There is only one-hundred percent accurate way to determine if a person is a member of the Navy SEALs or not. This is through the Navy SEAL Database. The SEAL database includes the names of every man who has served as a Navy SEAL. However, there are a few gaps in time throughout history when files were either lost or damaged. But currently, the database contains less than 11,000 names of men who have served as Navy SEALs.

There are hundreds of people throughout the United States, both men and women, who have made the bold claim that they are Navy SEALs, when in fact they are not. There are many reasons why people make such claims. Many individuals will claim to be a Navy SEAL in order to gain attention or to receive special perks at bars or other places of business. Many of them will make these claims in order to acquire a job.