I Tested What Website Catfish Uses to Look Up Numbers and Images — Here’s What I Found

Disclosure: Some links in this article are services I’ve personally used. If you use them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost. Recommendations are based on genuine experience.

It all started with an episode of MTV's Catfish: The TV Show. I was fascinated by how Nev and Kamie could uncover the truth behind a profile, revealing a real person from just a phone number or a picture. It got me thinking. What if someone was using my name to scam people? Or what if a person I was talking to online wasn't who they claimed to be?

Like anyone else, I went straight to Google and typed in the same questions you might be asking: "what website does catfish use to look up phone numbers?" and "what website does catfish use to search images?"

The results were overwhelming. Pages filled with names like Spokeo, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, BeenVerified, and Social Catfish. I was surprised by how many options there were. But I needed to cut through the noise and find one that worked for me, without breaking the bank.

Cutting Through the Clutter: My Choice for a Phone Lookup

My first stop was a free site. I tried a simple reverse phone lookup, and while it confirmed the number was active, it didn't give me the "who, what, and where" I needed. I wanted a full report.

After spending hours on Reddit and reading countless reviews, I kept seeing two names pop up for their specific strengths: Spokeo for phone lookups and Social Catfish for image searches.

I decided to start with Spokeo for two main reasons:

1. Affordability: Their 7-day trial cost me only 95 cents. For less than a dollar, I could get a detailed report.
2. Reputation: I read that they've been operating for nearly 20 years, which told me they were a stable, legitimate company, not a fly-by-night operation.

A Look at Other Powerful Tools

In my research, I also explored other prominent services. Instant Checkmate and BeenVerified are powerful for deep background checks, including criminal and court records, making them ideal for more serious investigations. TruthFinder is another comprehensive option that compiles detailed public data reports. While these services are more expensive, they offer a deeper dive for those who need it.

My Spokeo Experience: The Shocking Discovery

With a bit of nervousness, I entered my own phone number into Spokeo. I figured the best way to test it was to see what it knew about me.

The report generated in minutes, and what I saw was a shock. Spokeo had aggregated data from public records and social sites, and it showed that someone had created a fake Facebook account using my name and details. The account was active. I had no idea. I immediately contacted Facebook and filed a report to have it taken down.

Beyond that, the report was incredibly detailed. It listed my marriage history, relatives, and associated phone numbers. It’s important to know that Spokeo does not show private data like text messages — it compiles what’s publicly available. It even hinted at my dating history because I’d shared posts on public social media accounts. This showed me how our digital breadcrumbs can be pieced together to form a surprisingly complete picture.

My Social Catfish Experience: The Power of a Reverse Image Search

Next, I turned to Social Catfish. This is the tool you often see featured on the TV show, and it's a powerhouse for reverse image searches. I uploaded an old profile picture of mine to see what would happen.

The tool scoured the web and found every instance where that photo appeared. It linked back to my old LinkedIn profile, a defunct blog, and a few other forgotten corners of the internet. The results largely confirmed what Spokeo had found. While Spokeo gave me a broader, text-based dossier of my life, Social Catfish provided the visual proof, showing exactly where my digital identity was living online.

My Verdict: Which Tool Should You Use?

Based on my hands-on testing, here’s my straightforward advice:

If you have a phone number, email, or name, start with Spokeo. For a minimal cost, you get a deep, comprehensive report that pulls from a wide array of public sources. It’s your best bet for finding associated social profiles, relatives, and location history.

If you have a profile picture and suspect it's stolen, use Social Catfish. Its specialized reverse image search is unmatched for tracing a photo across the internet to find its original source and other associated fake profiles.

These tools don't have magical access to private databases. They work because we live so much of our lives online, leaving traces on public records, social media, and blogs. Services like Spokeo and Social Catfish are designed to connect those dots.

My journey taught me two things: first, it's scarily easy for someone to misuse your identity, and second, we have the power to fight back. By using the same tools the experts do, we can verify identities, protect ourselves from scammers, and find the truth.

Article Last Updated: OCT 2025