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How Skip Tracing Can Help You Find Someone Who Can’t Be Found

Yulia Potapova

Skip tracing is an effective way to find someone you have had trouble locating. This industry term was originally used in relation to finding fugitives who were unable to be found at their homes or usual hangout spots. They have essentially “skipped” town and vanished without a trace, or did they?

The process of skip tracing can locate the person, called the skip, using available records. Any information recovered by the individual performing the skip tracing will be analyzed and verified, so that it can be used to identify the whereabouts of the skip. Sometimes, a great deal of information is needed or found, whereas other times, there is very little that is discovered or required.

While the internet is the primary means of obtaining information on skips, when a skip tracer wants to find someone, they will sometimes use social engineering. This is when a call is made to someone who may have information on the location of the missing person. As much relevant information as possible is gathered from the conversation, which will then be used to locate someone.

When it comes to using resources available online, the following is a list of some that are used:

  • Phone number databases
  • Credit Reports
  • Credit Card Applications
  • Job Applications
  • Loan Applications
  • Criminal Background Checks
  • Utility Bill Records
  • Public Tax Information
  • Public Records
  • Courthouse Records
  • Store Loyalty Cards
  • Flight Travel Records
  • Motor Vehicle Departments

If in rare circumstances, none of these resources turn up anything of value to find a missing person, a skip tracer will find a way to contact people who are one degree of separation away from them. This would include:

  • Neighbors
  • Landlords
  • Friends
  • Relatives
  • Co-workers

How to Find Someone

People will either intentionally or unintentionally skip. In either case, they can be found using the technique of skip tracing. These are all resources that can potentially provide helpful information on how to find someone. However, thanks to the internet, these are used less often. In fact, skip tracers can usually find someone very quickly using the resources mentioned earlier. The number of different open-source databases, such as LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters, has skyrocketed, providing a treasure trove of information that is usually free.

There are many others, some of which are easily accessible and free, while others cost money to gain access to. Depending on who you are trying to find and what database or service you are using, your results will vary. Some of the most commonly-used resources are:

  • Google
  • Social Media Networks
  • People Finder Websites
  • Genealogy Websites
  • Obituaries

Skip tracing can yield a wealth of information, if you know how to use it and if you know where to look for the source information. This is one of the most useful strategies for private investigators when they are trying to find someone.

Who Can You Find Using Skip Tracing

You can essentially find anyone with the skip tracing strategy. If you want to know how to find someone, this is one of the most effective ways to do so.

One of the situations that skip tracing is the most helpful in is the case of a debtor. If this person has been unresponsive to calls or emails, this method can come to the rescue.

Even if you have their physical address on file, this doesn’t mean you can get collection letters delivered to them in the mail. Sometimes, they no longer live at the address you have on file. Nearly a third of all mail that is “undeliverable” is from people who move somewhere and don’t leave a forwarding address, or leave the wrong one. In these situations, debt collectors cannot notify debtors by mail that they owe money.

Besides being used by debt collectors to find someone, skip tracing is also used by bondsmen, private investigators, attorneys, detectives, journalists, real estate investors, and others.

An Easy Way to Find Someone

When you are having difficulty finding someone, you can hire a team of expert private investigators who will use skip tracing to find the person you are looking for. Whether you wish to become reunited with a long-lost loved one or located a debtor, defendant, witness or heir, this is a proven strategy that produces excellent results. Contact RCI International Process Service and Investigations today at (410) 693-8992 or email us at admin@rci-process.com to learn how we can help you. Remember, if we don’t get a hit, you don’t pay a fee.