In the world of online dating, where talking to strangers has become the absolute norm, safety is the number one priority. One question that many women are asking themselves before swiping right or agreeing to meet in person is: Is this person safe?. No, it isn't paranoia. It's a practical concern that helps women avoid potentially dangerous people.
Both dating websites and social media are rife with predators looking to manipulate, deceive, or even hurt women, all under the guise of romance and sweet-talk. According to Kaspersky, 57% of online daters admitted to lying, with 67% of them revealing that they're married. So, what prevents them from lying about their criminal records or arrest records?
In fact, as stated by Time, violence was more severe in assaults involving dating apps. Julie Valentine, an Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Research at the Brigham Young University College of Nursing, tells, "From my research findings we are postulating that sexually violent predators use dating apps as hunting grounds for vulnerable victims".
However, while finding people's criminal records for murders, robberies, possession of illegal drugs, or fraud, among other things, isn't hard, researching individuals involved in sexual violence is a more difficult task. The reason for this is that sexual assaults are frequently left unreported.
This leads us to the conclusion that criminal records alone aren't always enough. Researching beyond, including a person's behavior and social media activity, can provide a more complete picture. Still, criminal records remain a valuable source of insight and should never be overlooked.
Why Women Are Concerned About Criminal Records
The online dating world isn't safe for anyone, especially women. Here and there, we hear about violent and harmful behavior encountered on dating sites and social media. A criminal background check is an effective opportunity for a woman to protect herself from individuals who can threaten her personal safety. Women are often targets of violence, and dating someone with a violent past can put them at serious risk.
Another reason why it's important to check someone's criminal history is to see whether a person is transparent or not. To build a healthy relationship, transparency is one of the key elements. If a potential date hides criminal records, it raises questions about their honesty and makes them untrustworthy from the start.
And last but not least, some women meet scammers, spammers, and others who are aiming to steal their personal or financial details on online dating sites. Running background checks on people to see if they've been charged with fraud can go a long way in protecting finances and avoiding identity theft.
What Specific Questions Do Women Want Answered?
While every piece of information related to criminal records is essential, below are some of the questions women want answers to about their online dates.
• Has this person been convicted of a violent crime?
Understandably, violent crime, such as homicide, robbery, domestic violence, kidnapping, stalking, and the like are serious issues that women want to know about, as these crimes pose physical danger to the person. What's more, they indicate deeper patterns of behavior that can affect psychological safety.
While some people change, the United States Sentencing Commission claims that 63.8% of violent offenders were rearrested for a new crime.
• Are they a registered sex offender?
If a person has been involved in rape or sexual assault, child molestation or abuse, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, or possession, distribution, or creation of child pornography, they're legally classified as sex offenders. Depending on the severity of the crime, they may be registered in the database for years or for life.
Sex offender registry records are publicly accessible in the United States. And, as of now, almost 800k people fall under this category in the country, with Texas, California, New York, Michigan, and Illinois having the most registered individuals with sexual offences.
However, as we've already stated, a large number of sexual offences are unreported, and many offenders never face legal consequences.
• Do they have a history of stalking or domestic violence?
Stalking and domestic violence are both prevalent issues in the modern world. While some warning signs may be visible, such as jealousy or controlling behavior, others can be hidden. This is where it's important to run a background check on a person to find out if they have arrest reports or restraining orders against them.
• Have they been arrested for fraud or scams?
Romance scams are on the rise. Despite the fact that most dating sites implement certain safety measures to combat them, many people, particularly women, continue falling for scams carried out by individuals with both real and fake profiles. Scammers typically ask for their potential victims' personal details to get access to their bank accounts or social media accounts to steal financial and other data. A basic background check can reveal these if they've already done this (provided they've been caught and legally charged).
Total number of romance scam cases per U.S. state [2025]
How to Find Someone's Criminal Records
In the United States, criminal information is classified as public records. That means that anyone can get access to it (unless the records are sealed or expunged). Below are some of the effective ways to look up a criminal.
Run a Google Search
Believe it or not, but a simple search on a search engine can uncover if a person has been involved in a criminal activity. Type in their full name in the search bar and add the term "criminal records" to find out if they're mentioned in news articles, social media posts, or any other websites.
If a name search hasn't yielded any results, try a reverse image search by searching their picture. This might even get you their mugshots.
Remember, however, that this isn't a reliable way of finding criminal information, as Google may show outdated, incomplete, or even inaccurate details.
Check Public Records Databases
In many U.S. states, there are searchable databases that are accessible to the public. Such databases can be found on county court websites, the State Department of Corrections, and state or local police department websites.
The type of information you'll be able to find depends on state laws, as each U.S. state has its own regulations governing public access to criminal records.
Search the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website
The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website is administered by the Department of Justice. The site allows its users to search for information about sex offenders from 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the principal U.S. territories, and more than 150 Indian tribes, as stated by the FBI.
You can search for sex offenders on the site by name or location. After the search, you'll find the offender's mugshot, age, aliases, and address (both for residence and employment).
Contact the Local Police Department
To find out if someone of interest has criminal records, you can contact the police department of the place where they live. For this, it's necessary to know the city where they reside. Once you have that information, visit the official website of the police department or pay a visit to the sheriff's office.
Just keep in mind that some departments may require you to submit a formal request to get access to a person's criminal data. You'll also need their full name, date of birth, and perhaps a reason for the inquiry.
The Bottom Line
Certain red flags give away a suspicious individual, but nothing is as reliable as criminal records and court records.
A dating background check is an important step that can safeguard any woman from those with malicious intentions, so it's essential to conduct it before meeting with someone from a dating app. Whether they've been convicted of a violent crime or have a sex offender status, knowing this information beforehand can save any woman from danger.
