Reverse image search
Not sure about a profile photo? Find out where else it shows up, because stolen photos are the number one sign of a fake profile.
A reverse image search starts from a picture instead of words and shows where that picture appears online. At StoryCheck the check starts with the person's phone number; once your report opens after checkout, you add the photo inside it, and an exact-match search finds the pages hosting that very image while a visual-similarity search surfaces close variants. Results are possible matches, not a guarantee.
Exact matches
The pages hosting the very same image: profiles, websites and ads that have used that exact photo.
Visual similarity
Images that look close to yours, which catches cropped, mirrored and lightly edited copies.
Spot a fake profile
Stolen photos are the number one sign of a catfish. A photo that shows up under a different name somewhere else deserves a closer look.
- 1
Pick the photo
Save the picture you want to check, for example the profile photo that gave you pause.
- 2
Start the check with the phone number
The check starts with the person's phone number. After checkout your private report opens, and that is where you add the photo.
- 3
See where the photo appears
Inside the report the exact-match and visual-similarity searches run, and you see the pages where the image has appeared.
Common questions
What is a reverse image search?
A search that starts from a picture rather than words: it returns the pages hosting the exact same image, plus images that look visually similar. That tells you whether a profile photo was taken from somewhere else on the internet.
How does the photo check work at StoryCheck?
The check starts with the person's phone number. After checkout your report opens and you add the photo inside it; the report then runs an exact-match search that finds pages hosting that very image, and a visual-similarity search. Nothing is searched before that.
Can it help me spot a catfish?
Yes, and that is its most common use. Stolen photos are the number one sign of a fake profile: if the photo turns up on other pages under different names, that is a strong signal the story does not hold up.
Does StoryCheck use facial recognition?
No. StoryCheck does not use facial recognition or any form of biometric identification. The check looks for exact copies of the image and visually similar images, nothing more.
Is the search private, and what happens to the photo?
The search is completely private and the person is never notified. The photo you upload is deleted automatically after the search runs; it is not stored or used for anything else.
Image search guides
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Find out who is really behind the number
The check is private and takes about 60 seconds. The person is not notified and never finds out you looked.
Check a number now