Is it possible to merge duplicate candidate profiles using a TCC script?

Summary:

We have hundreds of duplicate candidate profiles that we need to merge into one profile. We have done this manually, but it is very time consuming and I was wondering if this can be done with a TCC script. If I am not mistaken, we did merge profiles with a script about 8 years ago, but the analyst involved with this is no longer employed and we are not able to locate any of her notes.

Also, does anyone have any advise on how to prevent candidates from creating a new profile with another email address?

Thanks for your time.