How to Find Someone on Dating Sites by Email

Curious if someone you know has a dating profile? An email address can be a powerful starting point for uncovering their digital footprint. But if you imagine a tool that can reveal every dating profile linked to an email, you may be let down – such a tool doesn’t exist. Finding profiles across various dating sites can be a bit of a process and often requires time and effort to get thorough results. 

But don’t worry, in this article, we’ll introduce proven tools and tricks – both free and paid – to make your search as effective as possible.

Identify your target app

Before searching, it’s essential to consider which dating sites you want to focus on. For example, popular dating sites like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and Badoo are widely used, while Grindr and HER are more popular within the LGBTQ community. Similarly, Christian Mingle is a favorite among Christians, and BLK is often for Black singles. By targeting specific sites, you can determine which method may provide the necessary information.

While some apps, like Bumble, Hinge, and HER, don’t support email sign-up, it doesn’t mean you can’t uncover a profile by email. You can try using people search tools or performing creative searches within the apps.
💬Tell us what dating apps you focus on in the comment. We’re happy to share more exclusive tricks

Once you’ve chosen the platform you want to search, you can start with these specific methods:

• If your target is on POF, Tinder, Bumble, Badoo, Match, EliteMate, or MeetMe: Use people search tools like TruthFinder, Spokeo, and BeenVerified.
• If you don’t have a specific app in mind: You can still try these people search tools for potential social media results.
• If your target is on Ashley Madison: Use an email checker specifically for this platform.
• For a free general search across social media (not limited to dating profiles): Try Super Easy social media search for a simple and wide-ranging search.
• Search with image: Social Catfish

Method 1 People search tools (without signing up for dating apps)

People search tools are closer to my initial expectation: Just enter the email, and the service may find matching information and generate a report with possible social media and dating profile links, if available. You can then check if the profile matches the person you’re looking for. But these services often require payment.

It’s important to note that different people search services cover different dating sites, so choosing the one that best matches your needs is key. Since these services aim to gather as much information as possible, you may also receive surprisingly detailed reports about the person.

After testing multiple options, here are some reputable tools:

Comparing these people search tools:

• Spokeo: Spokeo is an expert in social media searches, uncovering a variety of social media profiles related to an email. The results are straightforward and concise, and its price is more affordable than other providers.

• TruthFinder: It offers more detailed information beyond just social media profiles. Reports can include public record data on possible owners of the email address, known aliases, their possible associated contacts and relatives, location history, possible criminal and traffic records, and more, if available. Moreover, it provides possible usernames and links to each associated social media profile.

• BeenVerified: BeenVerified helps you reveal potential owners of the email address. You could identify the owner first and unlock their background report, which may provide more detailed information including their social media profiles.

• Social Catfish: Designed specifically for recognizing romance scams, Social Catfish is expected to support most dating sites on the internet. However, there’s no official announcement on the exact number or names of dating sites it covers. Beyond reverse email lookup, Social Catfish embeds facial recognition search that you can search for possible social media accounts with a picture.

People search tools aren’t designed for finding dating profiles exclusively, even though some dating sites are among their supported networks. Their strengths lie in their broader social media coverage, which can help you know whether the person has a “secret” social media account. This can be just as valuable since potential cheating isn’t limited to dating sites alone.

Method 2 Super Easy social media search

Super Easy social media search is a free online search tool that lets you search across multiple social networking sites using an email address or username. While it’s not a dedicated dating profile finder, it can search through popular dating sites like Tinder and other widely-used social media networks.

Simply enter the email address or username, and it will scan it across various social networking sites, providing direct links to the search results.

The advantage of this tool is that it searches through multiple platforms with one click, saving you the hassle of checking each site individually. However, it doesn’t go as deep as people search tools above, as it relies on a basic query method – taking the email prefix as a potential username – which can lead to irrelevant results. In general, it’s suited for broader investigations, but you’ll need to verify the findings for accuracy.

You can also try these alternatives:

Lullar – Similar to Super Easy social media search, this tool supports convenient profile search by email or username, and it covers some lesser-known niche networks.

UserSearch.org – This website is also designed to check whether a username is used on different platforms. Select the Dating Sites category, enter a possible username (or simply use the email ID if you don’t know one), and search. It will find username matches on Tinder, MeetMe, Badoo, and so on.

Epieos – A useful tool for tracing an email’s digital footprints. You may find associated Google account and Skype profiles, whether an email has been leaked in a data breach, where it was used, and more. It’s free to use after you sign up, but details for some accounts will require payment to access.

Method 3 Ashley Madison breached email check

If you’re specifically looking for someone on Ashley Madison, you can try searching through its breached data in 2015. 

Ashley Madison, a well-known online dating site for married couples, experienced a data breach in 2015, exposing the information of 32 million users^[1]. This data is still searchable on several websites, where you can enter an email address to see if it appears on the “cheaters list.”

Note that these tools only reflect data from the 2015 breach, so they won’t indicate whether someone registered on the site after that. Additionally, based on my tests, the confidentiality and reliability of these tools remain questionable.

Below are two tools that claim to search the “cheaters list”:

• https://checkashleymadison.com/
• https://ashley.cynic.al/ 

I tested them with celebrities’ names who had admitted they were on Ashley Madison but both tools returned nothing. It’s unclear whether the information was removed due to legal pressure or if the tools simply don’t work as intended. The second tool claimed that about 36 million accounts were compromised, more than CNN reported in 2015. When I tested random email addresses, some were found in the database.

Since I don’t have an email address that was registered on Ashley Madison before 2015, it’s difficult to verify the accuracy or reliability of these tools. If you know any reliable and working Ashley Madison email check engine, feel free to share it in the comments.

Other ways to find dating profiles

In some cases, you can find someone directly on dating sites without using a third-party tool.

① Do a username search

A username is a key detail to finding someone on social media and dating platforms. Sites like Match.com, Plenty Of Fish, and Badoo support in-app username searches. While Tinder doesn’t allow direct searches for specific users, you can use Google to get around this limitation easily.

• Match.com offers an official username search. 
• Plenty Of Fish only allows higher-tier members (Premium and Prestige) to search for usernames.
  📖Related reading: How to Find Someone on POF
• Badoo allows users to search with their full name. If the profile is public and they have used real names, you may find them.

For Tinder:

If you know the person’s exact or potential username, you can search for their Tinder profiles without signing up as follows:

1. Navigate to the link: https://tinder.com/@username (replacing username with the actual one). This trick is free but requires some luck, especially with common names. The results are random, and you can’t run further searches, so it’s hit or miss.
2. Search by the person’s first name or username + site:tinder.com on Google to find Tinder profiles. Google will return a list of possible matches for you to check.
   
   If you know other details like the person’s age, workplace, or school, add them to your query for refined results.
   

② Create a new account for focused search

This method works on all dating sites and apps. If you’re sure which site or app the person you’re looking for is on, for example, you’ve heard that your crush is on eHarmony, you can create an account and try to hit on their profile there.

After creating a profile, you can narrow down the search by adjusting the radius and setting specific age limits. This approach can help you find their profile faster than you might expect. This trick is highly effective and has been confirmed by multiple users.

The old trick doesn’t work anymore

There are many posts introducing how to use the “forgot password” trick to see if an email was registered on a dating site. This method no longer works, as most sites will send an account confirmation or password recovery directly to the registered email without revealing whether the email address has been used. I’ve tested this on Badoo, POF, Tinder, Match.com, eHarmony, and OKCupid, and none of them reveal any part of the email address when you click “Forgot password.”

What about trying to register with the email address to see if it’s in use? Unfortunately, this trick isn’t effective either. Instead of notifying you the email is already registered, most sites just direct you to create a new account. Some dating sites don’t even verify email, Grindr, for example, allows fake email addresses to sign up, a practice that has been criticized by many users^[2].

Why I can’t find someone on dating sites by email 

There are a few reasons why you might not be able to find someone’s dating profile by email:

1. They might be using a different email address on the dating site than the one you have.
2. They may have strong privacy settings that prevent their account from being searchable, like hiding their dating profile.
3. Their account is inactive or deleted, so you won’t be able to find it.
4. They might be using smaller or less-known dating sites.

What to do when you find your partner’s dating profile

Finding your partner’s dating profile doesn’t necessarily mean they’re cheating. During my searches, I found instances where people reported being signed up on dating sites without their knowledge. Some sites, like Zoosk, can accidentally create an account without your knowledge. Additionally, dating sites may continue sending prompts even after profiles are hidden or deleted, making it difficult to determine if your partner is still using dating apps.

So it’s important to stay calm, have an open conversation with your partner, and express your feelings and concerns to rebuild trust together.

Conclusion

Finding someone on dating sites by email for free is challenging but possible with the right methods. While free options are limited and may not always be successful, combining different approaches can improve your chances. It’s crucial to respect privacy and remember that a heart-to-heart works better than playing detective in intimate relationships. And never use these methods to harass or stalk others.

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1. Jose Pagliery, (2015, August 19). Now you can search the Ashley Madison cheaters list. CNN. https://money.cnn.com/2015/08/19/technology/ashley-madison-search/index.html↩
2. r/grindr. [lotuseater_the]. (2022, February 21). No e-mail verification when creating an account. [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/grindr/comments/sxvv5k/no_email_verification_when_creating_an_account/↩

There’s no guarantee you’ll find the information you’re looking for with the tools discussed in this article. They all source their information from publicly available data sources, such as county, state and federal courts, government departments, and police records, and those sources may contain incorrect or incomplete data. It’s illegal to use these tools to make decisions about employment, admission, consumer credit, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. Read the Fair Credit Reporting Act to learn more....

By Iris Zheng

I have worked as a content writer for years and have found great joy and meaning in this profession. As a member of a company's writing team, I have benefited from continuous training and learning opportunities. These experiences have not only improved my research skills and learning abilities but have also enabled me to quickly find valuable and accurate information in the vast sea of data.

My previous work in banking instilled meticulous work habits in me. I carefully inspect and verify information I collect with the aim of providing readers with authentic and reliable content. My skills and cautious nature not only allow me to offer robust support to readers in my professional life but also position me as a source of information and advice for my family and friends in my personal life.

I derive immense enjoyment and a profound sense of accomplishment from assisting others. If my articles are able to assist you in any way, it would be both an honor and a personal achievement. This motivation will continue to inspire me to pursue constant improvement and produce more valuable content.

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