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Skiptracing is the process of locating an individual's whereabouts for any number of purposes.

This includes but is not limited to: debt collections, bail bond enforcement (bounty hunting), witness location, questioning, or almost any facet of an investigation that entails making difficult contact with a subject.

Tips and Techniques for Finding Missing Persons

Following are skip trace resources for private investigators.  Some resources provide access to national skip trace databases that allow you to use online tools to conduct free skip trace searches yourself.

To hire a private investigator that specializes in skip tracing, please visit our Private Investigator Directory.  Also, you may wish to post a message in our Private Investigation Discussion Forum.

Following are some of the leading skip trace agencies:

Accurint® is the most widely accepted locate-and-research tool available to government, law enforcement and commercial customers. Its proprietary data-linking technology returns search results in seconds to the user’s desktop.  Key features include:

• People Search… locates neighbors, associates and
  possible relatives.

• Phones Plus... track down phone numbers not typically available to increase your chances of finding your subject. Access over 50,000,000 non-directory assistance records, including cell phone numbers.

• People at Work… links more than 132 million individuals to
  businesses and includes information such as business
  addresses, phone numbers, and possible dates of employment.

• RelavintTM… visually links individuals with businesses,
  addresses, relatives and vehicles.

• Advanced Person Search… helps find individuals when only old or fragmented data is available.

Bailbond.com provides free nationwide databases that search for bail agents, bail bonding, bail bondsman, bail bonds, bondsman, bondsmen, bail bonding, criminal lawyers, and private investigators. This site will help any person who has been arrested locate a bail bonds person to write a bail bond, either municipal, county, state, federal or immigration bonds; and locate any jail, any circuit court, county court and/or appellate court. Bailbond.com will also assist the bail bondsman locate a fugitive by utilizing a member’s only database to locate a fugitive recovery agent, bounty hunters, or bail recovery agent. Their database of bail agents, bail bondsman, bondsmen, criminal lawyers, fugitive recovery agent, bounty hunters, and bail recovery agents will be able to help arrange to post all types criminal bonds, traffic bonds, DUI, drug bonds, domestic violence, fugitive warrants, probation violation, assault and battery or any other criminal charge. Their listings will also help if you need a civil bond, corporate surety bond, juvenile bond, visa bond, immigration bond or child custody bond.

The US Department of State, Overseas Citizens Services will help locate relatives or friends who are overseas when there is concern about their welfare or a need to notify them of emergencies at home.

The Privacy Act requires that U.S. citizens over the age of 18 provide a Privacy Act waiver before information about them is released to a third party.

Persons in the United States may inquire about the welfare or whereabouts of U.S. citizens abroad by calling the Overseas Citizens Services at 202/647-5225. You may also contact the American Citizens Service Section of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate directly.

You will need to include the following information before you call or contact the Department of State:

• Your full name, address, telephone number, and relationship

• Their name of the person abroad

• Their date and place of birth

• Their passport number (if known)

• Their last known address and phone number; itinerary

• Reason for their travel/residence abroad (business, tourism, etc.)

• Date of last contact

• Other points of contact abroad (friends, relatives, business associates, etc.)

For emergency messages, also include:

• Nature of the emergency

• What message should be provided to the person

• Name, address and telephone number and relationship of person you wish to be contacted after the emergency family message is delivered by the U.S. embassy or consulate

If you would like more information about locating persons of unknown whereabouts, you may call our National Contact Center toll-free at 1 (800) FED INFO, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. eastern time.

The IRS may forward a letter to someone when humane reasons are involved. For example:

• To notify someone of a serious illness, imminent death, or death of a close relative,

• To seek an individual for a medical study to detect and treat medical defects, or

• To notify an individual who cannot otherwise be located that he or she is entitled to certain assets.

The IRS will forward a letter from an attorney, estate administrator, or other person who directly controls the assets.

For more information and clarification as to what may constitute "humane" reasons, you may refer to the IRS Handbook 1.3, Chapter 11, which you may find in Other Information Available to the Public.

If you would like the IRS to help you locate an individual, place a personal letter addressed to the individual in a blank envelope. Include first class U.S. postage, and do not seal the letter. Place the unsealed letter in another envelope and address it as follows:

Internal Revenue Service
Office of Disclosure Operations
1111 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20224

SKIPSMASHER is an online data service for private investigators, collection agencies, skip tracers, judgment enforcement professionals, repossession companies, bail bond agencies, government agencies and others who need to locate hard-to-find persons. It is not available to the general public.

The Social Security Administration will attempt to forward a letter to a missing person for reasons similar to those mentioned in the IRS section above. There is a charge for forwarding letters to inform persons about money or property they may be owed. Humanitarian letters are forwarded free of charge.

Follow the same guidelines for sending a letter, and address it as follows:

Social Security Administration
Office of Public Inquiries
6401 Security Blvd.
Baltimore, Maryland 21235

ZABASEARCH is a free people search and public Information search engine.

Reverse Address Search and Skip Tracing Tools