A username is often the thread that ties someone's accounts together: people reuse handles across forums, code hosts, games and social networks for years. This playbook takes you from a name or one known handle to a verified list of accounts, without contacting the person.
You will:
- Set the scope and decide what you may collect.
- Build a list of candidate usernames from a name or a known handle.
- Find accounts with three complementary tools.
- Verify each hit and pivot to the next identifier.
Tools used (install them all with ot guide tools osintverse-community/username-investigation):
| Tool | Used for |
|---|---|
| osintverse-community/username-permutations | Turning a name into likely handles |
| osintverse-community/sherlock | Fast check of 400+ sites |
| osintverse-community/maigret | Deeper check of 3,000+ sites, with profile details |
| osintverse-community/socialscan | Accurate checks on the big platforms |
| osintverse-community/naminter | A second opinion from the WhatsMyName list |
| osintverse-community/mailcat | Email addresses that share the handle |
Note
Every example here uses github, an organisation's public handle, or fictional people. Replace them with your
own subject only when your scope allows it.