Background story: You meet someone out at a bar while having drinks with your friends. You make small talk for a few minutes and exchange phone numbers. After a few texts, you start to become curious about who this person really is. 

With just seven digits, you can unlock the world of someone else without ever knowing their full name. You won’t admit it, but we have all done it before. I call it my Dating Investigation. 

Some might call it stalking or being a creep, but I didn’t ask for their opinion, now did I? Who knows if I am wrong or not, but honestly, I don’t care. Remember back in school when you had to do research papers? For every quote, you had to provide factual evidence with citations to back up your statements. So instead of a school project, think of this as a life project. 

Sorry not sorry to all past, present, and future dates of myself and my readers; your dirty laundry is about to come out, so I suggest before you get busted, CLEAN IT UP!!!!

How to find someone using apps on your phone

Cashapp & Venmo: 

Here is where I usually start because it’s just way too easy. Go into each app and type the phone number into the search bar. Because these apps require bank information, generally, their first and last name will pop up.

How to find someone using Social Media

Facebook:

Most people don’t know that unless you turn off “who can look you up using the phone number you provided” in Privacy Settings and Tools, anyone can type a phone number into the search bar, and 9/10 times a profile will pop up. Another thing most people don’t know is unless you set your “who can see my stuff” to “friends only,” most of your general information is still available to view. Facebook is truly the holy grail. 

Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat:

These three are a little trickier to crack since most people don’t use their real name as their username. However, in today’s society, people directly ask for your Instagram upfront. I find this annoying but also very helpful at times. One way around not getting their info upfront is to find their social media handles within their Facebook timeline. If they do the direct post from either social media accounts, it will automatically link. Once you click on the post, it will open a new window of their other social media account. If they are anything like me, you can find the rest once you have cracked one username. 

• Pro Tip: If their account is private when you search via Instagram or Twitter, go back to Facebook. The third-party link posted on their Facebook timeline allows for you to see that individual post. You still won’t be able to see the entire account, but it’s better than nothing. Nonetheless, this is extreme and can be way too time-consuming.

LinkedIn:

If you want to be a little more professional, LinkedIn is the place to go. Generally, you can find current employment information on Facebook, but if not, you can try typing in the name of the person you are searching for and filter by location. 

• Pro Tip: Make sure you are not logged into your own LinkedIn account while searching. If you find the person you are looking for and click on their profile, it will show your name under the “who’s viewed your profile” section.

Now that you have all of my tips and tricks to succeed in your date investigation, I have to throw out this disclaimer just in case you’re feeling a little guilty.

Depending on how far you decide to investigate, you can become highly judgmental and fixated on a person’s life. You will probably find one or two things from their past and focus on the negative instead of looking at their present.

Don’t be so quick to cut someone off. Everyone has a past, and we all have skeletons in our closets. Let natural chemistry happen, base their potential on their growth, and accept the person they are today.  

Hit me up and tell me if you have ever done a dating investigation!