Complete Resource List for Online Investigations
Complete Resource List for Online InvestigationsYour username is a fingerprint. Your face is a search query. Sleep tight.
One-Line Flow: Type a username, email, or phone number → find every account, deleted post, and digital ghost they left behind.
The Stuff They Charge $50 For
Background check sites sell you your own leaked data. This guide gives you the same tools — free.
Verify strangers before meeting them. Find out what anyone can find about YOU. Catch fakes before they catch you.
Every scammer, catfish, and shady “business opportunity” hopes you never learn this.
The Meta-Collections (Start Here Or Suffer)
These aggregate OTHER lists. Highest ROI. Stop reinventing the wheel.
| Name | What It Is | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Nixintel’s OSINT Resource List | The legendary list. Comprehensive. Updated. | start.me/p/rx6Qj8 |
| OSINT Inception | 50+ start.me pages in one place + custom search engine | start.me/p/Pwy0X4 |
| MetaOSINT | Ranks 5000+ tools by how often pros mention them | metaosint.github.io |
| cipher387’s Collection | 1000+ tools from @cyb_detective. Updated constantly. | GitHub |
| Ultimate OSINT Collection | #1 ranked start.me globally by @hatless1der | start.me/p/DPYPMz |
| OhShINT Gitbook | Wiki-style. Tools + tradecraft + OPSEC | ohshint.gitbook.io |
| Bellingcat Toolkit | Journalist-maintained. Monthly updates. | bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit |
| OSINT Framework | Interactive tool tree by category | osintframework.com |
More Meta-Collections (The Deep Bench)
| Name | Link |
|---|---|
| jivoi/awesome-osint | GitHub - 18k+ stars |
| SMART Tool | smart.myosint.training - Crawls 200+ start.me pages |
| Investigators Toolbox | investigators-toolbox.com |
| OSINT.link | osint.link |
| Cylect.io | cylect.io - AI-powered aggregator |
| IntelTechniques | inteltechniques.com - Michael Bazzell’s empire |
| My OSINT Training | myosint.training - Free tools + templates |
Username → Everything
People reuse usernames like passwords. xX_DarkLord_Xx on Discord is probably xX_DarkLord_Xx on their Spotify, email, and burner Reddit.
| Tool | Sites Checked | Link |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsMyName | 500+ | whatsmyname.app |
| Sherlock | 400+ | sherlockproject.xyz |
| Maigret | 3000+ | GitHub |
| Maigret Bot | Telegram version | @osint_maigret_bot |
More Username Hunters
| Tool | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Blackbird | Uses WhatsMyName database | GitHub |
| Namecheckr | Brand availability focus | namecheckr.com |
| KnowEm | 500+ social networks + domains | knowem.com |
| Username Online | Based on WhatsMyName | usernameonline.com |
| Snoop | Russian networks included | GitHub |
| Socid Extractor | Extracts IDs from URLs | GitHub |
Instagram (The Goldmine)
Location tags. Face reveals. Relationship maps. All public.
No Login Needed
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Dumpor | Browse anonymously |
| StoriesIG | Download stories |
| Imginn | Anonymous viewer |
| Inflact | Full-res profile pics |
| Picuki | Browse + download |
Instagram Power Tools (Setup Required)
Instagram Google Dorks
site:instagram.com "USERNAME" inurl:/p/
site:instagram.com/p/ "KEYWORD"
cache:instagram.com/USERNAME
Old posts via Wayback: web.archive.org/web/*/instagram.com/USERNAME
Instagram Mirrors (Sometimes Index Deleted Stuff)
- rankersta.com
- pikdo.biz
- piwox.com
- gramfly.com
- web.stagram.com
X/Twitter (Nothing Dies)
Users delete tweets like exes. Archive services remember everything.
Built-In Power
Go to twitter.com/search-advanced or use operators:
| Operator | Example |
|---|---|
from: |
from:elonmusk |
to: |
to:elonmusk |
since: until: |
since:2023-01-01 until:2023-12-31 |
filter:links |
Only tweets with URLs |
filter:images |
Only tweets with images |
min_faves: |
min_faves:1000 |
near: within: |
near:"NYC" within:15mi |
Deleted Tweet Recovery
| Tool | Link |
|---|---|
| Deleted Tweet Finder | deletedtweetfinder.com |
| Wayback Machine | web.archive.org/web/*/twitter.com/USERNAME/status/* |
| Twayback | GitHub |
| Tweet-Machine | Works on suspended accounts |
| Wayback Tweets | GitHub |
Twitter Download & Analysis Tools
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| ssstwitter.com | Video downloader (mobile friendly) |
| threadreaderapp.com | Unrolls threads |
| Twitonomy | Account analytics |
| Mecodify | Gather + analyze + visualize |
| NodeXL | Social network analysis (Excel add-on) |
| OSINT Twitter Airtable | Auto-scrapes OSINT accounts for geotagged tweets |
Telegram (The Underground)
Where the spicy stuff lives.
Search Engines
| Tool | Link |
|---|---|
| Lyzem | lyzem.com |
| TGStat | tgstat.com - 37B+ posts |
| Telemetr.io | telemetr.io |
| IntelX | intelx.io |
| XTEA.io | xtea.io |
| Buzz.Im | Search specific messages |
Telegram Bots (Just Message Them)
| Bot | What It Does |
|---|---|
| @creationdatebot | Account creation date |
| @SangMataInfo_bot | Username history + group memberships |
| @GetContactBot | Caller ID aggregator |
| @Telesint_bot | ID from username |
| @TeleScanRobot | Multi-platform lookup |
| @PhoneNumber_Bot | Phone lookup |
| @osint_maigret_bot | Username search |
Telegram Deep Tools
| Tool | What It Does | Link |
|---|---|---|
| TelegramDB | Find user’s groups | telegramdb.org |
| Telepathy | OSINT toolkit for Telegram | GitHub |
| Geogramint | Geolocate users via “nearby” | GitHub |
| TG Collector | Browser-based scraper | GUI tool |
| Bellingcat Phone Checker | Phone → Telegram account | GitHub |
| Telegram Sender | Bulk scrape group members | Browser extension |
| X-Ray Contact | Username across 33+ providers | Web app |
Telegram Google Dorks
site:t.me "KEYWORD"
site:t.me/joinchat "TOPIC"
site:t.me/+ "INVITE_CODE"
Awesome Telegram OSINT Lists
Discord (Gaming Underground)
Servers are invite-only. Not private.
| Tool | What It Does | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Discord.id | User/server lookup by ID | discord.id |
| Top.gg | User profiles + bots reviewed | top.gg |
| Disboard | Server directory | disboard.org |
| Discord History Tracker | Save chat history locally | dht.chylex.com |
| DiscordLeaks | Leaked messages database | discordleaks.unicornriot.ninja |
Discord Search Operators
from:username
mentions:username
has:link
has:file
has:image
before:2023-01-01
after:2022-01-01
Enable Developer Mode: Settings → Advanced → Developer Mode
Then right-click → Copy ID
More Discord Tools
| Tool | Link |
|---|---|
| Darvester | Safe harvesting with rate limiting |
| Discord Chat Exporter | Export to HTML/CSV |
| Unfurl | Extract timestamps from Discord URLs |
| ToolsCord | Comprehensive lookup tools |
| Discord_OSINT Bot | Investigation bot |
Phone & Email Lookup
Email → Accounts
| Tool | Sites Checked | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Epieos | 140+ | epieos.com |
| Holehe | Checks registration | GitHub |
| Have I Been Pwned | Breach database | haveibeenpwned.com |
| Hunter.io | Find emails for domains | hunter.io |
| GHunt | Gmail deep dive | GitHub |
Phone Number Lookup
| Tool | Link |
|---|---|
| Truecaller | Caller ID |
| NumVerify | Carrier + location |
| PhoneInfoga | Open source scanner |
| Phunter | Multi-source lookup |
| SEON | Fraud prevention (phone/email/IP) |
The-Osint-Toolbox Telephone Resources
GitHub - Telephone-OSINT - Comprehensive phone lookup toolkit
Reverse Image & Face Search
Face Search Engines
| Tool | Best For | Link |
|---|---|---|
| PimEyes | Web-wide face search | pimeyes.com |
| FaceCheck.ID | Social media faces | facecheck.id |
| Yandex Images | Best general reverse (scary good on faces) | yandex.com/images |
| TinEye | Original source tracking | tineye.com |
| Google Lens | Built into Android | Google app |
How To Reverse Image Search on Android
Google Lens: Open Google app → Tap camera → Upload or point
Chrome: Long press image → “Search with Google Lens”
Yandex (Secret Weapon): yandex.com/images → Upload photo
Pro tip: Crop to just the face. Try ALL engines - results vary wildly.
More Image Tools
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Search4faces | VK/OK face search |
| Lenso.ai | AI reverse search |
| SocialCatfish | Dating profile search |
| InVID | Video/image verification |
| FotoForensics | Image manipulation detection |
| Jeffrey’s Exif Viewer | Metadata extraction |
Geolocation Tools
For when you need to find WHERE something is.
| Tool | What It Does | Link |
|---|---|---|
| GeoGuessr | Practice game | geoguessr.com |
| GeoHints | Country-specific tips | geotips.net |
| GeoConfirmed | Volunteer verification | geoconfirmed.org |
| Overpass Turbo | OpenStreetMap queries | overpass-turbo.eu |
| SunCalc | Shadow analysis | suncalc.org |
| PeakVisor | Mountain identification | peakvisor.com |
More Geolocation Resources
| Tool | Link |
|---|---|
| Mapillary | Street-level imagery |
| KartaView | Crowdsourced street images |
| What3Words | Location encoding |
| GeoNames | Geographic database |
| OpenAerialMap | Aerial imagery |
| The-Osint-Toolbox/Geolocation-OSINT | GitHub |
Archive Before It Dies
Web Archiving
| Tool | Best For | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Wayback Machine | Everything | web.archive.org |
| Archive.today | Social media snapshots | archive.today |
| Ghostarchive | Alternative | ghostarchive.org |
| Perma.cc | Legal/academic permanent links | perma.cc |
Save anything:
- Wayback:
web.archive.org/save/[URL] - Archive.today: Paste URL in red box
Archive Browser Extensions
- Wayback Machine Extension (Chrome/Firefox/Edge)
- SingleFile - Save complete pages locally
- Web Scrapbook - Local archiving
- ArchiveBox - Self-hosted archiving
Android Power Tools (Termux)
Your phone is a Linux machine. Act like it.
Get Termux from F-Droid (not Play Store).
pkg update && pkg upgrade
pkg install python git
X-OSINT (All-in-One)
git clone https://github.com/TermuxHackz/X-osint
cd X-osint && chmod +x * && bash setup.sh
Phone lookup, email search, VIN, subdomains, and more.
More Termux Tools
| Tool | What It Does | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Sherlock | Username search | pip install sherlock |
| Osintgram | Instagram recon | Clone from GitHub |
| theHarvester | Email/subdomain gathering | pip install theHarvester |
| PhoneInfoga | Phone scanner | GitHub |
| Th3Inspector | Multi-target recon | GitHub |
| Recon-ng | Modular framework | GitHub |
Practice (CTFs & Challenges)
You don’t learn OSINT by reading. You learn by doing.
Beginner CTFs
| Platform | Link |
|---|---|
| TryHackMe - OhSINT | tryhackme.com/room/ohsint |
| TryHackMe - Sakura | tryhackme.com/room/sakura |
| TryHackMe - WebOSINT | tryhackme.com/room/webosint |
| TryHackMe - Searchlight | tryhackme.com/room/searchlightosint |
| Sourcing.Games | sourcing.games - 30+ challenges |
| Gralhix Exercises | gralhix.com/list-of-osint-exercises |
| Cyber Detective CTF | Cardiff University - 30+ free challenges |
More CTF Platforms
| Platform | Link |
|---|---|
| OSINT Dojo | osintdojo.com |
| Trace Labs | Real missing persons |
| Verif!cation Quiz Bot | Twitter daily challenges |
| CTF Academy OSINT | ctfacademy.github.io/osint |
| 0xL4ugh OSINT CTF | TryHackMe |
| Military-Themed OSINT | Ukraine/Russia geopolitics |
People To Follow
| Handle | Known For |
|---|---|
| @cyb_detective (cipher387) | Massive tool collections |
| @ohshint_ | The gitbook wiki |
| @hatless1der | Ultimate OSINT Collection |
| @WebBreacher | WhatsMyName creator |
| @dutch_osintguy | Telegram/audio OSINT |
| @Sector035 | Week in OSINT newsletter |
| @Technisette | Tools collection |
| @saborov (soxoj) | Maigret creator |
| @LorandBodo | OSINT Jobs |
| @jakecreps | OSINT Newsletter |
GitHub Profiles Worth Stalking
cipher387’s curated list - OSINT developers to follow
Quick Reference
| I Have… | I Want… | Use This |
|---|---|---|
| Username | All their accounts | WhatsMyName, Sherlock, Maigret |
| What sites they’re on | Epieos, Holehe | |
| Phone | Who it belongs to | Truecaller, Epieos, Telegram |
| Face photo | Find them online | PimEyes, Yandex |
| Tweet URL | Archived version | Wayback, archive.today |
| Instagram @ | Anonymous viewing | Dumpor, Imginn |
| Discord ID | Account info | Discord.id |
| Telegram @ | Groups they’re in | TelegramDB, SangMata |
| Any URL | Save before deleted | web.archive.org/save/ |
Don’t Be Weird
- Legal ≠ Ethical
- Same username ≠ Same person (verify)
- If you’re searching, you’re leaving traces too
- These tools find stalkers as easily as they enable them
If you’re posting it publicly, you’re archiving it for strangers.
!