How to Find Out if Someone Is Married

Last updated on March 16, 2023

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Love is beautiful, but learning key facts about the person you’re dating or a prospective spouse could save you money, time, and heartache.

There’s a lot of love fraud these days, so you might want to be careful before you get too deep in a relationship.

This guide will show you how to find out if someone is married so you can save yourself from getting played. Ready? Set? Let’s dive in.

Why Should You Find Out if Someone Is Married?

There are many reasons to find out if someone you’re dating is married. For example, if they’re married, they could be hanging out with you to waste your time or money - especially if they’re plotting a romance scam with their hidden partner.

Romance scams are popular these days among various age groups. As a victim, you could lose huge sums of money.

Here’s a graphical representation of romance scams in the US by year and money lost in total.

From the above, you can spot the alarming increase in romance scams in the USA within the last four years. Although, when a person lies about their marital status, they could genuinely have their reasons.

But, it’s great to launch an investigation to find out what their end game is. Could they be looking to scam you financially or leave you broken-hearted?

It is best to be alert when you come across a person who wants to be romantically involved with you, but you sense there’s a chance they might be married. Don’t simply let it slide. Find out if they are married. Then, try to uncover their scheme - if there is one.

How to Find Out if Someone Is Married

Here are some ways to find out if a person is married.

1. Start with the Marriage Record

The first thing you want to do is cut to the chase. If you want to truly find out if someone is married, don’t ask them directly - that might raise suspicion.

So, it’s better to tow the legal route. That is, check if they have a marriage record or license. However, this method might not entirely work. You could encounter some obstacles in the process.

For example, what if the person got married in another state or country before moving to their current state of residence? Then, that’ll be tough to find.

More so, if you live in Michigan or California, it’s harder (if not impossible) to lay your hands on any marriage record. The reason is that these states shield marriage records from the public, classifying them as “secret” or “confidential.” Unless you seek the help of a Judge, you won’t find any couple’s marriage license and certificate.

For states that do not shield marriage records from the public, you might need more than a name to find a marriage record. Here’s why; you might need to know the spouse’s name to get the record.

Since you’re not sure if the person you’re investigating is married, how can you guess the name of their supposedly hidden spouse?

2. Check Social Media for Cues

If you’ve had no luck getting the marriage record, you could deploy social media as a tool. Most people put a considerable aspect of their lives on social media platforms.

If they do not upload pictures of themselves getting married, they could upload a picture where they had their wedding ring on.

Other times, it might not be their wedding ring that gives them away. It could be subtle signs like a friend they tagged in a picture. For instance, you could stretch your investigative lenses to the social media page of friends they tag in their pictures.

Check out the comment session of the person’s photos to see how the person you’re investigating relates to this friend. Does their relationship on social media seem odd? Does this female (or male) friend have too many pictures of the person you’re investigating on their social media page?

3. The Local Phone Book Comes in Handy

Checking the local phone book comes in handy too. The phone listing in the phone book would reveal if the person lives with somebody else who uses their last name.

First, ensure that the other person is not their child, sibling, or parent. If that person isn’t a child, sibling, or parent, you might want to investigate further.

But be careful; the information in the phone book might be outdated and reflect a time when the person was married. The person may be separated or divorced since the phone book was printed.

4. Check with the Local Clerk

Although the world has gone digital, you may not find some vital records on the internet.

So, you might need to visit the local clerk’s office to dig out more information. Depending on the popularity of your state, you might be lucky to find marriage certificates uploaded online.

5. Check the Wedding Gift Registries

Checking the wedding gift registries is another way to discover the truth about a person’s marital status. Although not many people use wedding gift registries, you may find useful information here.

You may be lucky if the wedding took place within the last five to ten years and they used a gift registry. Even if the chances that you will find any useful information in the gift registry are thin, it still won’t hurt to check it out so you can be sure.

It’s best to leave no stone unturned while conducting your investigation. Some popular gift registries you can start with are William Sonoma, The Knot, WeddingWire, Amazon, and Target.

6. Hire a PI (Private Investigator)

If your effort has completely failed you, you might want to take the easy route. Here, the easy route would be to hire a skilled private investigator to help you with the findings.

The difference between you and a private investigator is that they have more resources at their beck and call. In essence, they can crawl into holes you can’t; and access the information you couldn’t get.

So, hiring a private investigator is an excellent investment if you’re serious about finding out if somebody is married. However, you should know that hiring a private investigator might cost a fortune.

Before you ply that route, you need to rate your desperation and how much damage could happen if you don’t dig out this information.

For instance, if you’ve spent too much money on this individual but there seem to be too many red flags, hiring a private investigator might be a great investment.

While their marital status doesn’t entirely prove that you might be a potential victim of a romance scam, it might be the start to unraveling their end game - if they’re up to something.

Besides, a private investigator could also help you decipher what game the individual you’re trying to investigate is playing. Do they want you for your money? Are they with you to redeem a bet with their friends?

FAQs: How to Find Out if Someone Is Married

Are US Marriage Records Public?

Yes, marriage records in most US states are public, except in states like California and Michigan, where this information is confidential and secret.

In states where marriage records are public information, the public records law prevents the record from further identifying other information about the couples, like their Social Security Number (SSN) and addresses.

More so, only the couples named on the record and pre-authorized persons can have access to it.

How Do You Know if a Guy Is Married Online?

There are several ways to know if a guy is married online. If you can’t access his marriage record (if it exists), you can conduct online searches.

Utilize social media for this purpose, check tax and mortgage records for the person’s spouse, and search their mobile number to see listings. These would point you to clues you can piece together to get an answer.

Are Divorce Records Public?

In many states, divorce records are public. Hence, you might be able to access them without any restriction.

Final Thoughts: How to Find Out if Someone Is Married

Now that you know how to find out if someone is married, you can protect yourself from heartbreak and possible romance scams and figure out their aim.

If you suspect that it may be a romance scam, the first thing you should do is snap out of your feelings for them. Do not confront them either, because you don’t know how dangerous the person is.

Start by informing the police. You may also want to hire a private investigator to be certain it’s a possible romance scam.

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