Skip tracing is the process of legally finding someone’s location. It is often used by businesses when they need to find people who owe money, are missing, or need to be investigated. This service is commonly used by law enforcement agencies, debt collection companies, and investigators.
Because of this, skip tracing is one of the most frequent tasks for private investigators. In the US, it makes up about 20% to 30% of their work, covering thousands of cases.
Should You Consider Skip Tracing?
Skip tracing is used to find someone who has moved or is hiding—often to avoid paying debts or facing other responsibilities. This person is often called the “person of interest.”
A private investigator’s role in skip tracing is to try and find the current location or contact details of the person of interest. In some cases, they may be able to provide real-time location data, which can then be shared with another party if there is a legal reason to do so. A professional investigator will not release this information to just anyone without a valid legal reason.
Who Can Be Located Through Skip Tracing?
Although debt collection is the most common reason for using skip tracing, it can also be helpful in locating:
- Clients or customers who have not paid for services
- Defendants who missed their court date
- People who owe money and have not paid
- Witnesses needed for legal cases
- Missing heirs or family members meant to receive an inheritance
- People involved in legal cases who need to be served with legal papers
What Information Can a Private Investigator Find?
Private investigators use skip tracing to locate the person of interest and gather important details. In some situations, they may also contact the person directly to serve legal documents. It’s important to understand that private investigators cannot arrest someone, unlike bounty hunters.
They collect useful information such as the person’s full name, date of birth, current job, current home address, phone number, and other identifiers. This information is usually included in a final report once the case is closed.
How Does Skip Tracing Work?
Private investigators use a variety of legal methods to find someone. These can include checking public records and online information, talking to the person’s friends or neighbours, visiting possible locations where the person might be staying, and reviewing property records or court files. They may also use databases that are only available to licensed investigators. With enough time and research, most people can be found, especially with the amount of information available online and in public documents.
Skip tracing requires a lot of effort, attention to detail, and understanding of legal rules. It is not a task for beginners and should only be done by someone who knows the proper and legal way to handle it.
