You’ve Seen TruthFinder Ads on TikTok, but Can It Really Catch a Cheating Partner?

What It Is

We often think that if we just had more information, we would fare better in our relationships. Information on what our partner is thinking, what they’re feeling, and whether or not they have a secret family. No seriously, that is a genuine concern people (I mean me) have in relationships.

And social media platforms are aware of this insecurity. That’s why your timeline has likely been inundated with advertisements for TruthFinder. And whether you’ve quickly scrolled past these ads or even momentarily hovered over them with consideration, you’ve probably come to the conclusion that it’s some sort of app that’s meant to help people learn if their partner is cheating on them or not. You would think that because that’s what all TruthFinder’s marketing team essentially pushes.

But in reality, TruthFinder isn’t exactly a cheater-catching app. Think about it: What sort of app is really going to have the authority or access to know who your partner is secretly texting? So what “truth” exactly does this app seek to show you—and is there any truth to the ads all over your Instagram?

TruthFinder is a people-search and background-report service that launched in March 2015. When it first came out, it was advertised as a pretty straightforward public record search engine—something that would make the experience more user-friendly. The company said it wanted to set itself apart from other people-search engines by providing “high-quality, interesting data.”

Today. TruthFinder essentially compiles information from public records and other third-party data sources into easily-readable and searchable reports. Depending on the person, these reports can include things like addresses, phone numbers, possible relatives, property information, employment or education history, traffic records and criminal or civil records. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes services like TruthFinder as a type of data broker: companies that gather info from public records and package it into reports that consumers can purchase.

Does That Have Anything to Do With Cheaters?

In what I’m assuming was an attempt to “stand out” among its competitors, TruthFinder decided to market its service around dating and relationships—including tons of content and paid creators talking about using the site to investigate a suspicious partner. It has literally pushed content encouraging people to “use TruthFinder to catch a cheating partner,” suggesting that it could help users uncover whether a partner was hiding a marriage or relationships.

Ads for TruthFinder suggest it could pull up accounts on dating apps, or sites like OnlyFans, etc. But, in actuality, TruthFinder doesn’t know whether someone is cheating. Sure, it can surface information that might raise questions—a possible address, phone number, or even marriage—but a database match isn’t proof that two people are romantically involved.

If you’re using TruthFinder to try to access this information, you should be skeptical. In 2023, the FTC charged TruthFinder and its sister service Instant Checkmate with misleading consumers about the accuracy of their reports. According to the FTC, the companies promoted their reports as the most accurate information, but they were relying on third-party data sources whose accuracy they didn’t even verify. The FTC also alleged that TruthFinder’s marketing sometimes referred to a traffic ticket as a “Criminal or arrest record.” The company agreed to pay $5.8 million to settle the charges—which doesn’t look so great on their part. Cosmopolitan reached out to TruthFinder for comment, but has not heard back as of press time.

So why exactly are you seeing TruthFinder on your timeline right now? It’s likely that your online activity and interests might just coincide with those of the users they’re targeting with these ads. (And, who doesn’t like to partake in #MessyTok every once in a while?)

In the meantime, if you’re currently concerned about a secret marriage or something more serious, like a criminal record, you already have access to public records that can tell you this information. And if you’re worried your partner is cheating on you specifically, asking them directly is another option you might consider.

No one wants to be caught off guard with not-so-great information about their partner. But unfortunately, you’re likely not going to find the peace of mind you’re looking for on TruthFinder. You’re better off getting information the old fashioned way: Going through their phone when they’re sleeping. OK, I’m just kidding—kinda.