Is this dating profile actually them?
A catfish needs two things to work: photos that aren't theirs and a story you can't check. WarnIQ takes away both. Upload the photo, type the number, and see where that face really lives online and whether the number belongs to the person in the picture.
How to tell if someone is a catfish
Some signs are obvious once you know them. Some aren't. These are the ones that show up again and again in the reports WarnIQ users file.
- Every photo looks professionally shot, and there are never any with friends, pets or a messy background.
- They won't video call, or the call always drops, or the camera is "broken".
- The story escalates fast: deployed overseas, working on an oil rig, travelling for a contract, a sick relative.
- They push to move off the app to text or WhatsApp within a day.
- The name they give you doesn't match the name on the number when you look it up.
- Money comes up. A gift card, a plane ticket, a "small loan", a crypto tip.
Reverse image search the profile photo
The fastest catfish test is the photo. Catfish reuse pictures, and the same picture usually exists somewhere else online under a different name. WarnIQ's photo check runs the image you upload against the open web and shows you where else it appears and under what names.
This is a reverse image search, not facial recognition. It finds copies of the photo, not every picture of the person. That is on purpose: it answers "is this picture stolen?" without turning into a surveillance tool.
If the same photo shows up on an Instagram model's page, a stock site, or two other dating profiles with different names, you have your answer.
Match the number to a real person
Photos can be borrowed. A phone number is harder to fake. WarnIQ looks up who the number is tied to and returns the name, age range and city on record. If the profile says "Daniel, 32, Denver" and the number comes back to someone else entirely, that is a red flag before you have spent a dollar or a Friday night.
The check also tells you whether the number is a real mobile line or a free internet number, which scammers lean on because it can be thrown away.
See what other people reported
Catfish rarely target one person. If someone else on WarnIQ has already filed a report on the number, you will see it, in the reporter's own words, after a person on our team has reviewed it for documentation. We also show complaints filed against the number with the FTC and FCC.
Found a catfish yourself? You can report the number so the next person sees it too.
Questions people actually ask.
Upload the profile photo and enter the phone number on WarnIQ. The photo check shows where else the image appears online, and the identity check shows whose number it is. If the names and photos don't line up, treat the profile as a catfish.
Yes. Your first WarnIQ check is free and includes the photo check. No card is required.
No. It is a reverse image search that finds copies of the photo you upload. It does not identify people from their face.
That is a signal on its own. Someone who wants to meet you will text you. A profile that only communicates inside the app, or only on a messaging app with no number, is harder to verify and worth more caution.
WarnIQ is not a consumer reporting agency. Results are for personal safety decisions only and cannot be used for employment, housing, credit or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Community reports are user-submitted and reviewed for documentation; they are not verified legal findings.
Stolen photos don't survive a check.
Upload the picture, type the number, and know in thirty seconds. Your first check is free.
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