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#233 Reverse Google Image Search To Avoid Scams

May 19, 2014

Looking at ads for new apartments or furniture? Perform a Reverse Google Image Search on pictures within the ad to help determine whether an ad is legitimate.

Looking at ads for new apartments or furniture? Perform a Reverse Google Image Search on pictures within the ad to help determine whether an ad is legitimate.

 

Reverse Google Image Searches allow you to search the web by image rather than by text or keyword.  This search will return all instances of a particular image by entering either the URL of an image or uploading an image from your computer.

 

Here is how to utilize a Reverse Google Image Search when looking at an ad that seems too good to be true:

1.  Right-click on the image within the ad and select either:

    • “Copy Link Location” (in Firefox) or
    • “Copy” (in Internet Explorer)

2.  Go to http://www.google.com/imghp.

3.  Click on the Camera Icon located in the search bar (just to the left of the blue magnifying glass button) to access the Search by Image feature.

4.  Paste the URL you copied into the text field located under the “Paste Image URL” tab.

 

This tool can also be used to help locate and eliminate pictures that you would not like to be publicly available on the Internet.  For example, you could perform a Reverse Google Image Search using a URL from a Facebook picture to make sure the picture does not appear anywhere publicly on the web.

 

For more information, please see this article or our other tips on Google services.