Brand Username and Impersonation Monitor

Monitor brand usernames, public handles, social profiles, and possible impersonation matches across public platforms with Sherlock and Maigret-powered checks. Use it as a brand username checker for current-run public profile review, username availability research, and brand protection triage.

What this Actor does

Brand Username and Impersonation Monitor checks brand names, product names, organization names, usernames, and public handles across social media, developer sites, forums, marketplaces, and other public platforms. It helps teams find public profile matches, review username availability signals, and surface possible impersonation signals without logging in to platforms or collecting private data.

The Actor combines Sherlock username checker style discovery with Maigret username search coverage where possible. It normalizes results, merges duplicates, assigns confidence scores, and adds review-focused risk labels for the current run.

Use it as a brand username monitor, username availability checker, social media username checker, brand profile monitor, social profile finder, username search tool, public profile monitor, brand protection tool, Apify username checker, Sherlock username checker, or Maigret username search workflow.

Who this is for

• Startups preparing a product launch
• SaaS companies monitoring brand handles
• E-commerce brands checking public marketplaces and profiles
• Creators monitoring public creator handles
• Agencies managing brand protection for clients
• Brand protection teams reviewing possible impersonation
• Trademark teams checking public profile use
• Reputation monitoring teams tracking public brand mentions in usernames
• Product launch teams checking username availability before release

Use cases

• Check if a brand username is already used
• Review public profile matches for a current brand check
• Find public profile matches across platforms
• Surface possible brand impersonation signals for review
• Check username availability before a product launch
• Monitor product names and creator handles
• Build a current-run public profile review dataset

How it works

The Actor checks public platforms for the names you provide. It generates safe username variants, runs Sherlock as the fast primary engine, and uses Maigret for fallback, enrichment, and cross-checking with sensible defaults.

Results are merged, deduplicated, and normalized into a clean default dataset for the current run. Each result includes the platform, public profile URL, confidence score, risk label, source engines, and whether both engines agreed. If a run succeeds but produces no profile matches, the Actor emits one diagnostic dataset item explaining the likely cause instead of leaving users with a blank output. The Actor does not write persistent state, named datasets, key-value store summaries, or feed records.

Input

• brandNames: Brand names, product names, organization names, or usernames you own or are authorized to monitor.
• scanMode: Scan level. Choose fast, balanced, or deep.
• sources: Broad source groups to check, such as social, developer, forums, marketplaces, video, or all.
• includeVariants: Generate common username variants.
• maxVariantsPerName: Limit generated variants per brand name.
• maxSitesPerName: Limit platform definitions checked per username variant. Lower values reduce cost for routine scans; higher values broaden coverage.
• maxResults: Stop after this many profile match records.
• proxyConfiguration: Optional Apify Proxy settings for public platform checks and lightweight verification. Leave disabled for the lowest-cost routine scans; enable it if platforms block direct checks.

Default behavior:

• Runs a balanced scan.
• Checks common social, developer, forum, and marketplace platforms.
• Generates safe username variants automatically.
• Returns found or review-worthy results.
• Leaves Apify Proxy off by default to reduce routine scan cost.
• Caps platform checks and output size to keep broad scans practical.
• Uses a cost-first default platform cap for routine monitoring.
• Does not write persistent monitoring state, named storage, or key-value store artifacts.

Example input:

{
  "brandNames": ["openclaw", "openclawai"],
  "scanMode": "balanced",
  "sources": ["social", "developer", "forums", "marketplaces"],
  "includeVariants": true,
  "maxVariantsPerName": 4,
  "maxSitesPerName": 100,
  "maxResults": 250,
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false }
}

Output

Example output item:

{
  "recordType": "profile_match",
  "searchedName": "openclaw",
  "searchedVariant": "openclaw",
  "platform": "YouTube",
  "platformDomain": "youtube.com",
  "profileUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@openclaw",
  "status": "found",
  "confidence": 0.92,
  "riskLevel": "review",
  "riskType": "possible_brand_match",
  "sourceEngines": ["sherlock", "maigret"],
  "engineAgreement": true,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-05-17T10:00:00.000Z"
}

Main output fields:

Field	Meaning
searchedName	Brand name or username from your input
searchedVariant	Exact or generated username variant checked
platform	Public platform where a match was found
profileUrl	Public profile URL when available
confidence	Evidence score based on engine agreement and public verification
riskLevel	Review priority label for brand monitoring
sourceEngines	Discovery engines that found or checked the record
verificationStatus	Lightweight public page verification result

What confidence means

High confidence means stronger evidence from engine agreement and/or lightweight public verification. Medium confidence means the result is likely relevant but should be reviewed. Low confidence means the match is weak, uncertain, unverified, or from a lower-relevance signal.

What riskLevel means

riskLevel is a prioritization label for brand review. It is not a legal conclusion and does not prove impersonation or infringement. review means a human should inspect the public profile before taking action.

Sherlock and Maigret engine behavior

Sherlock is used for fast username checks across supported public websites. Maigret is used for fallback, enrichment, and cross-checking. The Actor merges and normalizes results from both engines. When Sherlock and Maigret find the same public profile, engine agreement increases confidence.

Scan levels:

• fast: Uses Sherlock as the primary engine, with Maigret only as a fallback if Sherlock fails for a username.
• balanced: Recommended default. Uses Sherlock first, then Maigret for sparse results, important gaps, and enrichment.
• deep: Uses both Sherlock and Maigret for each checked variant. Keep maxSitesPerName practical when using sources: ["all"].

Source groups:

• all
• social
• video
• developer
• forums
• marketplaces
• gaming
• crypto
• music
• blogging

Storage behavior

The Actor only pushes current scan results and no-result diagnostics to the default dataset, which is the standard Apify result output. It does not create named datasets, write persistent state, save index stores, or write RUN_SUMMARY, RSS_XML, JSON_FEED, or debug records to the key-value store.

Results are written to the default dataset while the scan progresses, so partial results remain available if a long run is stopped or times out after some variants have completed.

How to run on Apify

1. Open the Actor in Apify Console.
2. Enter one or more brand names or usernames in brandNames.
3. Choose a scan level and source groups.
4. Keep the default maxSitesPerName for routine scans, or raise it only when you need broader coverage.
5. Start the run and review results in the Dataset tab.

Exporting results

After the run finishes, open the default dataset and export results as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, or HTML. Use CSV or Excel for manual review, and JSON for API integrations.

Python API example

from apify_client import ApifyClient

APIFY_TOKEN = "YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN"
ACTOR_ID = "thescrapelab/brand-username-profile-monitor"

client = ApifyClient(APIFY_TOKEN)

run_input = {
    "brandNames": ["openclaw", "openclawai"],
    "scanMode": "balanced",
    "sources": ["social", "developer", "forums", "marketplaces"],
    "maxSitesPerName": 100,
    "maxResults": 250,
    "proxyConfiguration": {"useApifyProxy": False}
}

run = client.actor(ACTOR_ID).call(run_input=run_input)

print("Current run results:")
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

Limitations

• This Actor checks public web results only.
• It does not access private accounts or private data.
• It does not log in to platforms.
• It does not collect personal contact details.
• It does not prove legal impersonation.
• Some platforms may block automated checks or change their pages.
• Some results may be false positives or false negatives.
• Confidence scores are best-effort.
• Human review is recommended for important brand decisions.

Troubleshooting

The run returns a diagnostic item instead of profile matches

The searched username may not appear on the selected sources, the source groups may be too narrow, or public sites may have blocked automated checks. Try a broader source group or a higher maxSitesPerName if broader coverage is worth the extra cost.

The run is slower than expected

Deep scans, many variants, and high maxSitesPerName values increase runtime. For routine monitoring, use fast or balanced, keep variants practical, and avoid sources: ["all"] unless broad coverage is required.

Some profiles are marked unverified

Some platforms redirect to login pages, block automated verification, or return ambiguous public pages. Treat unverified matches as review leads rather than confirmed impersonation.

Pricing and cost controls

This Actor is best suited to pay-per-result pricing because each dataset item is a client-visible review lead. Runtime cost depends mainly on how many names, variants, platforms, and deep checks you request. Keep the default platform cap for small monitoring runs, and raise it only when broader coverage is more important than the lowest cost.

Compliance note

Users are responsible for using the data lawfully and respecting platform rules and applicable laws. This Actor is for brand monitoring, username availability checks, and public profile review for names and usernames you own or are authorized to monitor.

FAQ

Does this Actor check all social media platforms?

No. It checks public platforms supported by the underlying username-check engines and the Actor defaults. Coverage can change as platforms change.

Does it use Sherlock and Maigret?

Yes. Sherlock is used as the fast primary engine. Maigret is used for fallback, enrichment, and cross-checking.

Does it require login?

No. The Actor does not use login credentials, cookies, or account sessions.

Does it collect private data?

No. It is designed for public profile matching only and does not collect private messages, hidden profile data, emails, phone numbers, or sensitive personal data.

Can it monitor new profiles over time?

It can be scheduled for repeated current-run checks, but it does not store cross-run state. Compare exported datasets in your own system if you need new or changed profile detection.

Can it check username availability?

Yes. It can help review public username availability signals by showing where matching public profiles are found. Availability should still be confirmed directly on the platform before business or legal decisions.

Why are some results uncertain?

Platforms may block automated requests, redirect profile URLs, return ambiguous pages, or change their public pages. Confidence scores reflect the available evidence and are best-effort.

Can I export CSV, JSON, or Excel from Apify?

Yes. Apify datasets can be exported in formats such as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, and HTML from the dataset export options.

How do I reduce run cost?

Use fast or balanced, limit brandNames, keep maxVariantsPerName low, keep maxSitesPerName near the default, choose only the source groups you care about, and enable Apify Proxy only when direct checks are blocked.

Can I schedule it?

Yes. You can schedule repeat runs in Apify to monitor public profile matches over time.

Is this a legal impersonation detector?

No. It identifies possible brand matches and possible impersonation signals for human review. It does not make legal conclusions.

Start monitoring

Run the Actor with your brand names or usernames to start monitoring public profile matches across platforms.