Brand protection: find squatted and lookalike handles

Someone else holding your brand name on a platform you haven't joined yet is a common problem, and it usually goes unnoticed until a customer tags the wrong account. A username search across 3,166 sites shows where your name is in use, so you can claim the free ones and deal with the rest.

Free, no sign-up. Up to five usernames, 3,166 sites. The username is not stored or logged.

The problem: your name is up for grabs on every new platform

Every social network, marketplace and forum keeps its own username list, and they all hand names out first come, first served. A small business might register on Instagram and Facebook and never think about Threads, Bluesky, Twitch or Etsy. Those gaps are what squatters look for. Some grab a name hoping to sell it back. Others use it to impersonate the brand, run fake giveaways or collect payments from confused customers.

Lookalike handles cause the same damage. acme_coffee, acmecoffee.official and acmecoffeeshop all read as your brand to a customer scrolling quickly. You can't register every variant, but you should know which ones exist.

How a cross-site username search helps

You type the brand handle once and the tool checks it on 3,166 sites. Each site comes back as Found, Not found, Blocked or Unknown. Treat every one of them as a lead to verify, not a verdict. Found results include public profile details when the site makes them available, such as display name, avatar and bio, so you can tell at a glance whether an account is yours, a dormant squat or an active impersonator.

You can run up to five usernames in one search. That covers the main handle plus the variants a squatter would pick: with an underscore, with a dot, with "official" or "hq" added, or with a city name. Results export as JSON or CSV, which gives you a dated record for your files or for a trademark report. To see whether the matching domains are free, the name checker looks up .com, .net, .org, .io, .us, .app and .dev through public RDAP data.

Step by step

List your brand handle and its variants. Write down the exact handle you use, then the four variants most likely to confuse customers: underscore, dot, an added word such as official or hq, and a common misspelling.
Run one search with all five. Enter up to five usernames, separated by commas or spaces, and start the search. Filter by category (social, shopping, video) to see the platforms your customers use first.
Sort the Found results. Open each Found profile and mark it as yours, inactive, a fan or parody account, or a possible impersonator. Profile details help, but always confirm on the site itself.
Claim the Not found names you need. Register the brand handle on the platforms that matter to your business while it is still free. Recheck Blocked and Unknown sites by hand in your browser.
Export and file the evidence. Download the results as CSV or JSON. Add screenshots of any impersonating profile with the date, because accounts get renamed or deleted once reported.
Report impersonation through each platform. Use the platform trademark or impersonation report form for accounts that pretend to be you. Recheck your handles every few months, since new platforms keep appearing.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a squatted username back?

Sometimes. Many platforms review trademark complaints and impersonation reports, and a few release inactive names under their own policies. None of them guarantee it, so claim free handles early instead of relying on recovery.

How many brand variants can I check at once?

Up to five usernames per search, each checked on 3,166 sites. Run a second search for more variants.

Does the tool tell me who owns a squatted account?

No. It shows whether a public profile exists for the handle and, where the site allows, public details such as display name and bio. It does not reveal the real person behind an account.

Should I also check domains?

Yes. The name checker looks up your name on .com, .net, .org, .io, .us, .app and .dev through public RDAP data, next to a set of popular platforms.

Is my brand name stored when I search?

No. The username is sent to our server only to run the check and is not stored or logged.

Related tools and guides

WhatsMyName Apps is an independent tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by the WhatsMyName project, Sherlock, Maigret or any site it checks. Results are leads to verify.