Skip Trace: Find Someone Who Doesn’t Want to be Found
If you’re trying to find someone and you’re having a hard time locating them, it might be because they’re evading your search and they don’t want to be found. One effective technique to try to find them is to skip trace.
How will you know if someone is evading your search? Here are some ways they do it.
4 Ways Someone Evades Your Search
- They don’t answer the door or someone says they don’t live there anymore
If you’re trying to collect on a debt or you need to serve court papers, you might need to see the debtor or the person of interest face-to-face. The best thing to do is to go to their house to collect or serve the papers. A common tactic a person does to hide from this is simply not answering the door. You can be sure of their place of residence but it’s also possible that someone else will open the door and tell you that they no longer live there.
If this happens, you will need to find other places to reach out to them—maybe at work or at a relative’s house. It might be best that you hire a private investigator to help you with this. They can find someone’s workplace and collect or serve the papers there. If they don’t answer the door, a private investigator is knowledgeable of techniques to get them to answer.
- They are staying in the same city but you have no idea where exactly
This situation happens when the person of interest hides at a friend, relative, or coworker’s place. You should know how to get information about their whereabouts without tipping off the person of interest. A private investigator can help find someone who is doing this.
- They left the city or crossed state lines
Someone you’re looking for might not live in the same city or state anymore. If this is the case, you will certainly need the assistance of a private investigator. When someone crosses state lines, some information might not be easily accessible to the public. Although some local information can help you find someone, you might not be able to find this data without going through state databases. If you don’t go through the proper process, you may never find out the city they are living in.
You may be able to obtain information from friends, relatives, or previous employers in the state of their last known residence, but this is easier said than done. Therefore, it is best to employ a private investigator to help you out.
- They changed their identity
If they really don’t want to be found and they know what they are doing, they might change their identity and vanish. If this happens, it might be virtually impossible to find them.
The good news is, an experienced private investigator has a wide range of tools to locate someone even if they have changed their identity and moved to another city or state. The investigator can even provide results if the identity change wasn’t done legally and didn’t go through the court system.
Why Someone Doesn’t Want to be Found?
A person chooses to disappear due to:
- Fear of debts
- Trouble with the law
- They did something shameful
- They are trying to escape an abusive situation
- Mental illness
- They want to start a new life somewhere else
- They want to stay off-the-grid
In some cases, a person’s disappearance might not be their choice. Someone could go missing because they have been abducted. If you suspect that someone has been abducted, call the police. If a person has been missing for 24 hours, file a missing persons report. The authorities will start their investigation in order to locate the missing person.
If someone you’re looking for is running away with no desire to be found, you might need to go through proper legal channels. Once you’ve done that, you might also need to do your own investigation.
If information is not readily available to you, which hinders your search, employ a private investigator to skip trace a person. Complement this with your own search. Here are some things you can do:
Techniques to Find Someone Who Doesn’t Want to be Found
- Family and Friends
A way to search for someone is to stay in contact with their close family and friends. Oftentimes they will remember specific details that can help you with your search. If you have a relationship with them, they might provide you with useful information.
It is likely that someone in hiding will stay in contact with their loved ones to provide updates or to ask for money. In some instances, they may even visit during the holidays. However, this technique will not work if they are helping the person hide from you.
- Search Engines
An easy way to do your own search is by doing it online. In this situation, Google is your friend.
Start looking for information by “Googling” someone. Details to include in your search are:
– Full name
– Nicknames
– Friends and family members
– Last known address (city/state)
– Date and place of birth
– Former and recent employers
– Occupation
– High school and/or college attended
– Hobbies
– Social groups, clubs or churches
Extend your search to search engines of all types.
- Social Media
Expand your online search by looking at social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok. It’s mind-boggling how reckless people can be when posting on these social media channels.
It might also help to search through professional directories like LinkedIn. That place can be a goldmine when you least expect it.
- Digital Footprint
If the person you’re looking for owned a phone, used their social security number (SSN), paid their taxes, or voted, you may be able to locate them through internet searches. These activities leave a digital footprint and can help you determine their whereabouts.
What is a Skip Trace?
A Skip Trace usually refers to the process of looking for someone who may be difficult to find. However, some skip traces require more research or may even need a thorough investigation. Therefore, it just depends on how difficult the subject is to locate.
A skip trace can be conducted by anyone who needs to locate someone whose contact information is not immediately known.
If you’re looking for the best way to find someone, Searchbug’s Skip Tracing tool can save your hours of work.
First, you need to select DPPA or GLBA Purpose. Then, you can search by SSN to get the complete skip tracing details.
If you don’t know their SSN, you need to use the following two-step process:
Step 1 (Skip Trace Search) – Search by name or address to find the correct person. For name searches, enter the full name and address or name and state (no city).
Step 2 – (Skip Trace Details Report) – Now that you have their SSN, you can view the full detailed report on your subject.
Search by address without a name is also possible. Find current and previous residents as well as people associated with the address.
- Private Investigator
Lastly, you can hire a private investigator. They have a wide range of tools and access to databases that are not accessible to the public. Additionally, they have the tools, methods, and resources to investigate leads personally and professionally.
