Professional People Search: 10 Investigator-Assisted Searches
You can hire a prescreened, licensed, bonded, and insured private investigator to handle your professional people search needs. Hiring a private investigator allows you to dig a little deeper into the life of your subject, find a debtor hiding off the grid, and ensure that your search results are accurate and verified by a licensed professional.
Searchbug offers a number of people search options that you can use to find people and perform background checks, but a professional people search allows you to hire a private investigator to find any additional information you may be missing.
This article outlines 10 professional people search options you can order to get the information you need. Private investigators work to obtain information from published phone directories, public records, criminal record repositories, and restricted skip trace databases. So you can be sure your results are current, accurate, and verified by an actual person.
1. Bank Account Search
Bank account searches are often used by law firms, attorneys and those with a court or civil judgment order to collect or levy funds. These searches provide enough information to obtain a writ of execution from an attorney or a court.
It can also be used to locate a bank, brokerage, or investment account. If your debtor has a savings, checking, money market, mutual fund or other type of account in a bank, savings and loans, or credit union, a bank account search is the best way to find it.
These are legal bank account searches conducted by investigators. You can get all of the information you need to levy bank accounts for debt collections, divorce, back child support and other legal judgments.
When placing an order, you are contracting to hire a licensed professional investigator to conduct a legal investigation on your behalf in order to locate a bank checking or savings account for your subject. CDs, mutual funds, and money market funds are considered brokerage or investment accounts which are not part of a standard bank account search.
There are two search types: personal bank account search and business bank account search.
Personal Bank Account Search
Use this search for one or all known personal checking, savings, money market, CD, or safety deposit accounts in one state or nationwide. Just indicate whether you’re searching for one bank account in one state, multiple bank accounts in one state, multiple bank accounts nationwide, or brokerage and investment accounts nationwide.
If you know your subject lives and works in a state where he or she is not close to any bordering state, doesn’t travel much, and has been in the same state for more than a decade, chances are that a one state search would be a good option as opposed to nationwide.
Select nationwide to search most major bank brands in all 50 states. This is also the search you should select if your subject lives or works near a border state.
A one bank account search concludes once the investigator finds one account. The investigator will continue looking for accounts (checking or savings) until he or she exhausts all avenues in a multiple bank accounts search.
Business Bank Account Search
The search provides an in-depth bank account investigation typically used for judgment recovery. An investigator obtains the bank names and addresses where your subject has active bank accounts.
2. Employment Search
Knowing your subject’s current Place of Employment (POE) is essential for successful debt recovery and collection efforts. Searchbug’s POE search tool is also great for landlords seeking employment information for prospective tenants, and its historical data can also vet or verify resume and CV employment history.
The verified POE provides current and verified information. By placing an order, you are contracting a professional to conduct a legal investigation to locate employment history or find and verify a current employer for your subject.
There are two search types you can select: employment history report and verified current place of employment.
Employment History Report
An employment history search is an affordable way to start a preliminary investigation for locating employers or to verify employment history. Information is obtained from consumer lending applications, financial headers, contributory record account headers, credit reporting agencies, and proprietary sources.
An employment history report is a basic place of employment search while a verified current place of employment search takes the investigation much further. The historical report typically includes a report of all the employers your subject worked for in the past. It may include a current employer if the subject has worked there for a while.
Not all information is available for every employer. There can be gaps in reported coverage depending on the size of the employer or if the subject is or was working “under the table”. Employment history reports can’t guarantee a current employer, but it’s an inexpensive way to start your research or to verify a CV or application.
Verified Current Place of Employment
To verify current place of employment, a private investigator conducts an investigation to locate your subject’s current place of employment and then verify that the subject is still on the payroll so that you can try to garnish wages.
The verified current place of employment search takes over where the historical employment search ends. It can take up to 4 weeks to complete the verified employer search since it is such a thorough investigation. Once your assigned investigator conducts a preliminary search similar to the historical search, the work for the verified current employer begins.
Your assigned investigator will search for your subject’s employer in the state you provide as primary residence or state of residence as reported from the SSN search performed as part of the investigation. If you think your subject works for a company out of state (perhaps he or she lives in a border town and drives to work in another state or telecommutes for a company out of state), make note of that in the comments. You will receive company name and address or payroll address in order to file wage garnishment forms.
The verified employment report typically includes the current employer’s name, address (business or payroll), and business service number with a direct line or extension when available.
Use this search if you need a current POE for wage garnishment purposes.
3. Skip Tracing
If you’ve tried to conduct your own online search and came up short, it might be time to try a professional people search. A professional skiptrace, for example, picks up where online searches fail. In-depth, professional research is effective for finding someone who jumped a bond, a delinquent debtor (to repossess property or serve summons), deadbeats, missing people, or subjects trying to hide.
Searchbug’s services range from a 3-day basic assisted people search to a month-long verified current address search with or without employment search bundled in.
Assisted Skiptrace – People Search
You have 4 different people search options: basic assisted people search, financial due diligence report, verified current address and phone search, verified current address, phone, and employment search.
Basic Assisted People Search
Use the basic assisted people search if you have very little information on your subject and need address history and/or any possible aliases your subject could be using. The basic assisted people search is a good place to start if you’re on a budget and you don’t think your subject is hiding or knows you are trying to locate him or her.
Financial Due Diligence Report
The financial due diligence report provides the same customer contact information that credit bureaus provide banks to qualify new customer accounts. All you need to request the report is the subject’s name and address.
Verified Current Address and Phone Search
If other sources have failed you, conduct a verified current address and phone search. The information provided is guaranteed to be the current address on the day the investigator personally verified the information.
Verified Current Address, Phone, and Employment Search
The most comprehensive professional people search is the verified current address, phone, and employment search. In addition to the verified current address, your investigator will search for phone numbers (landline or cell phone) and your subject’s current employer.
Search by Previous Address
This search is a good starting point if you don’t have much information on your subject and/or your subject is not trying to hide or does not move frequently. This is also a good option if you’re on a budget and you don’t think your subject is hiding or knows you are trying to locate him or her.
Utility Billing Contact Info
Your assigned investigator will search for the billing contact information associated with a utility provider at the address you provide for your subject. Utilities typically include but are not limited to electric, gas, cable, satellite, or other providers that supply utilities to the area (county, town or city).
There are two different searches you can conduct: contact information for landline phone service or contact information for gas, electric, etc.
4. Background Check
A background check can help you avoid scams, predators, and criminals. Use a background check to make sure you know who you are dealing with. You might want to conduct a background check if you plan to strike a business deal, start dating someone new, meet someone online, move to a new neighborhood, or hire someone to work for you.
There are three different services that can help you protect yourself and your business: comprehensive background check, nationwide criminal records search, and pre-employment screening.
Comprehensive Background Check
A background check should be exhaustive. A Searchbug background check searches aliases, voter registrations, licenses, neighbors, other occupants at the address, business records, court records, possible assets, arrests, warrants, vehicles, sex offender records, and even surrounding neighborhood facilities.
Nationwide Criminal Records Search
Criminal records can be county, city, state, or federal. Searchbug’s criminal records search is nationwide. Find out where someone lives or works, whether he or she was convicted of a crime in another state, whether there was an arrest or conviction, and whether it was a misdemeanor or felony.
Our national criminal reports source data from records of the Department of Correction, courts, and law enforcement agencies. Availability of data will vary based on jurisdiction.
Pre-Employment Screening
Companies use pre-employment screening to identify inaccuracies in employment applications. This search is used to verify employment applicant information for true and false statements as well as to verify criminal records and credit history. A standard Credit Report Authorization Form is required.
A pre-employment screening or employment background check can be used by anyone who is considering hiring an individual. You must have the applicant’s approval on an employment or credit authorization form so you can conduct such an investigation.
5. Phone Inquiry
If you’ve tried to locate a name and address using other reverse phone number lookups or tried to find someone’s mobile number online and were unsuccessful, it’s time to try an assisted phone number search.
The investigators and researchers that conduct these reverse phone searches and cell phone lookups use proprietary data and methods unavailable anywhere else. They have over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, and if anyone can find the information, it’s them.
These phone searches are highly accurate and guaranteed to be accurate when the investigator delivers your report. There are two types of searches: reverse phone number lookup and locate a cell phone number.
Whether you need to know the name and address of a mobile phone, landline, VoIP number or are looking to locate a particular person’s cell phone number, this assisted reverse phone number lookup is the best you can get.
Reverse Phone Number Lookup
Order a reverse phone number lookup to find the name and address from a landline, cell or mobile number, or VoIP number. You can also find the name and address associated with a landline phone number in Canada.
Your result is not the user of the phone but the actual person registered with the number. This can be different than the user if someone purchased the phone for someone else or if it’s a shared family plan or a company phone.
If the mobile number is a prepaid cell phone (like a burner phone), the information obtained may be limited since some prepaid mobile plans do not require the actual owner or user to register a verified name and address as there is no monthly bill.
This is not an outdated reverse phone number database search. Your assigned investigator will conduct a search via all their resources including special access to sources not publicly available. This professional reverse phone search is conducted by a real person.
Locate a Cell Phone Number
When you need to find someone’s cell phone number, there is no better search. This professional cell phone locator is conducted by a real person.
This search is used to find a U.S. cell phone number from the name and address you provide. Your subject must be a registered owner to locate the number. This search also lets you exclude known numbers in case you know your subject has more than one mobile number (family plan, business phone, etc).
Your assigned investigator will only search for one cell phone number associated with your subject. A cell phone number may not be found if your subject is using a burner or prepaid cell phone, a cell phone provided by a friend or family member, or a cell phone provided by an employer or other entity.
6. SSN Searches
This search is an eVerify alternative you can use to verify that an SSN belongs to the right person. You can also use an SSN search to locate an address or to verify that people are who they say they are.
You may also need to locate an SSN for legal reasons such as to issue a 1099 during tax season, file court paperwork or a lawsuit or summary judgment, locate someone for collection on a bad debt, track down back child support, investigate fraud, or find an SSN to conduct a skip trace or professional people search.
There are three SSN search types: SSN and name match, reverse SSN search, and find SSN from name and address.
SSN and Name Match
This search determines if the SSN and name combination you have are a match. A professional researcher will review your results to ensure accuracy. This is useful when you don’t have the exact spelling of your subject’s name. Maybe it’s difficult to spell, paperwork is hard to read, or there are multiple spellings of a name. A professional review increases your chances of proper verification.
Reverse SSN Search
Provide the SSN plus a reason for your request, and your assigned investigator will work to locate your subject’s name, address, phone number, and more.
Find SSN from Name and Address
Use this search to locate the SSN of your subject. You will need to provide the name and address of your subject as well as a legal reason to obtain the SSN such as the location for judgment collection, tax reporting (issue a 1099), debt or loan repayment, etc.
Your search will be conducted using several proprietary systems to accurately locate the SSN of your subject. The SSA does not provide this information.
7. Reverse P.O. Box Search
Using a reverse P.O. Box search, you can locate individuals who don’t have proper physical addresses. Since you typically can’t rent a P.O. Box without showing photo ID and having an alternate mailing address associated with it, investigators can often find the actual address from a P.O. Box.
Obtaining someone’s residential address from a P.O. Box address is something the investigator-assisted searches can help with.
8. Locate Vehicle Owner and Drivers License Search
Locate Vehicle Owner
Using a professional DMV search for vehicle owners, you can search for a registered vehicle owner’s name and address (if permitted by state) from the license plate (TAG) number you provide. Some reports include the lien holder and/or the vehicle identification number (VIN). You may also conduct a reverse VIN search if you don’t know the license plate number.
A reverse license plate search can be used for most matters regarding motor vehicle or driver safety or theft. If you need more information to report a possible theft or an issue of safety, this DMV search can help.
Drivers License Search
An investigator-assisted DMV search to locate a driver’s license number can help you obtain information from many state DMVs if you’re unable to obtain the DMV information directly.
To locate someone’s driver’s license number you will need your subject’s name, address and date of birth.
9. EIN Search
The IRS uses the Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) to identify the taxpayer. EINs must be used by business entities, corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies. However, most sole proprietors don’t need to obtain an EIN and can use their SSNs instead.
EINs, unlike SSNs, can change. If a company starts out as a sole proprietorship with a couple of employees and decides to incorporate later on, it would have to obtain a new EIN.
You might need to locate an EIN to verify that a business is a real, registered company with the IRS, complete court documents, report payments on a 1099, collect or file for a judgment, or conduct other business. If you have a legitimate need to know someone else’s EIN or you lost yours, order this search.
10. Custom Services and Bulk Orders
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can order a custom search. Just enter any information you know about the subject and indicate what the investigator should search for.
You can also hire a private investigator for bulk orders of 10 or more of the same search. Just select any of the services listed in this article from the dropdown box and add any additional details as necessary. Wait for a quote and obtain payment authorization and your order will be processed.
How a Professional People Search Can Work for You
There are a number of free and paid online services you can use to find people and get the information you need. But when you need access to restricted data or to find someone who doesn’t want to be found, then it’s time to conduct a professional people search and hire an investigator.
Information gathered via professional people search is current and accurate because it is gathered and verified by an actual person. So there’s no need to wonder if you’ve gotten information from an outdated database or if the information is for the wrong person.
When you order any of the 10 investigator-assisted searches we’ve outlined in this article, you hire a prescreened, licensed, bonded, and insured private investigator to personally access and verify the data you need. There is a lot of information here, so please contact us if you have any questions about how a professional people search can work for you!
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