Skip Tracing
Skip tracing is, quite simply, tracking down people. Whether a person has changed his or her name, moved to a different state, or just doesn’t answer any letters or phone calls, skip tracing services can help track down these hard-to-find individuals. Large amounts of information about an individual is gathered, verified, and analyzed in an effort to determine a person’s location.
This information can come from phone books, public court records, utility bills, and air travel records, among other things. Skip tracers utilize their knowledge of where and how to find personal information to scour databases and records, conduct interviews, and follow up on what may seem to be even a slim lead. In the end, the hope is that the skip tracer has located the subject for the client, successfully completing the job.
Who can benefit from skip trace services?
People in many industries can utilize skip tracing services to help make their business more efficient and profitable.
- Lawyers: Law offices use skip trace services to find witnesses or opposing parties for whom they no longer have valid contact information. Skip tracing is used many times in divorce or child support cases to locate a missing spouse for serving divorce papers. Many times, skip tracing services for lawyers are paired with service of process in order for the subject to be served with a summons for a lawsuit.
- Collections agencies: Many debtors skillfully dodge attempts to collect on medical, consumer, and other types of debts. Skip tracing can help locate and validate contact information for debtors, increasing the chances that a debt will be collected, increasing profits.
- Bounty hunters: If someone escapes law enforcement, a bounty hunter can be called in to assist in locating a fugitive. If a fugitive can be located, the bounty hunter can be dispatched to capture the fugitive.
- Banks and other lending agencies: Sometimes, a debtor disappears before a personal, home, or educational loan is completely paid. Performing a skip trace can increase the possibility of finding an outstanding debtor and collecting on an unpaid debt.
- Journalists: When reporting on a story, journalists often need to locate specific people in order to conduct crucial interviews. These sources can be difficult to locate. Skip tracing can assist journalists with locating difficult-to-find interview subject, increasing the effectiveness of the reporting.