Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of 2020. With so many people using Facebook, it’s common to come across profiles of people you don’t know or recognize. You may want to find out who is behind a Facebook profile for various reasons, whether it’s an old classmate you want to reconnect with, someone interacting with your business page, or even a suspicious account. While Facebook doesn’t make it easy to look up private profile information, there are a few different approaches you can take to try to identify the owner of a Facebook account.
Check Their Profile and Posts
The first step is to simply look at the profile itself for any identifying information. Check if the person has used their real name, location, workplace, education history, or other personal details that could point to who they actually are. Oftentimes people include authentic information in their bios or “About” section. Going through their profile and cover photos may also provide clues if you recognize faces or locations.
Additionally, look at the posts and content the account shares. Are they posting about specific hobbies, interests, family members, events, etc. that give insight into their real identity? The more active they are posting personal life updates, the easier it may be to gather info about the actual person behind the account.
Look for Connections and Tags
Check who the person is friends with on Facebook, as that network can give clues about who the account owner really is. See if you have any mutual friends or recognize names of people or businesses tagged in their posts and photos. Click on friends and followers profiles to cross-reference more details about that person’s life, location, job, education, etc. The web of connections and tags on an account can help reveal the actual identity of the owner.
Do Reverse Image Searches on Their Photos
If the account has profile pictures or other photos of the purported account owner, do reverse image searches on them. You can drag and drop images into the Google Images search bar to find matches online. This can determine if the photos are taken from somewhere else online, or surface social media accounts under the person’s real name. Beware that some account owners use stock photos or images of random people. But if any look authentic, search the images to potentially connect them to a real identity.
Use Facebook Search Tools
Facebook offers advanced search features that may help uncover identities associated with accounts. Here are some to try:
Search by Email or Phone Number
If you happen to know, or can guess, a possible email address or phone number for the account owner, search for it under Facebook’s “People” tab. This will show any Facebook profiles linked to that contact information, and likely surfaces their real account if they have one.
Search Within Mutual Friends
If you and the account in question share some of the same friends, go to one of the mutual connections’ profiles. Under their Friends list, enter the name of the unknown account you are investigating. If found, this would suggest the mutual friend knows the account owner’s real identity.
Look Up by Name
If you have a suspicion about the person’s real name, search it directly under the Facebook People tab. Particularly try variations like full names, nicknames, maiden names, etc. Facebook’s algorithm may make a match and surface their account even without 100% precise name spellings.
Use Third-Party Online Tools
There are also third-party websites and browser tools that claim to reveal more in-depth information about who owns and operates specific Facebook accounts. Here are some options:
Social Searcher
Social Searcher is a website that lets you input a Facebook profile URL and performs a scan to uncover details like associated names, locations, phone numbers, emails, and social media accounts. It collects this info from public records and profile cross-referencing. The tool is free with registration.
WolframAlpha Facebook Report
WolframAlpha is a computational knowledge engine that generates reports on many topics when you input specific facts. It has a Facebook analytics tool that pulls data on a profile when you search the Facebook URL. The report may include names, locations, networks, demographics, and photos associated with the account.
Chrome and Firefox Plug-ins
There are various browser extensions like “Who Is Behind That Facebook Profile?” and FBChecker that integrate into Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers. After installing, they add buttons to Facebook that can run searches to uncover more identifies when viewing profiles. Take care to choose reputable plug-ins that other users vouch for.
Hire a Private Investigator
For a more thorough approach, you can hire a private investigator that specializes in online and social media investigations. They have access to advanced databases, public records, web archives, and methods of making connections across digital footprints. Investigators can uncover detailed background information on who owns and operates specific Facebook accounts. This level of highly personalized service does not come cheap, with costs typically starting around $100 per hour.
Ask Facebook to Review the Account
If you strongly believe a Facebook profile is using a fake name or false identity, you can request that Facebook reviews the account. On the profile, click the three dots icon next to Follow/Message and choose “Report this profile”. Under “This profile should be checked because…” select “They are using a fake name” and submit details about why you think the account is not showing the owner’s real identity.
Facebook will then assess the account to determine if it is violating their Authentic Identity policies. However, the platform’s criteria for requiring real names is relatively lenient compared to other sites. Typically Facebook only blocks accounts if there is attempted fraud, deception, or harassment through using a fake name. Merely going by a middle name, nickname, or maiden name is allowed if not being used maliciously. So don’t expect Facebook to reveal confidential account holder info, but reporting suspicious fakes can help get them reviewed.
Consult Facebook’s Terms of Service
Always keep in mind that Facebook’s Terms of Service prohibit sharing accounts or account login info with others. So you cannot legally access someone else’s profile without their consent, even if your intentions are to uncover the real person behind it. The terms also state that user information cannot be scraped or discovered through automated means, which restricts how third-party tools can obtain data.
Facebook puts the responsibility on users to accurately represent themselves, and provides mechanisms for reporting impersonators. But for privacy reasons the platform purposefully makes it difficult to look up private account details like legal names. If your searching crosses over into harassment or hacking, it could get you banned from Facebook entirely. So proceed ethically and legally when trying to find out who owns a profile.
Conclusion
Identifying anonymous Facebook account owners takes patience and clever sleuthing. Look for bits of telling personal information across profiles, posts, photos, connections, and tags. Use Facebook’s own search tools to look up likely names, contacts, and networks associated with the account. Third-party websites can uncover additional analytics, but avoid anything that claims to hack or crack Facebook. If needed, hire a professional investigator or report truly dubious accounts to Facebook for review. But tread cautiously to avoid potential Terms of Service violations. With the right approach, it is sometimes possible to figure out who is behind a Facebook profile you don’t recognize.