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    People Locate and Skip Trace Investigation

    What is a People Locate / Skip Trace?

    A skip trace is an investigative technique that finds an individual, usually one who has skipped out on a legal or financial obligation though it is not limited to those matters. People locate and skip trace investigations commonly accomplish things like tracking down defendants who have missed court appearances or skipped bail, locating individuals who need to be served with legal documents, or tracking down a person on behalf of a debtor.

    Why you need a people locate or skip trace:

    • You need to locate a debtor who has defaulted on payments
    • You need to find a current address for a family member requiring family court documents (i.e. child support, divorce)
    • Your client is a defendant in a court case and missed a hearing.
    • You need to locate an individual to inform them about assets or an inheritance.

    What is Involved in a People Locate / Skip Trace Investigation?

    After gathering pertinent information and clear goals from the client, an investigator will employ these tactics in order to locate the individual:

    • Records Research: When searching for important documents, investigators will use databases, courthouses, libraries, public service locations that house records, and even the United States Post Office. The kinds of records they look for could include marital, court, business, and financial. The validity of these records is also something they verify.
    • Surveillance: Surveillance is often employed to understand the individual, including their habits, schedules, and the locations in which they live, work, and socialize.
    • Background Investigation: Dependent upon the case itself, an investigator may conduct a background investigation to better understand the individual. This can include interviews with family members, friends, and former colleagues, and looking into criminal records.

    Who Can Conduct a People Locate / Skip Trace?

    Each state has its own regulations and licensing requirements when it comes to looking into a person’s location and attempting to find them. This is why most individuals will work with an attorney or directly with a private investigator.

    Many people assume law enforcement agencies take care of locating individuals, but the truth is that these agencies have more pressing matters of public safety that require their full focus.

    Online People Locater Websites

    A word of caution: While these sites appear to be an easy way to get information, it may not be the information you’re looking for. If you want accurate and verified information that you are authorized to share and use in legal matters, you will need a private investigator. Online sites openly state that the information may be inaccurate and/or incomplete, that an individual can have their information removed from the site, and that the records may be unclear or confusing.

    Video: Comparing Online Website Searches and Private Investigators

    In fact, a private investigator recently conducted a search on PeopleFinder.com to compare their data with what he was able to dicover. He found that the current listed address on the site was inaccurate. This is not uncommon when it comes to searches on online websites.

    The product comparison below further outlines the differences between using an online website versus working with a private investigator.

    Bosco Legal Services: People Finder Comparison Chart

    Created by Bosco Legal Services

    What do Investigators say about Online Searches?

    “Online searches and DIY investigation websites make me cringe. More and more people think that these are legitimate and do not realize what they are getting themselves into. Despite all the qualifications and hoops PIs must go through to access information, people still think that they can purchase an investigative report online with a credit card for just $40.”

    - Kelly Cory, Keystone Investigative Services

    Our good informative sources are what sets the pros from the novices. When clients say I can go online, my retort is do so and I will see you later.

    - Vincent Vanasco, Professional Inquiries

    “I also entered my own information in one of these online search sites. The results were down right sad. The shocking part was that I found out my mother was still alive, which didn't sit right with me, since we buried her two years earlier. She is probably screaming inside that casket.”

    - J. D. Thomas, Forensic Consulting Services

    I have made similar tests and found most of the data on PeopleFinder and Intellius is stale or just plain inaccurate. I have clients who have used the other systems and finally come to me for service.

    - Richard Luehring, Southwest Group

    “We use databases that are restricted to licensed investigators, as well as other sources to locate subjects, then we take the next step and verify that the information is true and accurate. After over 30 years of service we know the importance of actually checking the information and not just relying on what's on the computer screen.

    I recently had a case where an educated man hired us to locate his wife and determine where a large portion of his money had gone. The client is an educated individual and he felt the need to be proactive in the investigation. He would contact our offices every other day with names and addresses he wanted us to check out in connection with the case. When questioned, he would tell my assistant that he had found those names or addresses with his wife's things. After going further and further off track I called him and told him we needed to meet and, when we did, he finally blurted out that he had been doing his own "investigation" using some of those advertised services.

    I pointed out that nearly two thirds of the names and addresses he had given us had no connection or bearing on the investigation and that we had wasted precious time and resources following up on his leads.

    We agreed that he will leave the investigative work to the investigators without adding any more distractions. Within a week we had the information he needed and now he is a happily divorced man.”

    - Chris Cantin, Cantin & Associates International

    Need a Skip Trace or People Locate?

    Use the search utility on the top of this page or select from the state list to find a Skip Trace Investigator. Still can't find what your are looking for? Call us at (888) 997-4669.

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