So you’ve met someone online. You’ve met a few times and seem to be “clicking.” This relationship has potential. But how do you know that this person you’re dating is really who they say they are?

Online dating “may seem like a convenience for some people, but you don’t really know who is on the other end,” says Ken Plummer, crime prevention officer with the Rochester Police Department.

There are ways to check into a potential partner’s background. Start by typing their name into Google or another search engine to see what comes up. You also can try an online public records search through a fee-based service such as ussearch.com or netsleuth.com. You also can conduct a search of Olmsted County court records on the fifth floor of the city-county Government Center.