OSINT: How to find someone online with just a name?

Prior to the internet era, having to find someone in a legal situation generally required the assistance of a private detective. There are several internet services available now for doing searches to find someone online.

To find someone online may be challenging, specifically if you just have a limited amount of knowledge about them. You have a greater chance of locating someone if you know their first and last name and location. Nevertheless, if you simply know a person’s first name and a city, you may still perform an internet search for them. People can be found via a web browser or a social networking site.

Possibilities to find someone online

Though it might sound like an impossible task, people can find someone online with ease with many advanced platforms and websites. We all have to remember that the internet is taking the world by storm. Opening countless opportunities to tasks once regarded as impossible, the internet is a true boon of the modern era. 

Some of the significant possibilities to find someone online are through:

  • E-mail
  • By name 
  • By username 

Now, let us analyze how these possibilities can be put into effect. 

How to find someone by email?

One of the best-proven methods to find someone by email is through reverse email lookups. Google is by far the most obvious way to make reverse email lookups (simply Google for the email id). Unless that individual doesn’t really have a site or has rarely used their email account in open forums. Google will be of limited assistance. 

  • Finding the sender location: Look for lines that state “Received: from” and are accompanied by an IP address. It can be found in brackets in the email message’s header. Use the IP address thats within the final entry if there are several entries. Now enter the IP address into a traceroute tool. Remember that you should have an excellent sense of the email sender’s geographical location. 
  • Reverse email search with the help of Facebook: Because Facebook has a billion members, the chances are that the sender has a Facebook page as well. Despite most other social media platforms, Facebook allows you to find someone by email address. Which should make your task easier. Simply enter the user’s email address into the search field. Facebook will notify you whether or not an account with that email exists.
  • Checking other social media: Just imagine a sender’s email to be [email protected]. There’s a chance he or she has accounts on some other social networks with the same alias “blackflower”.Gmail users may download the Rapportive add-on. This helps to locate any Twitter or LinkedIn accounts related to an email. 

How to find someone by name? 

It might be tough to find someone online if you don’t know their complete name, but it isn’t impossible. Suppose you know additional details about a person’s life, like where they reside/work. In that case, you may occasionally discover them using a conjunction of their first name and that knowledge on search engines. Social media may also be beneficial, especially if you have connections on numerous social platforms.

Find someone online only knowing their first name

Using a search engine is one of the simplest methods to find someone by name. If a person’s first name is popular, it won’t be enough to see them unless they’re renowned by only that name, as celebrities Ice cube and Najwa Nimri are. However, if you have additional information about an individual, such as where they work and live, you may use that information to search for them using a search engine such as Google or Msn.

For instance, if you wanted to discover someone called Mary who works at the First Federal Bank of Denver, you might enter “Mary first federal bank of denver” into a search query and get results from an employee directory or a job site. Likewise, if you know someone’s location, academic background, or interests, you can frequently create a search phrase that will bring up the guy you’re looking for.

Find someone by name on Facebook

You may find someone by name on social media and other online networks using their first names and other characteristics. If you know that you have friends in common with someone but only know their first name, try putting it into Facebook and seeing if that person appears. 

You may also refine the search using numerous filtering choices, such as where the individual went to university, where they reside, or where they operate. Similar search options are available on other social networking sites, notably the career-oriented platform LinkedIn. Many services also enable you to upload phone or email connections to search, which might be beneficial if you know someone’s phone number or email address.

How to find someone by username?

When utilized imaginatively, a username – online identifiers on numerous sites that define your personal information – may offer a surprising amount of data. If you’re seeking to find someone online and know their username on any website, you may utilize that tidbit of information to discover a wealth of information possibly. 

The majority of individuals use identical usernames throughout all of the websites they may register online. It’s too difficult to remember a separate login for each website. Even if current internet privacy standards strongly advise you to do so. It’s simply easier to have a single basic username across all of the numerous sites and services we could use on the Internet. This makes it easier for others to follow your online actions, once they have that identity.

Other ways you can find someone by username is:

Search engine

Frequent online searchers are aware that different search outcomes provide mixed results, often with significant variances. Choose a couple of other search engines and see what turns up; a few excellent places to begin would be Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo.

Find someone by username via social networks

If you come across a profile photo on a social media platform, you may use a reverse image search service to identify more occurrences of that picture. People frequently use similar profile pictures across all of the numerous social networking platforms and other websites they join up for. You may learn a lot about them this way.

Blogs

Blogging is undoubtedly the most prominent internet pastime. With vast numbers of people spending time every day updating their digital diaries. While many individuals have gone out of their way to get a domain and hosting for their blogs, there are still a large number of enthusiasts who utilize free internet platforms to express their ideas, such as Blogger and LiveJournal. If you know someone’s username, try the search tools on these sites to see what comes up. 

Best platforms to find someone online

Here are Ten online sites to get you started if you are wondering how to find someone online. Or obtain a complete image of who they are. Remember that while you go about your search, the person you’re looking for might check to see whether anyone else is looking for them!

UserSearch

UserSearch can search by Username and Email Address across hundreds of Social Networks, Forums, Dating Sites and it can check if your email has been hacked in the dark net.
UserSearch can search by Username and Email Address across hundreds of Social Networks, Forums, Dating Sites and it can check if your email has been hacked in the darknet.

This search performs rapid live searching across hundreds of websites in seconds. The information is 100% live at the time of doing your search, so unless there is a bug, you can be sure the results returned are accurate. The site searches dating websites, all the major social networks, blogging sites, archives, crypto forums, generic forums, the lot! Also, it’s totally free, with no catches. You don’t even need to give over your email address. There are not many of these sites left!

If you like the free version, they are building a new system that covers even more social networks and dating sites. The new system is still in development but you can get access to an early Alpha by visiting UserSearch and clicking on the members search option.

BeenVerified

BeenVerified - Search engine.  Used to find people by name online.
BeenVerified – Search engine. Used to find people by name online.


This search engine uses thousands of data sources and millions of data sets to find someone online. You may obtain their contact information, such as a logical address, contact information, and email accounts, as well as background studies and any connected criminal backgrounds.

Pipl

Pipl - people search tool.  Great for finding someone online.
Pipl – people search tool. Great for finding someone online.


This persistent people search tool allows you to locate individuals using their names, contact information, email, or login. It can search the “deep web” and explore databases and indexes that your typical search engine would not uncover data and provide you with many responses to choose.

Spokeo

Spokeo - search engine to find somone online.  A good tool for finding people online by name.
Spokeo – search engine to find somone online. A good tool for finding people online by name.


Spokeo is another well-known search engine that allows you to find someone online by their names, email, contact information, or locality. It gathers information from public databases, white pages entries, and more than 60 social networking sites, dating website accounts, photographs, and profile photos, as well as additional sources such as the “deep web.” The service is not free, and the results are based in the United States, so you will not locate people who do not reside in the United States. 

Truepeoplesearch

Truepeoplesearch - find someone online.  Useful for finding people online.
Truepeoplesearch – find someone online. Useful for finding people online.


TruePeopleSearch is a freeware individuals search tool that allows you to find someone online by name, location, or contact information. It provides specific results such as phone numbers, place of residence, email accounts, gender, family, last sites, and other information. It also has an age check to help you filter down the results and discover the right individual.

Truthfinder

Truthfinder - people search locator.  A good tool if your trying to find someone online.
Truthfinder – people search locator. A good tool if you’re trying to find someone online.


TruthFinder outperforms most other people’s search locators when it comes to finding someone online. It provides information other than contact information and social profiles, such as traffic violations, court filings, misdemeanors, crimes, criminal records, firearms licenses, bankruptcy, police reports, sex assaults, and more.

Instantcheckmate

Instantcheckmate - robust search engine.  A handy tool.
Instantcheckmate – robust search engine. A handy tool.


Instant Checkmate is a robust search engine that provides complete reports containing facts. It consists of residence, telephone information, marital and possessions, associated court papers, criminal background, firearms licenses, and foreclosures.

Zebasearch

zabasearch - global search service.  A good OSINT tool to find someone by just the name.
zabasearch – global search service. A good OSINT tool to find someone by just the name.


This is yet another global search service that retrieves information from the telephone directory and court filings. Once you provide the person’s identity, address, and birth date. You may get their contact information, previous and current addresses for gratis. You must pay if you require a comprehensive background. Comprehensive background may contain deeper reports containing information such as foreclosures, criminal history, and much more.

Peekyou

Peekyou - private search tool
Peekyou – private search tool


This is yet another free individual search tool. It allows you to discover individuals online using their names, contact information, and username from different social networking groups, websites, social media profiles, and other public information. It gathers data from over sixty other websites, blog sites, media organizations, webpages, and more. Hence, providing you with facts such as email accounts and contact information. However, the findings aren’t as extensive as those from other search engines.

Intelius

Intelius - discovery tool provider
Intelius – discovery tool provider


This people discovery tool provides the same search information as other search sites but uniquely visualizes them. When you utilize it to find someone online, it will provide you with information such as mail lookup, public records, social media network search, arrest history, academic background, and reversal lookup from its extensive database. However, the program is not free, and the findings are only available in the United States. Nonetheless, the outcomes are fantastic.

Whitepages

Whitepages - person search tool
Whitepages – person search tool


This is more than simply a person’s search tool. It goes way above standard to provide you with more than just business or social knowledge. You can obtain extensive background information on people such as forename, age, telephone number, and thorough backgrounds such as traffic record-keeping, arrest history, money laundering scheme ratings, bank documents, creditor records, business specifics, professional licenses, and property type. However, you can only receive phone numbers, addresses, localities, and family members for gratis. So if you want a comprehensive background investigation, you’ll have to purchase the premium monthly membership.

Other sources to find someone online

Several regional publications are now accessible online and may provide information on the person in their obituary section. Research may also generate data on the person’s dead family members, as well as the inclusion of the person’s name in the eulogy. Whatever site you select for your search, you should always bridge the findings from one resource with the conclusions of another to ensure the accuracy of the data. For example, if you acquire data from obituaries, you may cross-reference it with the government’s public databases to get a certified copy.

Conclusion

If you’ve ever wondered how to find someone online, these ten online sites might be pretty helpful. At the absolute least, they will provide you with essential information such as contact information, email, and remote locations. You can acquire even more data, but you can’t expect it to be 100 % accurate because they largely depend on public databases. While these resources are beneficial, they must not be utilized to make formal judgments in the circumstances such as hiring, financing, grants, leasing out, or other such legal issues.

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