We’re putting safety first with Garbo’s online background check platform
Our mission is to help you find your match in a fun, welcoming and safe environment. We know that taking the leap from chatting online to meeting in person can be intimidating, so our Trust & Safety team partnered with Garbo to give you more peace of mind before you head into a date. Here’s what you need to know:
So, what is Garbo?
Garbo is a new kind of online background check platform that gives you easy access to available public arrests, convictions and sex offender registry information.
Online dating is tough enough, so we partnered with Garbo so you can stress less about your safety, and more on connecting with singles and finding your match.
Heads up: All troubleshooting and general questions should be sent to Garbo directly at [email protected]
Read Garbo’s Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
How does it work?
To run a search in Garbo, you’ll need to provide the details of the person you want to search within Garbo’s platform—POF and Garbo’s systems aren’t linked so profile information isn’t automatically transferred. Garbo recommends starting with a first name, age, location, and phone number when first searching for someone. Due to privacy requirements, we can’t provide you with any details about our members to help with your search.
What happens if my match has a violent criminal record?
Because our systems are not linked, you will need to submit a report directly, if you choose to do so. In these cases, we will follow all our protocols and take appropriate action. Remember, keeping you safe is our #1.
How is data shared/used with POF & Garbo?
Plenty of Fish and Garbo are independent services. The only information that’ll be shared is aggregated data relating to the usage of the Garbo service, such as the number of users referred by POF. The aggregated information we receive helps us understand how many search credits are being redeemed by our members.
POF and Garbo don’t share personal information of POF members with each other and no information about individual searches is shared between Garbo and POF.
How much does it cost?
You can redeem two searches for free on new or existing Garbo accounts. After you’ve used your two free searches, additional credits for searches can be purchased through Garbo. Garbo charges a small fee for searches ($2.50 per search + $0.75 transaction fee), to cover the cost of searches and operations or you can also earn free credits in exchange for referring friends to Garbo. Garbo never wants cost to be a barrier to safety, so they also offer free credits to those in need. In this case, you can reach out to Garbo directly for assistance.
Getting started:
- Log into your Plenty of Fish account and go to the Safety Center
- Tap on Tools and select Garbo
- Click ‘Try Garbo’ at the bottom of the page to redirect to Garbo with a promo code
- Register a new Garbo account or login to an existing Garbo account to redeem your two free search credits
- After logging in and authenticating your Garbo account via email, your credits will be added automatically to your account if you access Garbo from this article link
- Follow the prompts to search for someone within the Garbo platform—it usually takes less than two minutes to complete a search
- The results of your searches are only accessible through Garbo and will not appear in your Plenty of Fish app
Have questions? Check out Garbo’s FAQ
Can Garbo be used internationally?
At this time Garbo can only be used to search individuals located within the United States.
