Just like any other word or topic, there are a lot of definitions stacked upon skip tracing. However, that doesn’t mean it is impossible to learn what it actually means. Skip tracing is the process of locating someone’s whereabouts. It is like finding an invaluable gem where there’s no hope and heart to find it. However, this time you have the help of a skip tracer. We know it sounds like you are hunting down someone who has an FBI case. But this is not a movie.
The reasons differ, and so do the people who are executing a skip tracing service. They include a debt collector, process server, bail bondsman or bail agency enforcer, repossession agent, bail enforcement, private investigator, police detective, journalist, or even stalker. In most cases, the subject being tracked has contact information or is in a particular location that is not immediately known. This means that you have to play a cat and mouse game. You have to sniffle around their scents and clues in order to get a hang of where they could be.
Any skip tracing service is more of a technique than you would think. Here are some of the techniques that are used.
Phone directories
This is the best and most commonly used method to track anyone down. This is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area to services provided by the organization. Here, you are looking into their contact information. Most likely, you will get a hang of it. If you do, call it and see if they will pick up. If they don’t, then see if they had a family or close friend, they are more likely to know where your skipper is.
Job application information
Skip tracing, at times, is a trial-and-error method. If the person you are looking for had a particular job, then they may have moved out of their current area to get a particular job. If that’s the case, then it means you can look into the organizations that are near their previous city. See if you can pay a visit or call someone who works in that organization. Ask if your skipper is there.
Credit reports
If you are a private investigator, then you should not guess where this person shops or get their dental care. Use their friend to get such information. We are sure that one of those people who they work with or associate with knows one of these stories. How? People talk, and that’s just great leverage you can use. You can get a hang of where they shopped last before they “disappeared”.
Have the confidence to show up to these hotel rooms and ask if they have a credit report. If they doubt your intentions, show them evidence that you are a private investigator, and you have a job to do. They will show you a list of who paid and when. See if your target’s name is there.
Public records
It is advisable to use methods that can cover wide ranges. You will use less time and less willpower. Public records are the fastest to remove the human element from your work. Most of the time, it is frustrating to get information from human beings, as we are complex. And no one will believe your story and intentions every time.
Furthermore, public records cover a wide range when searching in bigger cities and towns. It is smarter to start online and get a hold of basic information like consensus records. From there, any other information should be contextualized by putting yourself in the context of their daily lives. This will help you pick out patterns and clues of where their whereabouts could be.