Looking for love? Well today it's only a swipe away, until the user finds out that the person they are meeting isn't really who he or she claims to be - and we aren't just talking about their looks.
A user may quickly find out that they don't have much in common as previously thought, such as finding out they are a Nickelback fan. But there are more serious things that the user might not know about, such as that the person they are hooking up with on Tinder is really married, has kids or even has a criminal past.
But now users can avoid meeting up with a creep they "met" on dating sites using this new app called Stud or Dud.
Stud or Dud aims to bring both safety and transparency to the world of online dating and dating apps by allowing users to do some homework on the individuals they will be meeting in person.
It does so by aggregating public data to provide information including a person's criminal history, court records and public filings to give the user a bit of peace of mind.
"Whenever you meet anyone ... offline or online, you want to look your best," Amber Higgins, president of Stud or Dud told Tech Times. "Perception is everything to get past that first date or first interaction. If you believe someone is being less than truthful, Stud or Dud can help provide more information so that you are comfortable with moving ahead."
To be clear, what Stud or Dud does is not serve as a dating app to help you find a potential match. Instead it helps you stay away from someone who has a shady and seedy past, or someone who has lied about who they really are.
"Stud or Dud supports established dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, Match.com, Zoosk and others by providing a useful and free app to confirm their trust in someone new that they have met online," Higgins said. "When engaging on dating sites/apps people are not always 100 percent truthful about their age and many other things such as if they're single or not. This is a powerful tool to help avoid those types of issues."
Here's how the app works:
Once a user creates a free account, they are able to start doing background checks on people they know. The landing page allows the user to get help in spilling the beans about a person by either entering in their name and where they live, number or email address to bring up a list of results. Users can also do some snooping on people saved in their Contacts.
And this is where things could start to get a little creepy.
The user can see the exact address of the person, along with their age and who they are related to. The app also lets users tap on a result to bring up more details, bringing next-level Catfish detective help in the palm of their hands. These include a partial phone number, their marital status and how they rank overall on the Stud or Dud meter.
This is determined by various factors like their criminal record, which could indicate if they are a sex offender (very informative to know when meeting someone new), their property records that show if they own a home or have ever been evicted, court records like bankruptcies and professional records that show any licenses they may have.
When asked whether or not all singles should do background checks on their next date, Higgins responded with a firm yes.
"More information is always better than NO information - use with caution," she said. "Not so many years ago, if you were introduced to someone new, a potential date, you had the endorsement from a friend or an acquaintance. With online dating apps, that third-party approval no longer exists."
If the potential date appears to be in the clear, the user can then tap if they are a Stud or ditch them if they are a Dud. Studs will be saved in a separate tab.
Those who may think it's a bit too invasive for the app to provide financial info should keep in mind that the data collected by Stud or Dud is readily available online in places like Zillow or other public sites. The app just brings all this information together for the user.
"Information is power, the power to help chose a logical and sensible direction," Higgins said. "It should be noted that just because someone has bankruptcy or something else that may not be all that positive, it does not mean they are not a good person, and the same can be said for the positives. We are simply providing more data points to help you maneuver through all the choices."
Users interested in doing background checks on their next date can download Stud or Dud now for free from the App Store.
