A TikTok creator says she has found a simple way to check the identity of someone she matches with on a dating app before agreeing to meet them in person. The method involves typing a match’s phone number into Venmo, the payment app, to see their full name.
The video was posted by Sara Caroline Bridgers, who goes by @sarcar_ on TikTok. She has 191.9K followers and describes herself as focusing on travel, lifestyle, and community content, based 131.6Kin San Diego.
In the video, Bridgers says she recently started dating again and wants to look into the background of anyone she plans to meet. She explains that dating apps and casual number exchanges often only give someone’s first name, which makes it hard to search for more information about them.
Creator says the phone number trick has worked for every person she has checked
Bridgers explains her method in the video, saying, “my best friend taught me that if you put someone’s phone number into Venmo, their full name will pop up like almost 100% of the time.” She calls it her “biggest dating FBI hack.”
@sarcar_ spy mode activated 🕵🕵🕵 but also this could be so helpful in so many differed scenarios. Maybe this is common knowledge… did you guys know this?? Stay safe out there queens 💛💛💛🤞🤞 #dating #datingtips #datinghack
♬ original sound – Sara Caroline Bridgers
She says she has used the trick regularly since she started dating again. “It has worked for every single person I’ve gone on dates with, so far,” she says in the video. Venmo has come up in other recent dating stories, including one woman’s unexpected $250 payment request after she turned down a second date.
Bridgers describes the practice as a way to do “extensive background checks” on people she is considering meeting. On-screen text in the video refers to this process as “social media stalking.”
She says she decided to share the tip because she was not sure if it was widely known. “Had to share that in case it wasn’t common knowledge because it was game changer for me,” she says. Venmo has also featured in other viral first-date accounts, including a Texas woman’s disastrous night out after she checked the payment app following a date at a basketball game.
The video’s caption also frames the tip as useful beyond dating, saying it “could be so helpful in so many different scenarios.” Bridgers ends the caption by telling viewers to “stay safe out there.”
Venmo allows users to search for other accounts using a phone number if the number is linked to a Venmo profile and the user’s search settings allow it.
Whether a name appears through this method can depend on the other person’s privacy settings on the app, though Bridgers says it worked for her in every case so far.
According to Venmo’s own FAQ page, the company asks users for their legal name when they sign up. Venmo states, “Venmo is a regulated money transfer service, so there are times when we need to verify the identity of our users. We collect your legal name when you sign up so you can get a head start on the identity verification process, which is primarily what this information is used for.”
Venmo also notes that users are not required to show this legal name publicly. The company says, “We understand that you may not use your legal name or not want others to see it on your profile, so you’ll also be able to use a display name of your choosing on Venmo.” This means some users may appear under a nickname or display name rather than their full legal name, depending on how they set up their profile.
The video was posted under hashtags including #dating, #datingtips, and #datinghack, positioning it as safety advice for people meeting new matches.
The video drew comments from viewers sharing their own methods and reactions. One commenter wrote, “I have them send me a pic of their drivers license. One guy sent me a pic of his passport.” Another commenter called the tip “such a good hack,” while a third wrote, “Great dating advice.” A separate commenter pointed to another app, writing, “zelle too!”
