We’ve all been in the situation where we would like to know more about someone but only have a little information about them. Maybe you just met online and you want to learn a little more about their background before meeting them, or you want to learn more about your neighbor.

But a standard tool like Google will throw up literally thousands of results, making you think it’s an impossible task to locate your subject on the vast sea of the internet. This is where the dedicated people search tool Social Catfish comes in.

What Is Social Catfish?

Social Catfish is an online investigation service dedicated solely to the business of people finding. It’s designed to help you learn about people you meet online, verify their identities, and avoid scams.

Social Catfish gathers all publicly available information related to the name that is being searched, including websites that with that name, social network profiles, images, public records, etc.

It’s not the most well-known people search tool out there, but it’s definitely the most versatile one. It offers various search options including reverse name lookup, reverse email address lookup, reverse address lookup, reverse phone number lookup, reverse username lookup, and reverse image lookup.

How Does Social Catfish Work?

Social Catfish is a paid people search engine dedicated solely to the business of people finding. It claims to use proprietary algorithms and advanced search techniques to provide accurate and up-to-date information. It also has a team of search specialists that can help you investigate someone using tools and databases that are not accessible through regular searches.

In our tests, it provided a treasure trove of information in just a few clicks, and almost never completely failed to find someone. Read our full review below to learn more…

Social Catfish: Ease of use

Social Catfish has made searching for people-related information simpler than ever. All you need to do is provide a piece of identifying information about your subject, then Social Catfish will use its advanced search algorithms to gather information about individuals and their online activities.

Unlike common search engines, Social Catfish finds only people-related information and presents it in one easy-to-read report.

Social Catfish: Flexibility

Social Catfish‘s flexibility in search is one of its standout differences. Besides the usual searches by name, address, email address, phone number, and username, it also offers a reverse photo lookup feature. So even if you don’t know much about the person, there’s still a good chance you’ll be able to track them down.

Social Catfish: Information Found

Social Catfish sources its information from dozens of online sources, including public records, social media, and other online databases.

Now, let’s take a look at the first part of the Social Catfish Background report – you can view basic information like the person’s full name, age, current address, phone number, and email address here.

The next section tells you what public records about the person have been found. For example, the attached screenshot is a Social Catfish sample report, next to Professional Licenses, it says “Found”. You can click the text to view the associated record – which may look like this:

If the person has a criminal or traffic record, it will be listed next to Judgements, and it may look this in the report:

If you’re more interested in the person’s online presence, Social Catfish might also find websites the person has accounts on under the Websites section. Click on the website and you’ll be taken to the person’s account page.

If you run a phone number lookup with this tool, you will be able to view a list of possible owners of the phone number, the carrier, and line type.

A reverse address lookup with Social Catfish usually digs up details like who the property owner is, its residents, property records, and the safety of the neighborhood.

Social Catfish also provides a reverse image search feature that lets you search for someone based on their photo. This feature can be useful for verifying the identity of someone who may be using a fake name or profile.

Is Social Catfish Accurate?

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the information you get from Social Catfish or any other people search engines is 100% accurate.

Social Catfish aggregate publicly available data from various sources such as public records, social networks, forums, etc. And the information compiled from these sources may be inaccurate or incomplete, so there is no guarantee that the information you get from this tool is completely accurate.

Even if your searches come up with a detailed report, you’ll still need to do your due diligence and independently verify the information.

How Much Does Social Catfish Cost?

Performing a basic search with Social Catfish is free, but if you want to access the detailed report, you’d need to pay for the membership.

• Unlimited Social Search — $6.48 for a 3-day trial and then $29.94 a month
• In-Depth Search — $297 for one report

If you opt for the Unlimited Social Search plan, you’ll be automatically enrolled in the auto-renew membership that charges $29.94 every month unless you cancel. So make sure you set a reminder for yourself and unsubscribe before your next billing circle to avoid unwanted charges. (To cancel your account, log in and go to the Manage Account section from the menu. Then, click “Payment and Subscriptions” and select “Cancel.” Note that you’ll lose access to Social Catfish searches immediately after cancellation.)

For the In-Depth Search plan, a Social Catfish search specialist will assist you, using advanced search techniques to provide personalized results.

Is Social Catfish Anonymous?

Yes! Searching with Social Catfish is totally anonymous. When you use the service to search for someone, your subject won’t be notified.

Is Social Catfish Legit?

Yes, Social Catfish is a legitimate people search tool. Actually, all the information Social Catfish provides is publicly available in the first place – meaning you could probably find it yourself, if you’re willing to invest your time, effort, and money required, and you have decent search skills.

In other words, people search tools like Social Catfish essentially make them a one-stop shop for you to find information on someone in one place rather than running extensive searches on your own.

Is It Ethical to Look Up Someone with Social Catfish?

As we mentioned before, all the information provided by Social Catfish is already publicly available. So the ethics of using Social Catfish to look up someone’s information depends on the intent and purpose behind your search.

If you’re only after reconnecting with an old friend or family member or verifying the identity of someone for your own safety concerns, it‘s completely ethical. But if you use the information you obtain from such tools to harass, intimidate, or stalk someone, then it would be considered unethical and potentially illegal.

To put it simply, using Social Catfish to get information about someone is not inherently unethical; it only becomes unethical when that information is used in an unethical manner.

Additionally, it’s illegal to use the data provided by Social Catfish and all other people search tools for any purpose prohibited by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), such as making employment, housing, or credit decisions.