How to research someone before a shidduch or first date

1. Start with what you were told

Write down the facts you were given: full name (and Hebrew name if relevant), city, school or yeshiva, workplace, and any profile links. A shidduch résumé or dating profile is a list of claims you can check one by one.

2. Verify identity first

• Do the photos match across their profiles? A reverse image search can reveal photos taken from someone else.
• Does a professional profile (employer page, LinkedIn, a published article) match the job they described?
• Do the handles they gave you link to each other? Accounts that point to each other are much stronger evidence than accounts that merely share a name.

3. Look for safety red flags, not gossip

• News coverage or court records about violence, fraud or harassment involving the same person (check carefully that it is the same person, not just the same name).
• Inconsistent stories: a different age, city or marital status in public sources than you were told.
• Pressure to move off a platform quickly, or requests for money: classic scam signs.

4. Use references the traditional way

In the shidduch world, references — rabbanim, roommates, colleagues, the shadchan — remain the best source on character. Public research complements them; it does not replace them. Ask the shadchan before you contact anyone directly.

5. Be fair with what you find

Same-name confusion is common. Don’t act on a single result you cannot tie to the person. Keep what you learn private, and remember that the other side may research you too.

How ProfileBolt helps

One search pulls public profiles together and adds a source only when something concrete ties it to the person: a shared username, a linked website, the email they gave you. News and court records that match only the name are shown separately as “not added”, with links, so you can judge them yourself. See a sample report. For one check, buy a 3-search pack for $9: no subscription.

Shadchanim and community organizations: if you would like to use ProfileBolt for your work, contact us.

Not for employment, tenant, credit or insurance decisions (ProfileBolt is not a consumer reporting agency). Need FCRA screening for hiring or tenancy? Use a licensed background-screening company (a consumer reporting agency).