People share a great deal of their lives online, which can make the internet useful when you want to reconnect with an old friend, locate a distant family member, or check whether an online date is using a false identity. A name alone, however, does not always lead to the details you need, and a standard search engine may not reveal the full picture.
The eight approaches below use public records, phone numbers, names, photos, news alerts, criminal-record resources, social networks, and genealogy data. Some options are free, while the reviewed people-search services require a subscription or trial payment.
Key Takeaways:
You can begin a free internet search with Google, Google Alerts, Google Images, mainstream social networks, the US Prison Database, or Family Tree Now. For a broader public-record or reverse-phone report, Spokeo, PeopleSmart, and BeenVerified provide paid search tools. Start with whatever details you already have, and combine methods when one source does not return enough information.
8 Ways to Find a Person Online
Each method works with a different type of clue. Use a name, phone number, address, image, or known personal detail to choose the most relevant place to begin.
Method 1: Search Public-Record Databases
Public records cover information that has been officially documented about a person. A search can help you examine someone’s criminal history before hiring a babysitter or meeting an online date. You can also inspect your own record for online-safety purposes or use available details to look for missing friends and relatives.
1) Spokeo
Spokeo supports public-record searches, background checks, reverse phone searches, and additional lookups through its monthly subscriptions. It works on a computer or mobile device.
After subscribing, enter the information you know and run the search. The resulting report can help you inspect a date’s criminal history, reconnect with a lost friend, or locate someone online.
- Rating: 5.0
- Name Search: Yes
- Reverse Phone Lookup: Yes
- Reverse Address Lookup: Yes
- Free Trial: 7-Days Trial for $0.95
A Spokeo record can contain the following types of information:
- Dating profiles
- Amazon wishlists
- Arrest records
- Bankruptcies
- Education and employment history
- Sex offender databases
- Social media profiles
- Properties owned
2) PeopleSmart
PeopleSmart offers fast public-record and background searches. Once you subscribe, you can enter a name, phone number, or address. The service scans billions of public records and arranges its findings in one report.
The report can combine contact details, address history, relatives, criminal records, and social media profiles. PeopleSmart states that its strict privacy policy prevents the subject from being alerted about your search. During my testing, it was particularly useful for checking whether an online date was the person they claimed to be.
- Rating: 4.8
- Name Search: Yes
- Reverse Phone Lookup: Yes
- Reverse Address Lookup: Yes
- Free Trial: 7-Days Trial for $1
PeopleSmart also provides these search options:
- Contact information lookups
- Address history searches
- Relatives and associates records
- Criminal records searches
- Social media profile searches
Method 2: Identify an Unknown Caller With a Lookup Site
If you receive a call from a number you do not recognize, a reverse phone search can help determine who is behind it. The lookup starts with the caller’s number and retrieves online information associated with that account.
1) BeenVerified
Enter a phone number into BeenVerified to search for the person connected with it. The app checks billions of up-to-date records and compiles the available information tied to the number.
- Rating: 5.0
- Name Search: Yes
- Reverse Phone Lookup: Yes
- Reverse Address Lookup: Yes
- Pricing: 7 Day Trial for $1*
A BeenVerified reverse phone report may include:
- Social Media Accounts
- Jobs & Education
- Background Reports
- Photos
- Contact Info
Method 3: Run a Focused Google Search
Google is one of the simplest places to begin and has the highest user engagement. It records over 1 trillion searches yearly, while the more specialized Bing receives closer to 800 million searches annually.
Search with the person’s name, address, phone number, or any other detail you already know. Put a phrase inside quotation marks when you want Google to return an exact match. For example, search for “Tom Harrison” rather than entering the two words without quotes.
Method 4: Examine Mainstream Social Networks
A person’s social media presence can be a strong lead. Check platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Tinder, and Pinterest. This approach works best when you already know something that can help distinguish the correct account.
If the person has blocked you, the account probably will not appear in your search. The source suggests searching from an alternative profile, or logging out of Facebook and using Google to look for the person’s profile.
Method 5: Match a Photo With Reverse Image Search
A reverse image search starts with a photo from your device or a website and looks for similar pictures online. It is commonly used to identify someone through their images and can help reveal whether a social media profile is displaying another person’s photos.
- Open Google Images or another reverse image search engine.
- Upload the photo or paste its image URL into the search field, then select Search.
- Review the matches that appear on your phone or computer.
Method 6: Create a Google Alert for Future Mentions
A Google Alert can notify you when a person appears in Google news stories. It monitors predetermined keywords and sends an alert when Google detects those terms.
How to set up the alert
- Enter the topic or keywords you want to track in the search box.
- Adjust the options to choose where Google should search, how often it should notify you, and where the alerts should be sent.
- Select Create Google Alert.
Setup guide: Create a Google Alert
This is not an immediate lookup. After creating the alert, you must wait for the person to appear in a news story or another online source indexed by Google.
Method 7: Check Inmate and Criminal-Record Resources
If current information is missing, the person could be incarcerated, which may explain why a social media search or Google Alert produced nothing. An inmate or criminal-history search can provide another route.
The US Prison Database provides resources for locating inmates and accessing prison records. Its database is free and easy to use, and it asks for identifying details such as the person’s full name, race, age, and sex. A public-record search provider is another way to look for criminal history and prison information.
Method 8: Look for Relatives Through Genealogy Records
Genealogy websites are designed to help people research family connections. Family Tree Now lets you examine genealogy records, explore your family history, and look for relatives you have never met.
Enter the person’s first name, last name, and a city or state to search their family history.
Ways to Improve an Unsuccessful Search
If none of the eight methods produces a useful match, these additional suggestions may help. You can also try a people-search website that brings several data sources together in one toolset.
- Use a paid resource to reduce the time spent reviewing records.
- Gather some identifying information before beginning the search.
- Use a VPN to conceal your IP address when accessing blocked material such as social media accounts.
- Look for the person’s friends or relatives and, when possible, ask them for more recent contact details.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make a Google name search more precise?
Search with a name, address, phone number, or another known detail. Put an exact phrase in quotation marks, such as “Tom Harrison,” so Google looks for that complete phrase.
Can a reverse image search help verify a social media profile?
Yes. Upload a photo or paste its image URL into a reverse image search engine to find similar pictures. The matches can indicate whether a profile is using another person’s images.
What details does the US Prison Database require for an inmate search?
Its free database asks for identifying information such as the person’s full name, race, age, and sex.
Final Verdict
A free search works best when you start with a strong clue. Google can match exact names and other known details, Google Images can compare photos, social networks can expose a public online presence, and specialized databases can help with inmates or family history. When you need a consolidated report, Spokeo and PeopleSmart search public records, while BeenVerified focuses on the details associated with a phone number. Combine the method with the information already in your possession to narrow the search.
