10 tips for success on how to perform skip tracing

Skip tracing is the process of finding a person’s whereabouts. It is often undertaken by debt collectors, law enforcement officers, and private investigators. The most common method of skip tracing is to search for a person’s name and address in public records, such as property records or online records as provided by Google. Other techniques can include searching for a person’s phone number or email address or even using social media to find a person’s current location.

How to perform skip tracing

There are many ways to go about skip tracing, but some of the most common methods include searching public records, using social media, and contacting friends and family members to locate persons of interest.

Finding someone who may be consciously avoiding being found can be a challenge, but with diligence and some luck, it is often possible to find even the most elusive person. Software like Caspar can help speed up the process by providing you with vital information on people in a matter of minutes, but other information is also important to leverage. The best way to learn skip tracing is by doing it. If you are interested in learning more about this process, you can contact us to request a demonstration or receive some online training from us.

The value of skip tracing

Skip tracing is the process of finding a person’s whereabouts. It’s commonly used by law enforcement agencies, Sheriffs, and debt collectors to find people who have skipped bail, are in hiding, or more often, are avoiding debt repayment.

Law enforcement and government organisations need to perform skip tracing and identify persons for a number of reasons, most notably when apprehension warrants are involved or a witness is needed to provide evidence in court. Skip tracing can also be a useful for family members looking to find missing loved ones, connect the dots in their family tree and also useful for businesses that need to track down former employees for essential contact, such as a Workcover claim.

There are several ways to start skip tracing, but the most common and easiest method is to begin with a phone number or last known address. This can be done by using tools like Caspar, searching public records, using reverse phone lookups, or trying those details inside Google. Once you have a starting point, you can then use other resources like social media and online databases such as Caspar to try and find more detailed information about the person you’re looking for. The online Caspar solution will follow through with more extensive reports, trace their new address and provide new contact information for them.

10 tips for success

Skip tracing is the process of finding a person who is missing, has been hiding, or is otherwise difficult to locate. It can be a challenging task, but here are some tips that can help make it a little more successful;

10 tips for effective skip tracing:

1. Know where to look – There are many resources available online and offline that can help with skip tracing. Knowing where to look will save time and increase the chances of finding the person you are looking for. Pick the best skip tracing software, not the cheapest. Poor information can be damaging and cost you more in time and effort.

2. Be patient – The process of skip tracing can take some time, so it is important to be patient. If you rush it, you may miss important clues or waste time on dead ends. You must follow through on all leads, including leads on associated contacts, not the primary contact only.

3. Be persistent – Once you have started skip tracing, it is important to be persistent in your efforts. You can’t give up if you are looking for a missing person, you have to understand that some people will go to great lengths not to be found.

4. Be careful – When performing skip tracing, it is important to take proper safety precautions. Accessing illegal or non-compliant information can land you in big trouble with authorities. Make sure that you are accessing reputable and known skip tracing software.

5. Be careful of scams – Unfortunately, there are a number of scams out there that try to take advantage of people looking for missing loved ones. Make sure you avoid these frauds so you don’t pay money for nothing. E.g. don’t provide credit card details to anyone online or platforms that look nefarious and untrustworthy. Many of these sites ask for your money and you’ll never hear from them again.

6. Be sure to document everything – It is important to be sure that you are documenting everything you do to confirm you cover off on all the paths and leads you have gathered. You want to be able to look back and see exactly what you have searched and what methods you used, etc. This will help to ensure that you are able to save time and money by not researching leads you have already exhausted.

7. Be sure to use all available resources – If you are looking for someone who may not be missing, but is simply unreachable, you will want to make sure that you are using all of the resources available to you. Check with family members, friends and neighbours. Check with the police and any other law enforcement agencies. Check with hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, and even morgues as there maybe documented reports about the person of interest you are researching.

8. Use the media – Another way to find someone who is missing, is by using the media. You can contact local newspapers, radio stations and television stations if the matter is of public interest or you have simply become desperate and have no other options. Social Media posting is a good media channel.

9. Use the Internet – This is particularly important as there are many resources available on the Internet. Crucially, the internet has cross-border solutions that can help identify if the person has moved out of your country. Skip Tracing software solutions exist across the globe, which are a key requirement in your investigations. You can search for the missing person on missing persons websites. You can also post a description of the missing person on these websites in some cases.

10. Use Caspar – Caspar has been designed specifically for skip tracing, to locate, identify and assist you in contacting people across Australia. It has been Australia’s superior Skip tracing and Identity / KYC Cloud Portal for many years now. Caspar is internet cloud based and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere around the world and from any device with an internet connection. It has a user-friendly interface, it is simple to use and caters for both the experienced and inexperienced skip tracer. This solution is usually a preferred method.

Conclusion

Skip tracing software is an extremely valuable tool for locating missing people, collecting debts, and tracking down wanted people by the authorities. You may learn how to execute skip tracing efficiently by following the recommendations in this article. Contact us today for more information or to schedule a demonstration and discover how our Caspar skip tracing platform can assist and speed up investigations by providing you with all the information you need.