You often need to do a reverse image search to determine if you are being drawn into a scam. Here is how to do just that!
First, obtain a copy of the image you want to check. Then save it to your computer.
Download A Copy
Typically, you can just right-click on the image and select ‘Save As…’ on a Windows device. On a Mac, you can Control+Click on the image and select ‘Save Image As…’. On your Phone, click and hold on the image. A pop-up should appear. It will give you the option to save the image. If you can’t download the image simply, you can grab a screenshot instead.
Grab A Screenshot
A screenshot will save a copy of what you see on the screen to a image file on your device.
To do a screenshot on Windows, use the Snipping tool. You can access it via the Start menu, or by pressing the Windows Key + Shift + S. Use the Snipping tool to grab a portion of the screen.
On a Mac, you can use Shift + Command + 4 to grab a portion of the screen.
On an iPhone, you can hold and press the side button and the volume up button at the same time.
On an Android, this is commonly done by holding the power and volume down button at the same time.
You can also use your cellphone to take a picture of your computer.
Google Lens
Probably the most popular and easiest to use. It is built into the search bar. Go to Google.ca, in the search bar at the far end is camera icon.
A Window will open when you can upload your file. Simply grab your image and drag it to the box, and click ‘Search’.
Google will return all matches it finds that are duplicates or similar.
Pimeyes.com
Pimeyes.com is really good for finding people. It will try to find pictures of the same person. It works really well. Simply upload your image and click search. The free version will list any hits and the website on which it found it.
Yandex.com
Another one that is good at faces and people is Yandex.com. You might need to adjust the settings though. In the top right corner is the three horizontal lines (also called the hamburger icon). Click it, and select ‘Settings’. Change the filter search results to No Filter. Click ‘Save’. Click the camera icon at the end of the search bar and upload your photo.
What To Do With The Search Results
If you get back hits on your searches, there is a good chance that you are being misled by scammers. If you see the same image being used on multiple Facebook profiles, be cautious. Stay alert if you notice these images on different sites with various profile names. Identity theft on the Internet is very common. Scammers steal images from others. They use these images to create fake online profiles. They then use the profiles to scam people.
Reverse image searching is also good for verifying if an image is real, and not necessarily just a person. You might see a picture and be unsure if it is real. If you do a reverse image search, you might see the same image used on multiple reputable sites. This result can confirm that it may be real. It is all about perspective.
Check For AI Generated Images
You can also check to see if an image is AI Generated. Take a look at WasitAI.com. There you can upload the image. It will tell you with a confidence level if an image was AI generated. It isn’t 100% accurate in my testing however but might be good enough for what you are doing.
