-excuse cover stories
- 🚩 An emergency requires money “temporarily”
- 🚩 Wants to move conversation off the dating platform immediately (to WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Chat)
- 🚩 Asks for gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency — all non-reversible payment rails
- 🚩 Won’t meet in person due to repeated “emergencies”
- 🚩 Language use fluctuates between fluent and non-native in the same conversation (a sign of multiple people operating the account)
Business & Investment Scam Red Flags
- 🚩 Promises of unrealistic returns or “guaranteed” profits
- 🚩 Pressure to invest quickly or “limited time offers”
- 🚩 Asks for money upfront before providing any service or deliverable
- 🚩 Can’t provide verifiable business credentials or references
- 🚩 Uses only cryptocurrency or untraceable payment methods
- 🚩 Business address turns out to be a virtual office or UPS Store mailbox (I check this on every business-fraud intake)
Step 6: Run a Professional Background Check
For serious relationships, business partnerships, or situations involving significant trust, a professional background check goes well beyond what free online tools reveal.
What Professional Background Checks Reveal
- Criminal records: federal, state, and county criminal history (many jurisdictions don’t report upward, so county-level search matters)
- Civil court records: lawsuits, judgments, liens — often the real story in business-fraud cases
- Marital status: marriage and divorce records, often across multiple states
- Property ownership: real estate records, prior addresses, and known associates at those addresses
- Professional licenses: verify credentials and certifications against the state issuing authority
- Employment history: confirm work experience claims, typically through direct employer contact under FCRA rules
- Financial records: bankruptcies and public judgments (credit history requires written authorization under FCRA)
What Licensed Investigators Can Access That You Can’t
Licensed private investigators access specialized commercial databases that aggregate public records, utility records, and credit header data under strict permissible-purpose rules defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. Those databases aren’t available to the general public precisely because misuse is a federal crime.
Rocky Mountain Eagle Eye provides comprehensive background check services with typical turnaround of 24–72 hours for standard checks and detailed written reports suitable for legal proceedings. We’ve helped hundreds of Colorado residents verify identities before making important decisions.
Step 7: Trust Your Instincts
After years of investigative interviews and case intake, I can tell you: the gut feeling is almost always right. If something feels off, it probably is.
Common gut feelings that deserve attention:
- They seem “too good to be true”
- Their story doesn’t quite add up — minor details shift between conversations
- They avoid direct questions or give vague answers
- You feel pressured or rushed into decisions
- Friends or family express concerns
- They’re evasive about meeting in person
- You find yourself keeping the relationship secret from people you trust
Your safety and peace of mind are worth more than giving someone the benefit of the doubt.
What NOT to Share Until Identity is Verified
Protect yourself by never sharing this information until you’re absolutely certain of someone’s identity:
- ❌ Social Security Number
- ❌ Bank account or credit card information
- ❌ Home address (use nearby public meeting places instead)
- ❌ Workplace name or location
- ❌ Children’s names, schools, or photos
- ❌ Travel plans or when you’ll be away from home
- ❌ Financial information or investment details
- ❌ Intimate photos or compromising content
- ❌ Login credentials, PINs, or one-time verification codes — no legitimate person or institution will ever ask for a 2FA code
When to Hire a Private Investigator
Consider professional help if:
- You’re planning marriage or a serious commitment
- You’re entering a business partnership or major investment
- You suspect you’re being scammed or catfished
- The person has access to your children (nanny, tutor, coach)
- Your online research raises red flags but no clear answers
- You’ve already sent money or shared sensitive information
- You’re concerned about safety but can’t verify their story
At Rocky Mountain Eagle Eye, we conduct discrete relationship investigations, verify online identities, and provide comprehensive background reports. Our licensed Colorado investigators use legal databases and investigative techniques unavailable to the public.
Real-World Examples from My Casework
Details below are anonymized and composited to protect client confidentiality, but the patterns, indicators, and outcomes reflect cases my firm has actually worked.
Case Study: The “Deployed Military Officer” Romance Scam
A Colorado woman in her 50s met a man on a dating app who claimed to be a U.S. Army officer deployed overseas. After six weeks of daily messaging, he asked for $5,000 to cover “emergency leave paperwork” before he could return home to meet her. She reached out to us for a verification before sending money.
What our investigation found:
- Reverse image search surfaced the same photo on a real U.S. service member’s memorial page — a deceased soldier whose photos had been lifted for the scam (this is an extremely common pattern the FBI warns about specifically)
- The “military” email domain was a look-alike of a .mil domain but registered through a commercial registrar
- The U.S. Army does not charge service members for leave paperwork — this is documented on the Army CID’s public warnings page
- All video-call attempts were refused citing “secure network restrictions” — not an actual military policy
- Metadata and language analysis on his messages was consistent with scam-center operations based outside the U.S.
Result: The client avoided sending $5,000 and reported the profile to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). We provided her with a written verification report she could share with family and her bank to prevent follow-on scam attempts — a common pattern once a target is identified.
Case Study: The Fabricated Business Partner
A Denver-area entrepreneur was approached by a “successful serial founder” with a polished LinkedIn profile and a compelling investment opportunity. The pitch included introductions to “investors” on video calls and a professionally formatted term sheet requesting $50,000 to reserve an equity allocation. He engaged our firm for due diligence before wiring funds.
What our background check revealed:
- The subject had multiple undisclosed personal bankruptcies in two different states
- Three civil judgments for fraud and at least one prior criminal disposition related to embezzlement
- The “business address” on the term sheet was a UPS Store mailbox in a class-A office building (a common impression-management tactic)
- Two of the professional licenses cited on his LinkedIn were not registered with the issuing state boards — they were fabricated
- The “investors” on the video calls were registered to VOIP numbers in a different region than they claimed
Result: The client walked away from a $50,000 investment that bore every indicator of an advance-fee scheme. Total cost of our due-diligence engagement: a small fraction of what the loss would have been.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal for me to verify someone’s identity myself?
Yes. Searching public records, using free online tools, and reviewing publicly available social media content is entirely legal. What crosses the line is accessing protected data (credit reports, financial accounts, locked profiles) without authorization — that’s where federal statutes like the FCRA, GLBA, and DPPA apply, and it’s precisely why those sources require a licensed investigator with a documented permissible purpose.
Do I need the person’s consent to run a background check on them?
It depends on the purpose. For personal verification (a dating or personal-safety check), no consent is required for public-records-level information. For employment or tenant screening, federal law (FCRA) requires written consent and disclosure obligations. A licensed investigator will walk you through which category applies to your situation.
How long does a professional background check take?
For standard identity-verification and public-records checks, our firm typically delivers a written report within 24–72 hours. Deeper investigations involving surveillance, interviews, or multi-state court research take longer — typically one to two weeks.
What if I’ve already sent money or shared sensitive information?
Act immediately. Contact your bank to stop or reverse the transfer if recent, file a complaint with the FBI’s IC3 and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and contact local law enforcement. A licensed investigator can help document the incident and, in some cases, assist with asset-tracing or attribution work that supports recovery.
Can a private investigator find someone’s Social Security number or financial accounts?
No — and any investigator who claims they can without the subject’s written authorization is offering something illegal. SSNs, bank accounts, and consumer credit reports are protected by federal law and accessible only with documented permissible purpose and, in most cases, written consent.
Quick Verification Checklist
Use this checklist before meeting someone in person or sharing sensitive information:
- ☐ Reverse image searched all their photos (Google, Yandex, TinEye)
- ☐ Googled their full name, phone number, and email in quotes
- ☐ Verified their social media profiles look authentic (age, mutual connections, post history)
- ☐ Checked for mutual connections or references
- ☐ Completed at least one live video call with spontaneous motion
- ☐ Verified their claimed employer / school (if applicable)
- ☐ Asked detailed questions about their background and location
- ☐ Checked for common scam patterns (distance-excuse story, urgent money request, payment-rail red flags)
- ☐ Confirmed no red flags in public-records searches (if warranted)
- ☐ Told a friend or family member about the person
- ☐ Trusted my instincts — no unresolved concerns
If you can’t check off most of these items, proceed with extreme caution or consider professional verification.
Stay Safe Online
Verifying someone’s identity online isn’t paranoia — it’s the digital equivalent of checking references before hiring a contractor. Taking these precautions protects you from:
- Financial fraud and scams
- Identity theft
- Emotional manipulation
- Physical danger
- Wasted time and energy
Remember: Legitimate people understand the need for verification and won’t be offended by reasonable precautions. Anyone who gets defensive or angry when you try to verify their identity is waving a major red flag — and that pattern has held up across every case my firm has ever worked.
Need Help Verifying Someone’s Identity?
If you’re unsure about someone’s identity or need professional verification services, Rocky Mountain Eagle Eye is here to help. Our licensed Colorado private investigators provide:
- • Comprehensive background checks — criminal, civil, financial records
- • Identity verification — confirm someone is who they claim to be
- • Online investigation — digital footprint analysis and social media research
- • Romance scam investigation — verify online dating matches
- • Discrete service — complete confidentiality and professional reporting
Contact us for a free consultation:
- 📞 Phone: 303-381-4585
- 📧 Email: [email protected]
- 📍 Office: 18475 W Colfax Ave Ste 132, Golden, CO 80401
- 🌐 Schedule Online: Request Free Consultation
About the Author
Brandon Richardson is the founder and lead investigator of Rocky Mountain Eagle Eye, a licensed Colorado private investigations firm based in Golden, Colorado. He is a former sworn law enforcement officer and former Apple engineer, with 15+ years spanning policing, private investigations, digital forensics, and cloud architecture. He also founded Eagle Eye Solutions in 2024, a software company building case-management tools for the private investigation industry.
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