---
title: "Catch A Scammer By Their Photos – Anti-Scam Tip [Updated]"
canonical: https://romancescamsnow.com/catch-scammer-use-photos/
type: post
author: "SCARS Institute Editorial Team"
published: 2015-01-31
modified: 2021-06-01
categories: ["2015", "♦ SPOTING SCAMS - ANTI-SCAM TIPS CLUES & RED FLAGS"]
summary: ""
organization: "SCARS Institute - Encyclopedia of Scans - World's #1 Anti-Scam Website - Romance Scams NOW"
organization_url: https://romancescamsnow.com/
llms: https://romancescamsnow.com/llms.txt
---

# Catch A Scammer By Their Photos – Anti-Scam Tip [Updated]

# Catch A Scammer By Their Photos

## A SCARS Anti-Scam Tip

# You Know Scammers Steal Photos Right?

## But Did You Know That There Is Hidden Data In Most Photos?

In almost all photos taken with digital cameras, assuming that it is not a screen-grab but the original photo, there is something called "EXIF" data or MetaData embedded in the photo data file.

## NOTE: there are a couple of important exceptions to this:

1. Where the scammer does a screen capture or grab of a photo from the screen
2. Photos processed and published by Facebook and other social media that change/replace the files
3. These images may have no embedded data that you can use - but it is worth looking, just in case

# You Can Use This Data To Tell Something About The Photo

There are several FREE online tools that can display this data, simply by uploading a photo into a tool.  If it is an original photo directly from the camera that data will be there.

## Free Exif Data Display Websites:

- [Jeffrey's EXIF Viewer](http://exif.regex.info/exif.cgi)
- [http://exifdata.com/](http://exifdata.com/)

You can also search on Google for "EXIF Viewer" to find more.

In these cases, you upload the photo/image file and it will tell you what is found.

## There Are Also Extensions For Your Web Browser:

- For Chrome: [Chrome Web Store - exif viewer (google.com)](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/search/exif%20viewer) search for EXIF
- Use the Browsers Extension library for other browsers to search for "EXIF" to see what is available

# An Example Of Exif/MetaData:

EXIF Generated Data

EXIF Data Generated Map - this comes from the GPS Information Stored In The Photo.

# EXIF Metadata

## With Metadata, you can see what camera took the photo, where it was taken, and when it was taken.

If you receive a photo and if it is not an original photo - meaning that it was edited or resized, ask why they would do that?  This can help you quickly spot a scammer or a fake.

## TIP: always ask a potential romantic partner to send you a photo from their phone's camera - which WILL be full of EXIF data - including where the photo was taken!

The EXIF data will even tell you which editor it was done in.  If there is no data, that too is a clue, meaning it was probably copied from the screen.

Every bit of information helps you make an informed decision about the person you are connected with.

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