How would a virtual private investigator use FOSS tools to find phone numbers? Let’s break it down for you.
It started with a single missed call. No voicemail. No context. Just a strange number that didn’t look quite right. Maybe it was a wrong number—or maybe it wasn’t. If you’ve ever wanted to trace a number like a digital Sherlock, you’re not alone.
Enter Mr. Holmes—a free and open-source intelligence (FOSS OSINT) tool designed to play virtual private investigator for the terminal-savvy. Whether you’re trying to map social accounts, track usernames, or reverse-search suspicious phone numbers, Mr. Holmes makes it ridiculously simple, fast, and ethically powerful.
Let’s explore how to use it—starting with what matters most when you’re unsure who’s really calling: phone number tracing.
⚠️ Important: These tools are intended for ethical hacking, security research, and education. Use them only on systems and networks you own or have permission to test. Unauthorized use can lead to serious legal consequences.
- What Is a Virtual Private Investigator (And Why It Matters for Ethical Hackers)
- What is Mr. Holmes?
- Real-World Uses of a Virtual Private Investigator Using Mr. Holmes
- How to Install Mr. Holmes and Start Your Virtual Private Investigator Journey
- Sleuthing with Style: Mr. Holmes' Built-In CLI UI for Virtual Private Investigators
- How a Virtual Private Investigator Uses Mr. Holmes to Trace Phone Numbers
- Limits Every Virtual Private Investigator Should Know
- Ethical Hacking Needs More Virtual Private Investigators
What Is a Virtual Private Investigator (And Why It Matters for Ethical Hackers)
The rise of OSINT tools like Mr. Holmes has enabled ethical hackers, journalists, and researchers to investigate digital footprints without ever stepping outside.
The Rise of the Virtual Private Investigator in FOSS Culture
A virtual private investigator doesn’t rely on private databases or backdoors. Instead, they use publicly available data—scraped legally—to trace identities, verify claims, and sometimes even prevent crimes. This aligns with the FOSS ethos: transparency, privacy, and accessibility.
How Ethical Hacking Powers the Virtual Investigator’s Toolkit
Mr. Holmes helps surface connections between phone numbers, usernames, domains, and emails—without crossing legal lines. By operating entirely within the public domain, tools like this give power to defenders, not abusers.
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What is Mr. Holmes?
Mr. Holmes is a Python-based OSINT command-line utility available on GitHub that streamlines your online investigations. Inspired by Sherlock and Maigret, it combines several search capabilities under one roof:
- 🔍 Username profiling
- 📱 Phone number tracing
- 📧 Email reconnaissance
- 🧾 IP address and domain scanning
But what sets it apart is its clean CLI workflow, JSON-based outputs, and modular functionality—perfect for anyone doing security audits, digital forensics, or just trying to stay one step ahead of sketchy actors.
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Real-World Uses of a Virtual Private Investigator Using Mr. Holmes
You don’t need a private investigator’s license to trace a number or verify a digital identity. You just need curiosity, a terminal, and Mr. Holmes.
Tracking Social Media Footprints Like a Virtual Private Investigator
Want to know what platforms a username is tied to? Mr. Holmes automates cross-platform checks, revealing a digital trail that can help identify sock puppets or impersonators—especially useful in threat detection or phishing response.
Phone Number Tracing: A Core Skill of Every Virtual Private Investigator
The standout feature of Mr. Holmes is its ability to trace phone numbers across services like Truecaller, Facebook, and various lookup databases. For instance, you can input a number tied to a scam and discover the public-facing name, location, or linked accounts.
Audit Digital Exposure: Use Mr. Holmes Like a Virtual Private Investigator
Conducting exposure audits—especially for at-risk individuals like activists, journalists, or even NGO personnel—can be done by running their public details through Mr. Holmes and identifying unnecessary data leaks.
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How to Install Mr. Holmes and Start Your Virtual Private Investigator Journey
Whether you’re on Linux, macOS, or even Windows via WSL, getting started with Mr. Holmes is just a Git clone away.
Install on Termux
pkg install proot
git clone https://github.com/Lucksi/Mr.Holmes
cd Mr.Holmes
proot -0 chmod +x install_Termux.sh
./install_Termux.shInstall on Ubuntu/Debian (the FOSS Way)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install git python3 python3-pip
git clone https://github.com/Lucksi/Mr.Holmes
cd Mr.Holmes
pip3 install -r requirements.txtmacOS Setup for Terminal-Savvy Virtual Investigators
Make sure you have Homebrew installed:
brew install python3 git
git clone https://github.com/Lucksi/Mr.Holmes
cd Mr.Holmes
pip3 install -r requirements.txtUsing Mr. Holmes on Windows via WSL
Set up WSL, then follow the Ubuntu/Debian steps inside your WSL terminal. Add a requirements.txt fix if you hit any dependency issues, especially with phonenumbers or bs4.
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Sleuthing with Style: Mr. Holmes’ Built-In CLI UI for Virtual Private Investigators
While many OSINT tools spit out raw text like a reluctant witness, Mr. Holmes gives you a cleaner, interactive CLI interface that makes data recon more intuitive—even for beginners.
A CLI UI That Feels More Like a Case File Than a Code Dump
Fire up Mr. Holmes and instead of a flood of terminal noise, you’re greeted with a menu-driven interface that guides you through each search vector. Think of it as your personal investigation dashboard—stripped down, no fluff, just facts.
python3 mrholmes.pyThis brings up a simple yet functional menu with choices like:
- 🔍 Search by Phone Number
- 📧 Search by Email
- 👤 Search by Username
- 🌐 Search by Domain
- 🧰 Combined Search Options
- ⚙️ Settings and Output Options
Each option walks you through input prompts, and in some cases, lets you queue multiple queries in one go. It’s perfect for OSINT beginners who prefer not to memorize flags or run dozens of separate commands.
Why It Matters for Ethical Hackers and FOSS Learners
The built-in UI bridges a common gap for junior infosec folks and curious devs: usability. It lowers the barrier to entry and makes Mr. Holmes a proper training ground for anyone stepping into the world of the virtual private investigator. You learn syntax through use—not guesswork.
Plus, being a Python-based CLI tool, it’s open for customization. If you’re confident in Python, you can fork the tool and build your own investigator dashboard—just how FOSS was meant to be.
⚠️ Important: These tools are intended for ethical hacking, security research, and education. Use them only on systems and networks you own or have permission to test. Unauthorized use can lead to serious legal consequences.
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How a Virtual Private Investigator Uses Mr. Holmes to Trace Phone Numbers
When it comes to tracing digital breadcrumbs, phone numbers are often the most personal—and telling—clue in an open-source investigation. Whether you’re an ethical hacker, journalist, or a FOSS-loving sleuth, Mr. Holmes makes this task surprisingly accessible through its intuitive CLI UI.
Step 1: Launch the Mr. Holmes CLI UI
To get started, simply navigate to the Mr. Holmes directory and run:
python3 mrholmes.pyYou’ll be greeted with a numbered list of available search options. Think of it as your digital case file interface—clean, focused, and ready to dig.
Step 2: Choose “Search by Phone Number”
From the main menu, select the option that corresponds to Phone Number Search—usually number 1 or 2, depending on the version.
1. Search by Phone Number
2. Search by Email
3. Search by Username
...
Press the corresponding number and hit Enter.
Step 3: Enter the Target Phone Number
You’ll be prompted to enter a phone number, preferably in international format (e.g., +63917XXXXXXX for the Philippines).
Enter the phone number (with country code): 639171234567Once entered, Mr. Holmes runs the number through multiple OSINT sources and tools—including platforms that expose public social media metadata, VOIP trails, and more.
Step 4: Wait for the Results—and Analyze
The tool will display any matched results in your terminal—social profiles, messaging app footprints, public listings, and more. Think of this as the moment when your virtual private investigator instincts kick in.
Keep in mind: Mr. Holmes doesn’t hack or bypass privacy protections. It surfaces publicly available data that users have (often unknowingly) linked to their phone number.
[I]INFO:[THIS MODULE ALLOWS YOU TO SEARCH INFORMATION ABOUT A PHONE NUMBERS SUCH AS CARRIER]
[I]DATE-FORMAT:[EU:DD/MM/YYYY]
[+]SCANNING NUMBER: 639205061194...
[I]THIS IS PROBABLY A REAL PHONE NUMBER
[v]INTERNATIONAL NUMBER: +63 920 506 1194
[v]LOCAL NUMBER: 9205061194
[v]COUNTRY PREFIX: +63
[v]COUNTRY CODE: PH
[v]COUNTRY: Philippines
[v]AREA/ZONE: Philippines
[v]CARRIER/ISP: Smart
[v]TIMEZONE N°1: Asia/Manila
[v]AREA FOUND
[+]CHECKING NUMBER 639205061194 APPROXIMATE GEOLOCATION
[v]LATITUDE: 12.7503486
[v]LONGITUDE: 122.7312101
[v]GOOGLE MAPS LINK: https://www.google.it/maps/place/12.7503486,122.7312101
[I]MAP SAVED ON: GUI/Reports/Phone/639205061194/Area_GeoLocation.html
[v]TIMEZONE FOUND
[+]CHECKING NUMBER 639205061194 APPROXIMATE GEOLOCATION
[v]LATITUDE: 14.5904492
[v]LONGITUDE: 120.9803621
[v]GOOGLE MAPS LINK: https://www.google.it/maps/place/14.5904492,120.9803621
[I]MAP SAVED ON: GUI/Reports/Phone/639205061194/Zone_GeoLocation.html
[+]CHECKING THE AFFIDABILITY OF THE NUMBER
[v]THIS NUMBER EXIST OR IS A VOIP NUMBER
[+]FORMATTING PHONE NUMBER...
[v]INTERNATIONAL-FORMAT: +63 920 506 1194
[v]RFC3966-FORMAT: (+63)920-506-1194
[v]LOCAL-FORMAT: 920-506-1194
[v]LOCAL-FORMAT(2): 09205061194
[v]LOCAL-FORMAT(3): 92561194
[+]PHONE NUMBER COUNTRY:UNDEFINED
[+]SEARCHING PHONE NUMBER 639205061194 ON DIFFERENT SITES· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·
Limits Every Virtual Private Investigator Should Know
Mr. Holmes is powerful—but not omniscient. Be aware of its boundaries.
Data Accuracy Isn’t Always Guaranteed
Mr. Holmes scrapes from live sources, which change constantly. Always verify and treat results as clues, not facts.
Privacy and Legality: The Virtual Investigator’s Dilemma
Ethical hacking respects consent and legality. Avoid probing private endpoints or bypassing paywalls. Use this tool only in jurisdictions where scraping public data is legal.
Know When to Use Other OSINT Tools
Mr. Holmes is just the start. Follow-up articles will explore complementary tools like Maigret, Holehe, and Spiderfoot—each bringing depth to a different aspect of digital recon.
This article focused on phone number tracing, but Mr. Holmes supports more:
- How to Investigate Usernames with Mr. Holmes
- How to Trace Emails Like a Virtual Private Investigator
- How to Use Mr. Holmes for Domain Recon
- How to Combine Mr. Holmes With Maigret for Cross-Platform Discovery
Each article will cover a specific function with a real-world ethical use case, so you get both context and actionable walkthroughs.
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Ethical Hacking Needs More Virtual Private Investigators
In a world where disinformation campaigns, harassment, and fraud run rampant, we need more ethical hackers—not fewer. Tools like Mr. Holmes won’t solve the internet’s problems, but they’ll arm you with the knowledge to ask better questions and protect your communities.
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⚠️ Important: These tools are intended for ethical hacking, security research, and education. Use them only on systems and networks you own or have permission to test. Unauthorized use can lead to serious legal consequences.
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