# 🕵️ Find Who's Behind Any Telegram Account

**URL:** <https://onehack.st/t/find-whos-behind-any-telegram-account/316237>\
**Category:** Tutorials & Methods\
**Tags:** tools, trading\
**Created:** [January 5, 2026, 12:47pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/find-whos-behind-any-telegram-account/316237 "2026-01-05T12:47:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SRZ](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/srz/32/146132_2.png) [@SRZ](https://onehack.st/u/SRZ)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 12:47pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/find-whos-behind-any-telegram-account/316237/1 "2026-01-05T12:47:28Z")

</div>

# 🔮 Every Working Telegram Lookup Tool in One Place

> **🗺 One-Line Flow:** Find who’s behind an account, what data leaked about them, and which groups they’re in. How? Phone number → permanent ID → leaked databases → cross-platform usernames → real identity. That’s it. That’s the whole game.

* * *

## 💀 Why This Matters

Most “Telegram OSINT tips” circulating are **dead techniques from 2021** that got patched years ago.  
This separates what’s still breathing from what’s been buried — so you stop wasting time on recycled garbage.  
**Zero skills needed.** Just know where to look and what buttons to press.

* * *

## 🪦 What’s Dead (Stop Using These)

> **People Nearby / Trilateration — RIP 2024**
>
> Remember that trick where you spoof GPS from 3 points and triangulate someone’s exact location?
> 
> **Killed by Telegram after Durov’s arrest.** Pavel personally announced it’s gone. The “People Nearby” feature no longer exists. Geogramint, Telegram Nearby Map — all of it is paperweights now.
> 
> You’ll still find tutorials about this everywhere. They’re all obsolete.

> **Phone Number URL Check (t.me/+PHONENUMBER)**
>
> The tip from the screenshot you showed me.
> 
> **Reality:** ~90% of users have “Who can find me by phone number” set to “My Contacts” or “Nobody.”
> 
> What you get now: `"Sorry, there is no such user"` almost every time.
> 
> Only works on accounts with weak privacy settings. Which is almost nobody who matters.

* * *

## ✅ What Actually Works

### 🔑 The Permanent Anchor: User ID

Usernames change. Phone numbers change. Display names change.

**User ID never changes.** Assigned at registration, permanent forever.

This is your tracking anchor. Everything else is noise.

> **How to get it**
>
> - Forward any message from them to `@IDBot`
> - Or use `@UserInfoBot`, `@Telesint`
> - Telepathy tool does this programmatically

* * *

### 📄 File Metadata (This Is The Real Shit)

```auto

Telegram STRIPS: Images (all EXIF/GPS gone) Telegram PRESERVES: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, MP4, MOV

```

**PDFs and Word docs keep author names, “Last Modified By”, creation software, timestamps.**

Run `exiftool suspicious_file.pdf` on anything shared in channels.

> **Why this matters**
>
> APT28 got attributed partly because their phishing docs had `"Last Modified By: Сергей"` in Cyrillic.
> 
> People upload docs thinking they’re safe. They’re not.

* * *

### 🔗 Forward Message Tracking

Every forwarded message carries metadata linking back to the original source.

**This creates a graph.** Channel A forwarded from B which forwarded from C.

Map disinformation networks. Find the original source. See who’s connected to who.

> **Tool for this**
>
> **Telepathy** by jordanwildon — creates edgelists automatically
> 
> `telepathy -t channelname --forwards`
> 
> Outputs CSV you can throw into Gephi for visualization.

* * *

### 🗓 Account Age Estimation

IDs are assigned roughly sequentially. Known ID/date pairs allow interpolation.

**Use case:** Detect sock puppets. New account pushing old narratives = suspicious.

> **Bots that do this**
>
> - `@creationdatebot`
> - `@regdate_clone_bot`
> 
> GitHub: `karipov/creationDate`

* * *

### 🕵 The Leak Bot Ecosystem

Russian/CIS Telegram has bots that aggregate breach data. Phone → email → social accounts → real name.

They get taken down constantly. They reappear under new names constantly.

> **Currently active (changes weekly)**
>
> | Bot | What it does |
> | --- | --- |
> | `@GetContactBot` | Russian TrueCaller. Names people saved your number as. |
> | `@SocialMediaLeaksBOT` | Leaked social media data |
> | `@karma_cybersec_bot` | Ukrainian. ID/name/phone/email lookup |
> | `@ssb_russian_probiv_bot` | Russian “probiv” (lookup) |
> | `@HowToFindRU_Robot` | Paid. Searches harvested leak datasets |
> 
> ⚠ These bots require YOUR phone number to use. They now have it too. Use burners.

* * *

### 🔬 The Swiss Army Knife: Telepathy

Most serious practitioners use one tool: **Telepathy** (originally jordanwildon, now prose-intelligence-ltd)

> **What it does**
>
> - Archive entire chats (CSV + JSON + media)
> - Scrape member lists (up to 5k visible)
> - Map forward relationships between channels
> - User activity analysis
> - Location-based searches
> - Handles rate limits gracefully (doesn’t lose data)
> 
> ```bash
> git clone https://github.com/prose-intelligence-ltd/Telepathy-Community.git
> pip install -r requirements.txt
> 
> ```
> 
> Requires Telegram API credentials from [my.telegram.org](http://my.telegram.org) (free) [/details]
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## 🧠 Non-Obvious Insights
> 
> [details=“Things most guides don’t mention”] **1. Service messages are timeline markers** “User X joined the group” = exact timestamps for activity reconstruction
> 
> **2. Replies create partial subscriber lists** Can’t see channel subscribers. BUT users who reply ARE visible. Partial enumeration through engagement.
> 
> **3. Deleted content isn’t gone**
> 
> - [Telemetr.io](http://Telemetr.io) indexes deleted posts (7 days, free tier)
> - Wayback Machine archives Telegram since 2022
> 
> **4. Aged accounts see more** Fresh burner accounts get worse results. API returns different data based on account age/history. “Invisible” members become visible to accounts that have “seen” them before.
> 
> **5. Same API key, multiple phone numbers = parallel scans** Telepathy supports `-a` flag for alternative numbers.

* * *

## 📍 Where Insiders Actually Operate

> **Channels worth following**
>
> - `@ibederov_en` — Igor Bederov, active researcher
> - `@HowToFind` / `@HowToFind_RU` — tips and links
> - `@CyberDetective` — essential, English
> - `Интернет-Розыск` — Russian OSINT news
> - `Утечки информации` — leak announcements

> **GitHub repos that stay updated**
>
> - `The-Osint-Toolbox/Telegram-OSINT` — maintained post-Durov arrest
> - `ItIsMeCall911/Awesome-Telegram-OSINT`
> - `prose-intelligence-ltd/Telepathy-Community`
> - `rescenic/telegram-osint` — includes regex analysis

> **Research orgs doing real work**
>
> - **Molfar Intelligence Institute** (Ukrainian)
> - **OS2INT** (workflow articles at [os2int.com/toolbox/](http://os2int.com/toolbox/))
> - **Bellingcat** (phone checker tool on GitHub)

* * *

## ⚡ Quick Reference Workflows

> **Phone Number → Identity**
>
> ```auto
> 1. Bellingcat Phone Checker → linked to Telegram?
> 2. If yes → @IDBot → get user ID
> 3. @creationdatebot → account age
> 4. @GetContactBot → what names people saved it as
> 5. @SocialMediaLeaksBOT → breach data
> 6. Cross-ref VK/Instagram via Russian bots
> 
> ```

> **Username → Full Profile**
>
> ```auto
> 1. @IDBot → permanent Telegram ID
> 2. Sherlock / WhatsMyName → same username elsewhere
> 3. Google: site:t.me "username"
> 4. TGStat / Telemetr.io → channel activity
> 5. Wayback Machine → archived content
> 6. Telepathy → if they're in accessible groups
> 
> ```

> **Channel Investigation**
>
> ```auto
> 1. telepathy -t channelname → basic scan
> 2. Archive with date range
> 3. --forwards flag → map connected channels
> 4. exiftool on any PDF/DOCX/video shared
> 5. Gephi → visualize network
> 
> ```

* * *

## ⚠ OPSEC

- Burner phone for API registration
- Leak bots now have YOUR number
- Fresh accounts get worse results — age them
- Desktop app only for export functions
- True OSINT is passive. Don’t interact.

* * *

> _“The real signal lives in the metadata: the user who changed their username three times in a month, the forwarded message that links two seemingly unrelated scam groups, or the historic profile picture that reveals a face before the account went anon.”_

**The “private” messenger has more leaks than a submarine made of swiss cheese. Now you know where to look.**

**The tools are free. The bots are live. The rest is just clicking buttons.**

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Scott\_Galan1](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/scott_galan1/32/45424_2.png) [@Scott\_Galan1](https://onehack.st/u/Scott_Galan1)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/find-whos-behind-any-telegram-account/316237/2 "2026-01-09T03:10:51Z")

</div>

always posting the good stuff

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Max\_Verstappen](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/max_verstappen/32/161922_2.png) [@Max\_Verstappen](https://onehack.st/u/Max_Verstappen)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/find-whos-behind-any-telegram-account/316237/3 "2026-01-10T00:37:54Z")

</div>

the bot is paid i guess? do you have any free one?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SRZ](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/srz/32/146132_2.png) [@SRZ](https://onehack.st/u/SRZ)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/find-whos-behind-any-telegram-account/316237/4 "2026-01-10T02:01:26Z")

</div>

Most of those bots want your money after 2 clicks. Here’s the stuff that’s actually free — self-hosted scripts, unlimited bots, and the tricks nobody talks about.

* * *

> 🗺 **One-Line Flow** : Run your own lookups for $0 using free scripts and bots. How? Burner account → free API key → self-hosted tools = unlimited searches. The bots just monetize your laziness.

* * *

## 💸 Why Free Matters Here

You don’t need to pay anyone to search leaked databases or cross-reference usernames. The data is already public — you’re just paying for someone else’s server time. Every “premium” bot is running the same open-source code you can run yourself. The difference? They added a payment wall and a Telegram wrapper.

* * *

> **🛠️ Self-Hosted Scripts (Run Yourself, Actually Free Forever)**
>
> These require a free Telegram API key from [my.telegram.org](https://my.telegram.org) + a burner account. That’s it.
> 
> | Tool | What It Does | Link |
> | --- | --- | --- |
> | **Bellingcat Phone Checker** | Phone → Telegram account (username, ID, name, photo) | [github.com/bellingcat/telegram-phone-number-checker](https://github.com/bellingcat/telegram-phone-number-checker) |
> | **Telepathy** | Archive chats, scrape memberlists, map forwards, analyze posters | [github.com/prose-intelligence-ltd/Telepathy-Community](https://github.com/prose-intelligence-ltd/Telepathy-Community) |
> | **Maigret** | Username → 3000+ sites cross-platform | [github.com/soxoj/maigret](https://github.com/soxoj/maigret) |
> | **Sherlock** | Username → 400+ platforms | [github.com/sherlock-project/sherlock](https://github.com/sherlock-project/sherlock) |
> | **Holehe** | Email → 120+ site registration check (silent, no alerts) | [github.com/megadose/holehe](https://github.com/megadose/holehe) |
> | **Telethon** | Raw Python API — build literally anything | [github.com/LonamiWebs/Telethon](https://github.com/LonamiWebs/Telethon) |
> 
> **Quick setup for any of these:**
> 
> ```auto
> git clone [repo]
> cd [folder]
> pip install -r requirements.txt
> python main.py
> 
> ```
> 
> First run asks for API ID + Hash from [my.telegram.org](http://my.telegram.org). Use a burner number.

> **🤖 100% Free Bots (No Install, Unlimited)**
>
> These cost nothing. No limits. No catches.
> 
> | Bot | What It Does |
> | --- | --- |
> | [@userinfobot](https://t.me/userinfobot) | Get any user’s Telegram ID from username |
> | [@creationdatebot](https://t.me/creationdatebot) | Estimate when an account was created |
> | [@username\_to\_id\_bot](https://t.me/username_to_id_bot) | Username → numeric ID converter |
> | [@SangMataInfo\_bot](https://t.me/SangMataInfo_bot) | Username change history tracker |
> | [@WhoisDomBot](https://t.me/WhoisDomBot) | Domain WHOIS lookup |
> | [@MsisdnInfoBot](https://t.me/MsisdnInfoBot) | Phone region + operator (basic info) |
> | [@osint\_maigret\_bot](https://t.me/osint_maigret_bot) | Username cross-platform search (runs Maigret) |
> 
> These are the foundation. Start here before paying anyone.

> **🎫 Free Tier Bots (Limited Daily, But Still Free)**
>
> These have paywalls but give you enough free queries to be useful.
> 
> | Bot | Free Tier | Function |
> | --- | --- | --- |
> | [@tgdb\_search\_bot](https://t.me/tgdb_search_bot) | 5/day | Shows which groups a user is in |
> | [@Quick\_OSINT\_bot](https://t.me/Quick_OSINT_bot) | 2-3 free | Phone/email leaks, social links |
> | [@GetGmail\_bot](https://t.me/GetGmail_bot) | Limited | Gmail account connections |
> | [@UniversalSearchBot](https://t.me/UniversalSearchBot) | Limited | Yandex/social media links |
> | [@PhoneLeaks\_bot](https://t.me/PhoneLeaks_bot) | Limited | Phone number leak search |
> | [@yandexidbot](https://t.me/yandexidbot) | Limited | Yandex email → phone number |
> 
> **Pro move:** Make multiple Telegram accounts with different burner numbers. Each gets fresh free tier.

> **🇺🇦 Ukrainian OSINT Bots (Free, War-Focused)**
>
> These are specifically built for conflict research. They get banned constantly — follow their channels for updated links.
> 
> | Bot | Focus |
> | --- | --- |
> | [@OsintKit](https://t.me/OsintKit) | Russian war criminals database |
> | [@karma\_cybersec\_bot](https://t.me/karma_cybersec_bot) | ID/name/phone/email lookup (Ukrainian dev) |
> 
> ⚠ These bots require sharing your phone number. Use a burner.

> **🌐 Free Web Tools (No Account, No Install)**
>
> Just open and search.
> 
> | Site | What It Does |
> | --- | --- |
> | [tg-user.id](https://tg-user.id) | Username → ID converter (instant) |
> | [tgstat.ru](https://tgstat.ru) | Channel analytics, keyword search |
> | [telemetr.io](https://telemetr.io) | Analytics + **deleted posts** (7 days, free tier) |
> | [lyzem.com](https://lyzem.com) | Search messages across public channels |
> | [xtea.io](https://xtea.io/ts_en.html) | Telegram search engine |
> | [search.buzz.im](https://search.buzz.im) | Public channel message search |
> | [web.archive.org](https://web.archive.org/web/*/t.me/*) | Deleted Telegram content (archived since 2022) |
> 
> **Google Dork:** `site:t.me "username"` or `site:t.me "keyword"`

> **🧠 Hidden Free Tricks Nobody Mentions**
>
> 1. **[Telemetr.io](http://Telemetr.io) deleted posts** — Free tier shows deleted content from the last 7 days. Most people don’t know this exists.
> 
> 2. **TelegramDB `/where` command** — Shows groups a user is in. 5 free queries per day at [@tgdb\_search\_bot](https://t.me/tgdb_search_bot).
> 
> 3. **ExifTool on Telegram files** — Telegram strips metadata from images but **preserves it on PDFs, DOCX, XLSX, MP4, MOV**. Download any document, run `exiftool filename.pdf`, get author names, creation dates, sometimes timezones.
> 
> 4. **Wayback Machine Telegram archive** — [web.archive.org](https://web.archive.org) has been archiving Telegram since 2022. Deleted channels/posts often still exist there.
> 
> 5. **Multiple API sessions** — Same API key works with different phone numbers. Run parallel searches without hitting rate limits.
> 
> 6. **Forward message metadata** — When someone forwards a message, it carries traceable data back to the original source. Telepathy can map these relationships automatically.

> **⚡ The Broke OSINT Stack (Copy This)**
>
> ```auto
> Username → @osint_maigret_bot (free, instant, 3000+ sites)
> Phone → Bellingcat checker (self-hosted, unlimited)
> Email → Holehe (self-hosted, 120+ sites, silent)
> User ID → @userinfobot (free, instant)
> Group membership → @tgdb_search_bot (5/day free)
> Account age → @creationdatebot (free)
> Leaks → @Quick_OSINT_bot (couple free per account)
> Deleted content → telemetr.io or Wayback Machine
> 
> ```
> 
> This stack costs $0 and covers 90% of what the paid bots do.

> **💀 What About Eye of God / Глаз Бога?**
>
> Got raided in early 2025. Putin signed a law with 10-year prison sentences for unauthorized personal data distribution. Their Russian office got searched, service got shut down in RF.
> 
> The bot still technically exists but it’s sketchy now. Alternatives that do similar things:
> 
> - [@Quick\_OSINT\_bot](https://t.me/Quick_OSINT_bot) — similar leak search, limited free tier
> - [@ssb\_russian\_probiv\_bot](https://t.me/ssb_russian_probiv_bot) — Russian “probiv” bot
> - Self-hosted Maigret + Holehe — does the same thing without the middleman

* * *

## 🔑 The Real Answer

The paid bots are just running open-source code on their servers. You can run the exact same tools yourself for free. The only thing you’re paying for is convenience.

If you want zero effort: use the free tier bots above.  
If you want unlimited: spend 10 minutes setting up Maigret or Holehe.

Telegram: where privacy goes to feel safe and metadata goes to snitch. 🔍