PeopleFinders, the online data broker behind background-check service PeopleFinders.com, has launched Stud or Dud, a new US website that lets people run background checks on prospective dates using just a name or phone number. The platform compiles publicly available records into a single report and flags perceived "red" or "green" signals, aiming to help daters spot warning signs before meeting someone in person. It reflects a wider trend of people vetting matches online, though critics warn the tool could be misused by people other than cautious daters.

The report draws on courthouse documents, bankruptcy filings, tax liens, pre-foreclosure data, phone directories and social media, sorted into finances, property, employment and criminal history, with an AI-generated overview and an "AI dating detective" chatbot for advice. PeopleFinders CEO Amber Higgins describes it as a "sidekick" to dating apps rather than a replacement for judgement. However, Eva Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation says her tests found the site poor at flagging genuinely dangerous partners and warned it could be exploited by stalkers, noting the largely unregulated US data broker industry — against a backdrop of San Francisco daters alone losing over $40 million to romance scams in 2025, according to the FBI.