Sometimes, you’re not quite sure who’s on the other side of a call, text, or email. Other times, you’re just feeling nostalgic about your first kiss, wondering where your summer puppy love ended up in life. For these and the thousands of reasons in between, there’s Spokeo People Search.
What is Spokeo used for? Basically, it’s a tool you can use any time you want to get more info on a name or contact you’ve got in your pocket — because when you gotta know, you gotta Spokeo.
How Spokeo Works
With a Spokeo People Search, you can enter someone’s first and last name into our search field, and in a matter of seconds, we’ll digitally scour literally billions of public records, from contact info to public social media profiles and (way) beyond.
Based on what our deep search uncovers, we’ll provide you with a report that can contain contact info, aliases, location history, public social media accounts, criminal records (additional fees may apply), marital status, and many more potentially juicy details associated with the name or contact you provided. Bingo.
What Is Spokeo Used For?
You can use Spokeo to look up information on any name or contact you’ve got, for really any legal reason you want to. (Follow the golden rules: Adhere to the Spokeo Terms of Use, don’t be sketchy, don’t be creepy. Spokeo search results also can’t be used for purposes under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, like credit, tenant, or employment screening, or insurance underwriting.) Whether you want to know the most common use cases for Spokeo or need a little People Search inspo before diving in, here are just some examples of what Spokeo excels at:
Find Out Who’s Calling You
Do you need to pay attention to that missed call, or is it spam that’s safe to block? Find out with a reverse phone number lookup. Our search results can connect a phone number to a name, and can even provide a phone reputation score, which can tell you if that number has been linked to any previous scam activity.
Stay Safe From Scams
Got a text, DM, call, or email that seems fishy? Got something that reeks of a popular grift, like phishing scams posing as the IRS, DMV, toll service, package carriers, or job recruiters? People Search can tell you who those digits really belong to.
Get That Tea
For curiosity or safety, enter your new neighbor’s address or name into a People Search, and you might just find out if they have a criminal record or not.
Make a Safe Marketplace Purchase
Before you buy or pick up something on online marketplaces like Craigslist, Mercari, or Facebook, People Search the seller’s name to verify they are who they say they are.
Protect Your Heart
If you have reason to believe that your partner is using a dating app behind your back, a People Search can reveal which social media sites they’ve created public accounts on — including spicy sites commonly used by cheaters. A quick Spokeo People Search can also reveal if your new paramour is secretly married, if you’re picking up on any suspicious red flags.
Catch a Catfish
Speaking of romance gone wrong, catfish thrive on drumming up long-distance relationships behind fake online profiles. Get off the hook by looking up fishy new online love interests with a People Search before they break your heart, or your bank account.
Bust a Deepfake
Does that influencer with the perfect skin (and for some reason, six fingers on one hand) even exist in reality? Find out if someone online is AI-generated with just their name.
Reconnect
If you’ve fallen out of touch with a friend or family member, Spokeo can turn a name into a bounty of leads to help you start on the journey of reconnecting. Or if you’re researching your family tree and have discovered the names of some relatives you’ve never even met before, Spokeo can help you connect for the first time.
Satisfy Your Curiosity
Look, sometimes, you’re just curious. Doesn’t have to be dramatic, doesn’t have to be a big deal. Did your college girlfriend end up getting married? Whatever happened to your best friend from that one year you spent in Cincinnati? Is it just you, or is your Hinge match kind of sketchy? Curiosity + Spokeo = satisfaction.
When You Just Gotta Know
So what is Spokeo used for? Consider us your personal online sleuth, a private detective without the costs and without the cheesy film noir monologuing.
Here’s the deal: Spokeo is used for finding out more about someone, whether that’s to quench your curiosity, keep you safe from scams, or anything in between. Find out for yourself with a Spokeo People Search — because it’s about time to know more.
As a freelance writer, small business owner, and consultant with more than a decade of experience, Dan has been fortunate enough to collaborate with leading brands including Microsoft, Fortune, Verizon, Discover, Office Depot, The Motley Fool, and more. He currently resides in Dallas, TX.