Trace a username across platforms
Start from a single handle and build a corroborated map of every account, alias, and contact channel it opens onto.
- 01
Fix the exact handle
Write down the handle character-for-character, including underscores, dots, and case. Note every variant the subject is likely to reuse (with/without digits, real name mashed together).
Output: A list of 3–6 candidate strings.
- 02
Run an enumeration tool
Feed the primary handle into a username-checking tool to get a first-pass list of platforms where it exists. Treat every hit as a lead, not a match.
Output: A raw list of candidate profiles.
- 03
Verify each hit by hand
Open the profile and confirm it plausibly belongs to the same person: avatar reuse, bio text, posting style, links, and join date. Discard name collisions.
Output: A shortlist of confirmed accounts.
- 04
Harvest pivots
From confirmed profiles pull emails, linked sites, other handles, and location hints. Each is a new pivot — log it immediately.
Output: New identifiers to feed back into the top of the loop.
- 05
Repeat on variants and aliases
Re-run enumeration on each alias and variant. Relationships between accounts (follows, tags) often reveal the rest of the network.
Output: A cross-platform account map.
Field notes
- An unused-looking profile with a matching handle is often a parked name-squat, not your subject.
- Check the profile’s oldest posts — they leak the most (older photos, old locations, old friends).
- Record confidence for each account before you move on; do not let a guess become a fact.