Overview
Are they married but pretending to be single? Once you confirm you have their real name, see if a spouse is listed through property records or the age/relatives lookup sites. Then Google both names together to see if they’re still married or recently divorced.
No one single database is complete. So look through a lot of them before you conclude the person is unmarried! Obviously, if you find a possible wife you can skip a step and go to verifying their current marital status.
Great give aways include recent wedding announcements, gift registries and recent obituaries. I love obituaries because they often lists the names and marital relationship of those in attendance.
(ex: …his son John Tilden and his wife, Golda from Florida).
So let’s have some fun. It’s time to pull off Santa’s beard and expose the fraud. Enjoy!
Index
1. Verify You Have His Real Name
2. Check Property Records For A Spouse
3. Look For Female Relatives that Could Be A Spouse
4. Google Both Their Names Together For Current Marital Status
5. Googling For Divorces
6. Check Free Databases For Divorces or If “The Woman Filed For a Name Change
Step 1: Verify You Have His Real Name (a married man may give you a false one)
Skip this step ONLY if you’re absolutely sure he gave you his true name, i.e. he’s an old high school flame or you’ve seen his passport, credit card or driver’s license. Otherwise, TRUST BUT VERIFY.
Does his cellphone number, username, address or email address all pull up some other guy? (a different photo or different name)
To find out, see Reverse Searches: Verify by Their Contact Information (Consumer-SOS)
Same goes if he claims to be a doctor, lawyer or CPA, etc. To practice their profession, they must first be registered with the appropriate Occupational Licensing Board in their state. So if he’s given you a nick name, be sure to check a Directory Of Nick Names for his proper name. For example: Dick=Richard, Ray=Raymond, Bill= William. Then look him up using both names. If he’s not there, it could mean he’s being untruthful about his name or profession or both.
What If All I Have Is Just His Name And Nothing More?
If you have his name and nothing else, (no username, email or cell # from text messages, etc.) verify their name by matching it with other things he’s told you about himself.
For example: If through the age & relative lookups you can’t find “Adam Rosen” age 53 in Georgia, the:guy is either new in town, or probably lying about his name, his age or both. The age & relative lookups are extremely comprehensive! They list almost everybody. (Far more so than the online Whitepages.)
Step 2: Check Property Records For A Spouse
If a woman is on the deed. Don’t let him tell you it’s his sister. Jump to Steps 4-6 and verify!
Background Homeowners To See If A Spouse Is Listed As Co-owner (50 States & DC)
6 out of 10 people own rather than rent, which means you can find or verify the names of over a hundred million homeowners with just their name or an address. Results may also include their middle initial, the home’s value, or that a spouse is also on the deed! If you can’t find them, it could mean they rent, it’s in their spouse’s name or they gave you a false name. It could also mean they live in NYC, or you have the wrong address or city.
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Step 3: Look For A Possible Spouse Listed Among His Relatives
The age & relative lookups in Group 1 and 2 below show who may be related to the guy and how old they are. A woman within 12 years of his age could be a sister, a roommate, an ex spouse or his current wife. Write down any female names that fit the bill. Sometimes a woman’s age won’t show up even when the guy’s does. But you can get her age by doing a separate search for her as well.
Try at least one lookup from both Groups 1 and 2.
Group 1 (Relatives)
Intelius.com
Enter their name and state they live in for their age and possible relatives. For more relatives, mouse over “View All”. Even if it may miss a relative, you’ll often see other valuable info about them such as where they worked or went to college. This can help you identify them among false leads when Googling for common name.
US Search.com (National Database)
Has age, places they’ve lived and possible relatives. For more relatives, mouse over “View More”.
Group 2 (Marriage Records)
Moose Roots Marriage Records
Can look to see if they were ever married and when, but it’s hit or miss as the database is far from complete. But if you see a spouse, you at least know who she is if her name pops up in a deed or other listing. Not good for showing divorces.
FamilyTreeNow (Marriage)
Enter a full name and can also enter in a state if you get too many hits. (first try without a state since you don’t know where else they’ve lived or where they may have got married).
Hit enter, then scroll down on left to FILTER RESULTS. Choose either Marriage Records, Divorce Records or Living People… (Misses many who are either married or divorced, but it’s worth looking at.)
Step 4: Google Both Their Names Together For Current Marital Status
If they’re listed as husband and wife, try Googling their names with divorce decree. Or try searching for hits only in the last year.
Google Search Combos For Marriage (start with broad searches and refine if too many hits)
Sam Karen Gruberman
Sam Karen Gruberman Georgia
Karen Sam Gruberman Georgia (switched the names around)
Sam Karen Gruberman Georgia wife OR married (use capital OR to get either “wife” OR “married”)
Sam Karen Gruberman Georgia wife OR married (Google Set to Past Year Only)
Limit Your Results To Past Year Only
Click on link above and replace names and state with the ones you’re looking for. Or learn how to limit Google searches within the last year. See #6 of Google Like A Pro (Quick Tips & Tricks).
And if last month’s obituary shows they’re married, but he insists he’s not, make him cough up the divorce certificate!
Step 5: Googling For Divorces
Start with broad searches and refine if you get too many hits. See the examples below where I search with and without quotes.
Searching with their name and divorce might work. Or it could pull up every divorce attorney in town! Here’s how to bypass those annoying ads from divorce lawyers and still get the meat!
“FIRESTONE v FIRESTONE” Richard (use quotes, may pull up several of his divorces)
“FIRESTONE v FIRESTONE” Richard Susan
“FIRESTONE v FIRESTONE” Richard Susan Georgia (here limited by state, but could omit divorces in other states)
Pontrelli v Pontrelli Barrie (Rare last name, no quotes needed)
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Step 6: Check Free Divorce Databases or If “The Woman Filed For a Name Change
https://www.juralindex.com/
For divorces, enter in the last name of the person and then search by state and case name. Using the last name as a case name should pull up divorces and name changes. For uncommon names, omit the state. You can always add it later if there are too many hits. OR try searching by plaintiff or defendant or all. Then hit VIEW CASE DETAILS. Records may go back to before 1995.
Note: For all you google experts who use Google to search within the bowels of other websites: It’ a waste of time in this case! Google won’t puck up records that are there which means you’ll be misled even more if you find nothing. You’re better off going to the websites directly.
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