* Partner Post 

When you make online friends, it will be difficult for you to separate facts from fiction. You have to believe in the information provided by these people. Before developing online relations, it is essential to run a background check of these people.

Background check allows you to get access to their bankruptcy filing, criminal records, social media profile, and aliases. You can trust people in an ideal world, but this world is not perfect to believe everyone. You have to act smart before making online friends or searching for your love interest - and of course it is also important that you stay safe at all times. Here are two critical reasons for a background check for an online friend:

Catfishing

In the dating world, a catfish refers to a person who is habitual to create fake profiles on social platforms. They may do this to get your attention or to lure other people to send personal details or money.

People can't even imagine that they are being catfished. The chances of catfishing are higher with a long-distance partner. You can't trust a person without personally meeting with him/her.

Hidden and Live Details

In some cases, you may not be a victim of catfishing. You can't show 100% trust on your partner. He may not tell you particular details of his life. These details could be forgivable and small, such as speeding tickets. Your online partner will find it embarrassing to share these details with you.

Things can be complicated if he is hiding significant details, such as a series of tax liens, drug charges, and current DUI. To avoid frauds, you should collect maximum information on the background of your partner. Try to learn everything about him before starting a serious relationship.

Google Your Online Partner

A simple method to check the background of your online lover or friend is Google. Just enter his/her details in Google and get primary results, such as social media accounts. You can search by putting their full name in quotes like ("Full Name"), email address and extra phrases, such as divorce, outstanding debt, school, criminal record, university, boyfriend, girlfriend or divorce.

Reverse Image Search

Before spending your time on social media platforms or Google, you can run a simple reverse image search. You can upload the profile picture of your lover or friend. It is an easy method to catch a person involved in catfishing. The reverse image search will return with all places where this photo is available. It will help you to decide either this person is loyal or not.

For reverse image search, save one copy of their photo to your system. Open "images.google.com" and upload his/her image. The search results will see all possible matches. If he is using the similar photo on his social media accounts, he is harmless. If their picture appears on the profile or timeline of a foreign account, this person can be funky.

Criminal record check

A criminal record may not be a deal breaker in online relations, but you should check their criminal background. It will be your choice if their crime is serious or easy to ignore. In several states, criminal records are an essential part of public records.

These might sound like extreme measures but for many people engaging in online dating, it's a big decision to meet someone in person and even before then, you might be sharing too much personal information with someone who isn't actually trustworthy and doesn't have your best interests at heart.  Your safety is paramount.  Don't take risks and do what you can to stay safe at all times - and if nothing else, stop yourself from getting a broken heart.  It's always better to find out sooner rather than later.