Skip tracing is the term for locating someone who seems to have skipped town. This could be a suspect in a crime, a person with a large amount of debt or a missing friend or family member. Private investigators use a number of databases and information resources to try to locate the missing person and report on their whereabouts to the party in search of them.
In many cases, the subject of a skip trace does not want to be found. Many of these people go to great lengths to cover up any trails or tracks that might lead to their current whereabouts. This means a PI might end up using a number of resources to locate them successfully. Some of those resources include:
- Phone and address databases
- Credit reports
- Criminal background checks
- Utility bills
- Public tax records
- Public voting records
- Travel rosters (air, bus, train)
- Social media
- Applications for loans, jobs or credit cards
When might a skip trace be used? The most common scenarios for skip traces are:
- Locating a missing family member or friend (an average of 90,000 people are considered missing at any given time)
- Verifying if a person has passed away
- Verifying if a person is in jail or prison
- Locating someone who is a suspect in a crime or witness of a crime
- Locating someone who owes a debt (debt collectors use skip tracing services frequently)
Ultimately, skip tracing is about finding someone whose whereabouts are currently unknown. The person might be sought out for a variety of reasons, though we’ve discussed the most common reasons for a skip trace. If you are seeking someone who is missing, call Bulldog PI. We have the tools and insights to help find either the whereabouts or the outcome of missing individuals. You deserve to know the truth!
