How Mr. Right Became Mr. Wrong

Have you ever talked to someone online and later found out that they weren’t who they said they were? Well, you’re not alone. Here’s how Stacia, one of our users, used Spokeo to confirm her suspicions about someone she met on a dating app.

In search of love, Stacia decided to try online dating. With a busy work schedule, it seemed like the easiest way to meet people, so she set up a profile on a popular dating app called Hinge. After swiping through a few profiles, she came across one for a man named Chenghao. She decided to give him a chance so she liked his profile and they ended up matching. Not too soon after, Chenghao made the first move and sent her a message.

Over the course of the next three months, Stacia and Chenghao chatted frequently, getting to know more about each other. He spoke about how he was originally from overseas, but moved to Georgia (to the same area that Stacia was from) to live with his uncle. Chenghao was pretty open to talking about himself, however, when it came to the topic of his job and what company he worked at, he closed up. He became defensive and accused Stacia of not trusting him.

Since he was being very secretive about his job, Stacia decided to do some research and see if the information he had already given her matched up. She went to Google and searched “how to find someone online.” From there, she found Spokeo and searched his name and phone number. She definitely thought that his phone number was real since the area code matched the area he claimed to live in. However, after her research, she found out that the phone number was registered to someone with a different name and in a different state. When she researched his name, she found out that the real Chenghao had a different month/year of birth and he was also residing in a different state. When she researched his uncle’s information, she wasn’t able to find anything. 

When none of the information that Chenghao gave her matched up, she slowly realized that her Mr. Right was actually Mr. Wrong. Paired with the fact that he always made excuses every time they planned to meet up, she now knew that he was catfishing her. She decided to confront him to see if he’d admit to anything, but when she told him what she found out, he got angry and again accused her of not trusting him. After that conversation, she ended things with him and decided that her experience with Chenghao was a lesson learned. She never did find out exactly who he was, however, not too long after that confrontation, she learned that he was actually from Japan and he had never even resided in the United States. 
Although catfishing and dating scams are more common than you think, most people don’t realize how important it is to research your dates – whether it’s someone you met in-person or someone you met online. To avoid feeling disappointed and let down by another Mr. Wrong, make sure to Spokeo before you date!