How a skip tracer finds people

The goal of a skip tracer is to locate a hiding or missing person for various purposes. These include:

• Debt collection
• Legal proceedings
• Property enquiry
• Family matters
• Employment verification
• Asset recovery 

A skip tracer is usually hired by a company or an individual when they have failed to reach them after multiple attempts. If a person does not want to be contacted, it can be difficult to get them to come out of hiding. A person may not even know that someone is looking for them. Change of address, phone number, and old emails, can create gaps in communication that need to be restored. That is why the job of skip tracers is so valuable.

What information a skip tracer uses to find people

A professional skip tracer will have a clearly defined process that will allow them to locate the wanted person. This process is usually created with the local legal framework in mind. This allows them to find information through: 

• Obtaining some basic details
• Looking through public records
• Exploring social media profiles
• Checking with their place of employment
• Contacting family and friends
• Using skip tracing tools and software

Obtaining some basic details

Before a skip tracer starts their search, they need to gather some initial information on the person they are looking for. The more details they have at the beginning, the easier the search will be. What skip tracers usually need is:

• Full name of individual (including middle name and or previous names if possible)
• Date and/or place of birth that will help them verify the authenticity of documents
• Last known address that can guide them to potential close contacts they can contact
• Their phone number, which can show them their full name if it is registered under it
• Social media profiles that are still active

During their search, skip tracers will be checking the accuracy of the information they received, as the people giving them the data may not have any aliases. 

Looking through public records

What is considered public records in each country differs but generally, skip tracers can look through property records, marriage and divorce records as well as court records. In Australia, people may even find information through an ABN lookup. An ABN enables skip tracers to find someone’s postcode or at least the one they have registered their business under. This could potentially point out more information, such as finding the business’s address and, consequently, the individual themselves.

Exploring social media profiles

Social media profiles can reveal a lot about an individual, especially if the investigator has image-tracing software. It can help them identify where a picture was taken based on someone’s surroundings, on what device and when. Social media can also help the skip tracer connect with the individual, especially if they don’t know someone is looking for them. 

If the individual refuses contact, another option may be to contact close friends and family that they are connected to online. They can then provide more information on the whereabouts of the wanted person or at least give them data they can use in future searches. 

Checking with their place of employment

Employers usually do not reveal a lot of information about their employees, but at the very least, they can confirm whether the employee is still working for them or not. Skip tracers are always mindful when they interact with someone’s employer that they do it in a discreet and confidential way that will not harm the reputation of the individual, especially if they are wanted for a court case. A good skip tracer will be able to use employment records, as well as social media such as LinkedIn, to find someone’s new place of employment. 

Contacting family and friends

Skip tracers may go a different route to find an individual. They might get in contact with family and friends who know their last location, employer, relation etc. This will give skip tracers more useful context and perhaps additional information that will help in their search such as the name of children, spouse or the last person they talked to. A skip tracer may also choose to contact a neighbour. 

Using skip tracing tools and software

Skip tracing software gives investigators a variety of people to look at. However, all the previous information they have gathered will help them narrow down who is the person they are looking for. When someone searches for a name in skip tracing software, countless names may pop up, depending on how common the name is. 

Investigators will use their other records, such as a marriage certificate or a previous address to pinpoint who the correct person is. For example, their date of birth can exclude certain results above or below a certain age. The name of their spouse can exclude even more results. Their last known address can be the final hint as to who the right individual is. Skip tracing software is usually more expensive than other options but it can save investigators a lot of time and at the end of the day, time is money. 

Each step of the process shows how important every bit of information is.

The best way to get the right information: Double checking facts

A good skip tracer will constantly double-check the information they come across to ensure that it is genuine and authentic. This will reassure them that they are on the right path. Cross-referencing data they receive at different stages is essential as they do not want to bother the wrong person. In some countries, skip tracers have more access to information such as vehicle registrations that can be traced back to a person, credit reports that can reveal potential hospitalisation or even utility records that can provide the person’s home address.

However, a simple Google search can be beneficial to everyone, including skip tracers, as it can give them the data necessary to verify potential finds and details they have obtained. It can also help them double-check whether a person has more than one social media account by comparing one with the other.