How To Reverse Image Search To Identify Scammers

Scammers who impersonate people use catfish tactics. They download pictures of people who meet some societal standard of attractiveness to disarm the people they engage with. In the online world of dating apps, fake profiles pose a substantial threat. It’s believed that one in every 10 dating profiles is a fake account. 

If you’ve recently connected with someone on a dating app but want to check that they’re real, we’ve got a possible solution. Reverse image search works by uploading a photo and seeing if it exists somewhere on publicly accessible websites. Most scammers will find images that are public-facing, saving photos of people they found while using search engines themselves.

To get started with reverse image search, screenshot or save the images you’re looking to search. Some apps or sites may prevent you from simply saving the image, so a screenshot may be necessary, especially on a dating app. You can screenshot the image and crop it later if needed.

How Do I Reverse Image Search With Google?

Google remains the most used search engine in the world. It’s easy to use and is robust enough to cover almost every site you’ll need to access when performing a reverse image search. To begin, head to https://images.google.com/.

1. Click the camera icon.
2. Upload the image or provide a link to the image.
3. Click search.
   

Google will display the results of that image and show you exact matches as well as things it recognizes within the photo.

How Do I Reverse Image Search With Bing?

Bing is the second most used search engine in the world and they provide reverse search options as well. The process and technique are similar to Google. Bing will provide results based on similar matches to what is found within the photo.

1. Drag and drop an image, browse, or take a photo.
   

It’s that simple! Your results will be displayed with similar images as well as links to their source.

How Do I Reverse Image Search With Pinterest?

The Pinterest lens is available on their mobile app or mobile device. While Pinterest isn’t a traditional search engine, it’s home to a wide database of images with links to their credited source. To begin, head to https://www.bing.com/visualsearch.

1. Click the search bar.
2. Tap the camera icon in the search bar.
3. Take a picture or upload a photo from your camera roll.

Pinterest may be a Hail Mary play when it comes to reverse image search, but it could likely prove effective if the other search engines have failed.

What To Do if You’ve Been Scammed

Just because you were unable to find the source of the picture online doesn’t mean the image wasn’t taken from an online source. Not all images are easily searchable, or a scammer may have a more private resource to collect images.

If you or someone you know has been scammed, Digital Forensics Corp can help. Online blackmail is on the rise, and scammers are using fake profiles with stolen images to hide their identity. We’re able to unveil the scammer’s identity, secure your data, and help keep you safe from online threats. 

Sources:

Romance Scams | FBI

1 in 10 online dating profiles is fake: See the most common characteristics of fraudsters | NY Daily News

Market share of leading desktop search engines worldwide from January 2015 to January 2024 | Statista

Google Image Search | Google

Visual Search | Bing