How to find out stuff about guys: is the dude you just met the Ivy League grad he claims to be or a high school dropout? You can be your own private eye with a simple mouse click. (From The Dating Front).(Brief Article)

* The actor who hit on Amanda *, 29, seemed like a catch. He dressed well, made decent jokes, and slipped in mentions of his appearances on ER, Law & Order, and NYPD Blue. Still, Amanda decided to take the advice of an in-the-know friend and check him out using a Web-based search engine. Turns out, he told the truth about his small roles in prime time--but neglected to mention his star status in porn flicks. "His `work' went way beyond the limits of my NC-17 tolerance," says Amanda. "That search engine probably saved me from getting an STD."

Okay, even if the man you met last night wasn't in Shaving Ryan's Privates, it's still smart to do a background check on him. "People move around so much these days, it's easier to hide a questionable past," explains Arthur Faram, founder of Checkmate, a company based in Sugar Land, Texas, that screens prospective dates for clients. Luckily, thanks to the Internet, investigating a potential paramour is a snap.

getting the goods

When a dude offers his digits, ask for his business card to get his E-mail address (one of the best ways to find info on a search engine), says Sergey Brin, president of technology and cofounder of the search engine Google. No card? Have him write his complete info on a bar napkin. Get him to give up as much personal history as possible -- where he's from, what school he attended, where he works. Peek at his driver's license (tell him you want to see the scary photo) to get a look at his address and birthday. File this in the back of your mind until you can crank up the computer.

Once you're online, verify the basics. Hit Superpages.com, Anywho.com, QwestDex.com, or 411.com to confirm his address and phone number. Making sure his coordinates check out ensures you're investigating the right guy--after all, there are plenty of Bobby Bradys out there, but only one who lives at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. This also gives you the tools to do a reverse look-up ...