In today's world of social media apps, we notice so many wrong details and accounts. So, it's not an option to find out who created a specific Instagram account, no matter if he's fake or a real user. However, when talking about facts, many search methods won't give you any hint about the person who keeps his identity hidden on the platform. So we carefully tested the best people finder methods that work.

Before starting, make sure you take a screenshot of the user's profile on IG and even add other information, like location, places, etc... That way, it will be easier to search. Now, here is how you can figure out who's behind that fake IG account in 2025. You can try to start searching for people using their IG username on Trustiko's main platform.

📄 Table of Contents

Visual representation of identifying a user behind a fake Instagram account.
Techniques for identifying the true owner of a private or fake Instagram profile.

Identifying the owner of a specific Instagram account

Here are several ways that can help you find out who is behind a fake IG account. These methods range from simple public checks to more advanced, specialized search techniques provided by people search engines.

Fake Account Detection Stats

30%
Estimated percentage of fake or spam accounts detected through reverse image search on profile pictures.
7/10
Likelihood that a complex, unique username is recycled across major social media platforms.
85%
Success rate of advanced search tools when correlating an IG username with a public email or phone number.
Source: OSINT Analysis & Digital Forensics Reports.

Know the person by username

All you need is a trusted site first, like Trustiko's reverse username search. Then, just type in the exact username you find on some Instagram profile URL into the name field or its equivalent option. Next, watch for the full report if there is any information related to that, of course. That could show you the location of the user, their name, age, phone numbers, emails, and more when available. Finding people through usernames is one of the quickest verification methods.

Also, you can try Social Catfish, it's another tool that you can use, and here's one search done through a username:

Screenshot showing search results for social accounts linked to a username.
Search tool results often show linked accounts across various social media platforms.

Also, you can see the name and last name of the user, along with their possible contact details, like email, and even more. If the username is complex, you may be able to find the real name from the Instagram profile.

Screenshot displaying identity information including name and contact details.
Detailed identity information found by reversing a social media username.

The profile username is not the only search input you can use. It finds every detail, like emails, cell numbers (useful for a reverse phone number lookup), or other usernames and photos the person has on that page, and uses them for another search. For example, if you find an email, you can use that to learn how to find dating profiles by email address or search for social media accounts by email.

By searching for a specific IG username for any account, you may find the real name of the person behind it. Some personal information is still available on some systems, while others are easy to get by doing a simple username reverse lookup, so use this recommended search.

Now, if you don't know how to get the username that someone uses on his Instagram page or account, then here is the way. All you need is to visit the exact profile you want to reverse lookup. After that, in the URL address bar located at the top of the browser. You'll find the "https://www.instagram.com/username/" like in the following screenshot example. The word "NASA" is the username that the person has. You can also learn how to find someone's TikTok through Instagram using their profile details.

We just used that screenshot from the Chrome web browser on a laptop to make it simple for you to see. For smartphones, the method is the same; it starts by clicking on the top of the Safari browser on iPhone or the Chrome browser on Android devices. Now, copy the username after the Instagram domain name and paste that into the search box you can find after clicking the above green button.

Please note that this method is the best for finding secret Instagram accounts and normal private accounts. That's because the tools get the details from different databases and lots of private sources.

💡 Expert Insight: Digital Footprint Analysis

A key sign that an Instagram account is fake is if it uses a high-volume, generic username (e.g., 'TravelLover45'). Real users with established profiles often use unique combinations that are highly personal. If you find a unique handle, run it through five different platforms (Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube). If the same handle appears on three or more, you've found a strong digital footprint of a single individual, even if their people search details are private. You can also apply this technique to check if someone has multiple Instagram accounts.

Find their name with search engines

Google is very useful in this case. By searching for someone's username used on an Instagram account, you may get his real name with Google and find other details and even photos. If you are serious about finding someone's hidden profiles, combine the IG username with keywords like "blog," "portfolio," or "store."

But remember that to figure out who made a fake IG account, you'll have to browse the search pages, as many profiles look the same. You may even be able to find out if they have a Tinder profile using this method.

That being said, you've to keep in mind that a username that's not unique may not always show the same person and tell you if he's behind that Instagram account you found or not.

Here is the reason why popular usernames like "flower", "sun", etc are used largely across social media networks, websites, blogs, and forums. That means when someone uses any of these usernames on Instagram. And later, you find a Facebook account with that exact username. That does not mean the person behind these two profiles is the same.

On the other hand, if someone uses the same complex username, like "first-name-plus-last", that's probably the same person who owns the Instagram account and the different profiles that Google showed.

Identify Instagram users by photos

In general, people who create fake Instagram profiles will use anyone's picture they can find. That could be a headshot of a celebrity or someone from Google Images. But if you're lucky, you'll find all the online profiles linked to that exact photo by using the reversing lookup technology. This is also the best way for finding people on social media with a picture if they haven't used the image exclusively on their IG profile.

Many sites allow you to search using someone's photos you find on any website, like Instagram or others. Just wait for the search to complete after you upload that file and see all the URLs linked to that picture.

Google Images also has a good reverse lookup tool you can use. It's the largest one, but in our tests, it's so big in a way that you'll find thousands of pages to browse until you get the exact person you're looking for. So, instead of all that, it's a good idea to add some text or name after you get the search result page. By doing this simple trick, you'll save long hours searching, and you can combine image and text searches.

To find out who the real guy behind a fake Instagram profile photo is, you can use the technique on laptops and on your iPhone or Android. It's the same method but with different layouts. If the photo size that you downloaded from the platform is too large, just hover over that picture. Next, copy and paste the URL into the search tool that Google provides, as it offers that option.

Hire a private investigator

There are a couple of options, but this one is the best. That's not the best method if you have expertise in people searching online and can do the research yourself. But it's the fastest way to know the name and see the user's identity behind any Instagram account. A professional investigator will do the challenging search for you. Once you find a good private investigator, he can do his research and bring you all the hidden data about the person who manages an Instagram account or page.

The issue with hiring a detector is always trust and security in the first place. You don't want to end up hiring a scammer who pretends to be an investigator when he steals your personal data and other details. So be careful when using this method to identify users behind Instagram profiles. If you need a more reliable method, use Trustiko's automated people search engines first.

If you're in the USA, you may find an investigator easily if you ask. Still, for other countries, it won't be easy. That's why we always recommend keeping your identity hidden when communicating with these unknown people who may not be real investigators; in the end, keep that in mind.

🔥 Pro Tip: Cross-Reference Details

After you find a user's potential name, use that name along with their location (if available) to learn how to find someone with only their first name and town to verify their official records and complete the identity puzzle. You can also use this information to determine if they have a secret second phone number.

ℹ️ Privacy and Safety Reminder

Using any search method to investigate another person's identity carries responsibility. The information obtained, particularly names, addresses, or phone numbers, should only be used for legitimate purposes like personal safety, identity verification, or dealing with harassment. Never use this information for stalking, intimidation, or any unlawful activity.

Dealing with fake Instagram accounts

If you're sure that someone created an account on IG that's not a real one in your name and used your details, then the best way to deal with that is to contact IG support first, and then report the profile.

Next, someone from Instagram will contact you back, asking for ID verification. Make sure you have a clean scan of your details. That way, they can approve your identity and remove the other account, which pretends to be you, when he's another person or scammer. Unfortunately, that's not always an easy process, especially if they use the same photos and have more followers. If you have been scammed, learn more about finding someone who defrauded you. You can also check if they have a secret Facebook account.

By using the Instagram username, photo, or other details, you could identify the person behind that account. In most cases, these search methods work faster than others, and the success rate is higher. You could even use a detected phone number to find someone on Tinder by phone number.

What helps even more is the username. That's because it's unique and well-crafted by users. It will be easier to tell who that unknown person is on Instagram. That's what happened with lots of people who get their names used on social profiles without their permission.

Thus, by combining the above techniques, people have more options to verify the identity of the person who created these fake accounts on Instagram or follow them. In addition, they could get their names and contact details if that's public data or, at least, easily detected by algorithms.

Conclusion

If you use the techniques above, you can confidently identify the owner of a specific Instagram account. The most successful approach is using specialized people search tools which can consolidate information like usernames, emails, and photos to uncover a hidden identity. Always be thorough, use unique details like usernames or photos, and cross-reference results to confirm who is truly behind the profile.