Frequently asked questions

Backgrounder helps you figure out if something online—or in real life—is legitimate or a scam, before you lose money, time, or trust.

We combine AI technology with experienced human security researchers to verify suspicious messages, profiles, offers, and websites. Scams create urgency, emotional pressure, and confusion—our goal is to give you clarity and confidence before you act.

Whether it's a dating profile, an investment opportunity, a contractor, a text message, or anything that doesn't feel right, Backgrounder helps you understand what—or who—you're really dealing with.

Learn more about why we built Backgrounder →

You start by sharing something suspicious with Carmen, our AI-powered scam analyst—like a text message, email, profile, website, or offer. Carmen analyzes it in under 30 seconds and tells you if it's a scam, why, and what to do next.

Future subscription plans will provide access to experienced human security researchers. So when a case needs deeper investigation, you can escalate to our team for human judgment and verification. Stay tuned!

If you need to connect with our team about a case while we develop this feature, you can always reach out to us at support@backgrounder.com. We are here for you!

See how Backgrounder works step-by-step →

Carmen is your AI-powered scam copilot. She's trained on over a million scams to analyze suspicious messages, profiles, websites, and more in under 30 seconds. Carmen tells you if something is legitimate or a scam, explains why, and gives you specific next steps—all in plain language. We do not use your personal information to train our models. Backgrounder uses scammer content submitted through the platform to improve and train our services, as described in our Privacy Policy.

Backgrounder is used by:

• Individuals who want peace of mind before responding online
• Families helping protect loved ones from scams
• Executives worried about impersonation scams and protecting their workforce
• Small and medium-sized businesses vetting unfamiliar contacts

People use Backgrounder before dating, investing, shopping, paying invoices, responding to unexpected messages, or engaging with anyone or anything they don't fully trust yet.

Both—by design.

Backgrounder is an AI-native platform supported by experienced human security researchers. AI helps quickly identify patterns and red flags at scale, while human experts step in when context, judgment, or deeper research is needed. This combination allows us to move fast without sacrificing accuracy or care. We do not use your personal information to train our models. Backgrounder uses scammer content submitted through the platform to improve and train our services, as described in our Privacy Policy.

That's a fair question—and exactly the kind of skepticism we encourage.

Backgrounder never asks you to send money, crypto, gift cards, or personal passwords. We don't pressure you with urgency or threats. You choose when to use the service, what information to share, and whether to continue.

We're a real U.S.-based company, led by experienced security researchers, and we make it easy to verify who we are before you ever pay for anything. If something ever feels off, we want you to walk away—the same advice we give our own users.

• Our team has legitimate backgrounds in security, fraud prevention, and technology, including experience in government and leading organizations.
• Payments are handled securely by Stripe.
• We're actively working toward SOC 2 compliance to strengthen privacy and data protection.
• We're transparent about our process, pricing, and privacy policies.
• All paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• You can cancel anytime — no lock-ins, no penalties. If you have concerns, start with our Free plan—no credit card required.

Learn more about team leading Backgrounder →

Backgrounder offers a Free plan to get started. We are working on paid plans for individuals, families, and small businesses that will be available shortly.

View pricing and compare plans →

Each plan includes Quick Checks with Carmen and case tracking. Future plans will include varying levels of access to our human security researchers.

See full plan details and pricing →

Backgrounder is designed as a subscription service to provide ongoing protection, not just a single answer. Scams often evolve over time, and continued access helps you stay ahead as situations change.

If you only need occasional checks, our Free plan includes 5 checks per month. We are also working on add-on plans that will allow additional research inquiries from security researchers with a subscription plan.

There's no long-term commitment—subscribe month-to-month and cancel anytime.

Yes. Cancel anytime from your account dashboard—no contracts, no hidden fees.

We also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for new customers on all paid plans. If Backgrounder doesn't deliver value, you shouldn't have to pay. Contact us at support@backgrounder.com to request a refund.

Yes. We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for new customers on all paid plans. If Backgrounder doesn't deliver value, you shouldn't have to pay.

Contact us at support@backgrounder.com to request a refund.

We accept all major credit cards and debit cards. All payments are processed securely through Stripe, a globally trusted payment platform used by millions of businesses worldwide.

Stripe is certified to the highest industry standards, including PCI Service Provider Level 1 compliance—the most stringent level of certification in the payments industry. Your payment information is encrypted and never stored on Backgrounder's servers.

Learn more about Stripe's security →

Yes. All payments are processed through Stripe, one of the world's most trusted payment platforms used by millions of businesses globally.

Stripe is certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1—the highest level of security certification in the payments industry. Your payment information is encrypted and never stored on Backgrounder's servers.

When you enter your payment details, they go directly to Stripe's secure servers, not ours.

Learn more about Stripe's security →

Yes, subscriptions auto-renew monthly or annually (depending on your plan) to ensure uninterrupted protection. You can cancel anytime from your account dashboard—no contracts, no penalties.

Carmen delivers results in under 30 seconds for quick checks.

When you escalate to a human security researcher for deeper investigation, most cases are resolved the same day or within a few days, depending on complexity. We'll keep you informed every step of the way.

Backgrounder is designed to move quickly—because when something feels urgent, it usually is.

See how Backgrounder works step-by-step →

AI results (from Carmen) deliver fast insights by identifying patterns and signals commonly associated with scams. They help you quickly understand whether something looks risky—delivered in under 30 seconds.

We are currently developing the feature that will allow security researcher reports which add human judgment, context, and deeper verification when situations are complex or high-risk. A researcher reviews the details personally to clarify what's really going on.

Together, AI and human expertise give you the best of both worlds: speed when you need answers quickly, and depth when the situation matters most.

Backgrounder combines AI-driven analysis with human review to reduce false positives and improve accuracy.

Every report includes a confidence level (Very Low, Low, Medium, High, or Very High) that reflects how strongly the evidence points toward a scam. Higher confidence means multiple independent warning signs align—like suspicious payment methods, known scam patterns, and pressure tactics all appearing together. Lower confidence might mean we've spotted something unusual, but not enough to draw a firm conclusion.

We reach these confidence levels by cross-checking several sources: the AI's assessment, matches to known scam databases, red flags in contact details (like cryptocurrency addresses or disposable emails), and whether similar reports have come through our system before. The system is designed so that no single factor alone determines the verdict—we look for patterns across multiple signals.

That said, our reports are meant to support your decisions, not replace legal, financial, or law-enforcement determinations. We focus on helping you understand risk clearly so you can decide what to do next with confidence.

No service can guarantee 100% accuracy in scam detection—scammers constantly evolve their tactics.

However, Backgrounder combines AI pattern recognition with human expertise to minimize false positives and provide the most accurate assessment possible. Our reports are designed to help you make informed decisions, not replace legal or law enforcement determinations.

If you're ever unsure about a report, request a secondary review at no charge.

If something doesn't seem right, you can request a secondary review at no additional charge.

Our team will verify the findings and explain what we see. Clarity and trust are essential—especially in stressful situations.

If you believe a report is inaccurate, request a secondary review. Our team will take another look and explain our findings in detail.

If we made an error, we'll correct it immediately and take steps to prevent similar mistakes. We're committed to accuracy and transparency—especially when the stakes are high. Contact us at support@backgrounder.com.

Trust your instincts. If something still doesn't feel right, contact us. We will offer a feature to escalate to a security researcher for human review.

Sometimes legitimate-looking situations have subtle red flags that require deeper investigation.

We'd rather you get a second opinion than ignore your gut feeling.

In most cases, just a screenshot, link, or brief description is enough to get started.

If you have them, details like names, phone numbers, email addresses, website links, social media profiles, usernames, or crypto wallet addresses can help us move faster—but don't worry if you don't have everything.

Backgrounder is a safe place to share information and get clear answers quickly. If we need anything more, we'll let you know.

No.

All escalations are private and discreet. The person or entity you're checking is never contacted or alerted.

That said, Backgrounder is not a background check service and is not FCRA-compliant. It is designed specifically to help consumers and small businesses detect scams and fraud—not to evaluate people for employment, credit, housing, or other regulated decisions.

Your data is encrypted and used only to address your case. We do not sell or rent your personal information with third parties. We will share scammer data to others in order to reduce the chances you get scammed again. For clarity, when you submit telephone numbers, bank accounts, email addresses, domains, fake social media accounts, and other infrastructure used by scammers, we will share that with other institutions to quickly bring more friction to scammers. We will not sell your information to other institutions. We take privacy very seriously and created Backgrounder as a safe place for consumers to chat, report scams, and get the remediation they need with experts and technology, without being judged. We want to help, not hurt.

Read our Privacy Policy →

We work with industry-leading security providers:

• Stripe processes all payments with the highest level of PCI compliance and encryption standards

Your privacy and security are our top priorities.

Learn more about Stripe's security →

We retain information related to suspected scammers (such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, domains, and associated communications) only for as long as needed to provide the service or as required by applicable law. We do not train AI models on your personal data or personal details contained in your submissions. Any model training is limited to confirmed scammer data.

You can request deletion of your personal data at any time.

Yes.

Backgrounder uses industry-standard security practices, including:

• End-to-end encryption for all data transmission
• Secure hosting with regular security audits
• Stripe for PCI-compliant payment processing
• Third-party compliance frameworks

We take protecting your information seriously.

We respect your privacy. Backgrounder provides information to law enforcement only when legally required by court order or subpoena. Otherwise, your information remains confidential and under your control.

If you want to report a scam to authorities, we can provide documentation from your case to support your report.

Backgrounder helps investigate a wide range of common and complex scams, including:

• Romance scams and catfishing
• In-person scams connected to online activity
• Investment and cryptocurrency scams
• Online shopping scams and fake storefronts
• Tech support scams
• Social media impersonation and account takeovers
• Business email compromise (BEC)
• Sextortion or extortion
• Scam calls impersonating your bank or payment provider (PayPal, Venmo, Zelle)
• Vendor impersonation
• Text messages you don't recognize

If something doesn't feel right but doesn't fit neatly into one of these categories, you can still submit it. Scams evolve constantly, and our job is to help you make sense of what's happening—even when it's unfamiliar.

See all scam types we cover →

Common warning signs include pressure to act quickly, requests for secrecy, unexpected money requests, or details that don't quite add up. Inconsistent profiles, vague answers, or stories that change over time are also red flags.

If something feels off, Backgrounder can help you verify who—or what—you're dealing with before you take action.

Upload a screenshot of the profile or photos to Backgrounder. If a screenshot is restricted on the dating app, you'll need to describe the situation with identifiers so we have something to go on.

We analyze images, linked accounts, and behavioral signals to look for signs of catfishing, impersonation, or reused scam identities—so you can decide how to proceed with confidence.

Note: Most dating apps allow screenshots, but some apps block them entirely, while others notify the other person when you screenshot. If you're concerned about discretion, you can escalate to a security researcher and we can suggest alternative methods for secure verification.

Simply enter the website URL into Backgrounder.

We review domain history, registration details, security indicators, public reviews, and known fraud signals to help you understand whether a site or business appears trustworthy.

If you're in immediate danger or being extorted, contact local law enforcement first (call 911 in the US). If you already have and they were of limited help, we are here to help.

For urgent scam situations that aren't emergencies:

1. Don't send any money or share more information
2. Run a quick check with Carmen and submit what's happening immediately.
3. For emergencies, contact us and we will provide emergency-priority handling.

We're here to help you understand what's happening and take the right protective steps—fast.

Backgrounder will offer Family Plans that allow multiple profiles under one account. Currently, our age restriction is 18 years old. We will likely amend our policies to allow teenagers at a later date, but want to be thoughtful about parent's requests and privacy of their children.

Family members can submit anything that appears suspicious for review, but all family members will have complete visibility into all accounts. We may build access controls later if customers request this.

We're so sorry you're going through this and you're not alone. Situations like this are emotionally difficult, especially when someone you love feels deeply connected to the person on the other side of the screen.

Helping people break free from the emotional pull of scams is one of the main reasons we built Backgrounder.

Getting started with support:

A good first step is to create a Backgrounder account and choose a Family Plan when they become available, depending on how much support you need. Our security researchers are trained to help people gently understand when an online relationship isn't what it seems—without shaming, pressure, or confrontation.

Romance scams often start slowly and feel genuine at first. Over time, scammers build trust, create emotional dependence, and introduce urgency or secrecy. We help bring clarity to what's happening, so families can have informed, supportive conversations and decide what to do next together. We will offer remediation guidance and help think through asset protection.

Additional resources for victims and families:

If your loved one has already sent money or is experiencing emotional distress:

• Give an Hour offers free mental health support for victims of financial fraud, including romance scams, and peer support groups for both victims and families: Emotional & Psychological Impacts of Financial Fraud
• AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline provides free support, guidance, and fraud reporting at 1-877-908-3360 or online: Report Fraud to AARP
• National Elder Care Coordination Center

Need help right away?

If you're unsure how to start or need immediate guidance, our team is here to walk you through the process and connect you with the right support. Contact us at support@backgrounder.com.

Backgrounder works in any web browser on your computer or phone. A dedicated mobile app for iOS, Android, and browser extensions are coming soon, making it even easier to check anything suspicious in real time.

Yes! Backgrounder's web platform works on all mobile browsers. You can run checks from anywhere. A dedicated mobile app is launching soon for an even better experience.

It's coming soon! Backgrounder will be available on iOS and Android, allowing you to run scam checks and get answers in real time, wherever you are.

Yes. You can upload screenshots and chat transcripts into Carmen to help us better understand and analyze what's happening. Video and audio capability is coming soon.

Backgrounder works on all modern browsers and mobile devices. For the best experience, we recommend using Chrome or Safari.

Absolutely.

Backgrounder is designed to be easy to use and supportive. If you need help, you can contact our support team and we'll walk you through the process step by step.

Engage with Backgrounder customer support →

Backgrounder is currently available in English.

We recognize how critical accessibility is for people experiencing scams, especially in multilingual communities where language barriers can make people more vulnerable. New languages are coming soon, and we're committed to expanding access so more people can protect themselves.

If you need support in another language, please contact our team and we'll do our best to help.

Currently, Backgrounder focuses on investigations conducted in English and primarily within the United States. We can research international activity, but results may vary depending on available data. Global expansion is underway, and broader coverage is coming.

You can reach us through in-app chat, email, or your account dashboard.

Engage with Backgrounder customer support →

No. Backgrounder is not a background check service and is not FCRA-compliant. It is designed specifically to help consumers and small businesses detect scams and fraud—not to evaluate people for employment, credit, housing, or other regulated decisions.

Backgrounder does not directly recover funds or undo transactions. We have relationships with other investigations consultancies and asset recovery services who can help.

What we do provide is clear, step-by-step guidance on what to do next, documentation that may be helpful when reporting a scam, and referrals to trusted partners who specialize in scam response and potential restitution. Our role is to help you understand what happened and to support you in taking the right next steps.

Important: Unfortunately, scammers often follow up with "recovery scams," where someone promises to get your money back for an upfront fee. Please be careful of unsolicited offers like these. If it seems too good to be true, we can check it for legitimacy.

While Backgrounder doesn't directly recover funds, we can help you:

• Understand what happened and document the scam.
• Get clear next steps for reporting to banks, payment processors, and authorities.
• Prevent further losses by identifying ongoing threats.
• Connect you with trusted partners who specialize in asset recovery (when applicable).

The sooner you act, the better your chances of minimizing damage.

Backgrounder is designed to verify suspicious external threats, not audit your own digital footprint. However, if you're concerned about impersonation accounts using your name or photos, we can help identify those.

Backgrounder focuses on preventing scams before they happen, not resolving identity theft after the fact. If you are actively being targeted, we can gladly advise on remediation steps with a security researcher and attempt to mitigate damage as best as possible.

If you suspect identity theft, we recommend:

1. Filing a report with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov
2. Placing fraud alerts with credit bureaus
   • Equifax: Place a Fraud Alert
   • Experian: Place a Fraud Alert
   • TransUnion: Place a Fraud Alert
3. Using Backgrounder to verify any suspicious contacts claiming to help with recovery (many identity theft "recovery services" are themselves scams)