Chance encounters are probably one of the best things about dating. Meeting a random guy or girl in a bar and instantly being attracted…great. But how do you know that this person is not a psychopath? Thanks to your smartphone, now you can know the truth before you give that guy your number.

New apps like Stud or Dud and Are They Really Single do an intense Google search answering the questions: is this person actually single? Do they have a criminal record? Etc. All the essential questions you wish you could know the answer to BEFORE you let that cute guy buy you a drink.  Versions for Android and Blackberry are also available such as DateCheck’s Sleeze Detector.

“There are more and more strangers in people’s lives,” said Bryce Lane, president of the PeopleFinders Network. “There’s this digital awakening where people are in online communities — they’re meeting people they don’t have information on. We think that’s a problem. Yes, there are a lot of opportunities to meet great new people, but a lot of people are misrepresenting who they are. We’re hoping they’re fun apps and they’re helping you learn about the people that you come into contact with,” Lane said. “They’re easy to use and we’re pretty hopeful that they’re going to be popular.”

(Via CNN)