Each Facebook profile has a unique User ID.

It’s important to make note of this number for two reasons:

Users can't alter their ID, but can change their profile name (this could require a government ID). If the name changes, locating the profile might be tough, but with the ID, finding the user is still possible even after a name change.
If you work for law enforcement, you will need this number to submit legal application to obtain Facebook records.

Finding the User ID:

Sometimes the User ID is in the URL, look in the URL for a number. For instance, in the following URL: https://www.facebook.com/100044428239741 the User ID is 100044428239741

Another method to find the User ID:

This method involves examining the page's source code. Depending on the browser you are using, this technique can vary.

Using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox:

Go to your target’s Facebook profile, click on the posts tab. The URL should either have a username in it or a User ID in it. For instance, similar to these examples: https://www.facebook.com/BillGates or https://www.facebook.com/100044428239741
Right-click and “View Page Source” (opens a new tab)
Ctrl+f and search for “userID”.
You will find the search term “userID” highlighted and a number next to it, that is the User ID for that profile.

Sometimes the highlighted results are not what was searched, you can continue to select enter and find where in the source code it says “user ID”. If this continues to happen, you can try another browser and go through the steps again. Refreshing the browser can sometimes help.

It’s recommended that you double check that you captured the correct User ID (sometimes you can find your own). Verify that you have the right User ID by copying the number, opening a new tab and pasting the number after facebook.com/. Press enter and this should take you to the target’s profile, if it doesn’t, that means you captured the wrong ID.

Another method to locate the User ID is by clicking on the 3 dots on the profile, selecting the magnifying glass, and searching for any word. Now you will see the User ID in the URL.

Facebook Groups and Events also have unique IDs.

Finding the Group ID:

Sometimes the User ID is in the URL, look in the URL for a number.

For instance, in the following URL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/260578067804637 the Group ID is 260578067804637

You can also look at the page source data to find the Group ID:

Using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox:

Go to the Facebook Group.
Right-click and “View Page Source” (opens a new tab)
Ctrl+f and search for “groupID”.

You will find the search term “groupID” highlighted and a number next to it is the Group ID for that profile.

Finding the Event ID:

Sometimes the User ID is in the URL, look in the URL for a number.

For instance, in the following URL: https://www.facebook.com/events/1511288992947146 the Event ID is 1511288992947146.

You can also look at the page source data to find the Event ID:

Using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox:

Go to the Facebook Event.
Right-click and “View Page Source” (opens a new tab)
Ctrl+f and search for “eventID”.

You will find the search term “eventID” highlighted and a number next to it is the Event ID for that profile.

Sometimes the highlighted results are not what was searched, you can continue to select enter and find where in the source code it says “user ID”. If this continues to happen, you can try another browser and go through the steps again. Refreshing the browser can sometimes help.

A third-party site to find the Profile ID of any Facebook account: https://lookup-id.com

OSINT Roundup:The Friday 5 Newsletter

OSINT Roundup:
The Friday 5 Newsletter