There can be any number of reasons you may need to get personal information on another person. This is often called skip tracing by professional private detectives, and it is something that anyone can do on their own once they have some tips on how to get started.
Many consumers believe that only police or collection agencies can get personal information on someone. That is not true. They truth is anyone can get this information, and it also is true that someone else can look into your life as well! Some reasons people look for this information includes: bill collecting, locating missing persons, employment, repossession, serving legal papers, and many other reasons.
To Find Personal Information or Persons
The first thing you should do is decide if the person you are looking for or into has vanished deliberately or has simply moved on without leaving a forwarding address. Those who vanish deliberately are often much harder to find as they often do not want to be found. However, unless they are willing to create an entire new identity, you do have some options for finding them.
For anyone you are looking for, start by getting the following information: their name, spouse’s maiden name and married name, last address (and previous addresses) and dates when property was used, phone numbers, Social Security Number, date of birth and place of birth, birth-date of spouse, employment history, drivers license number and state issued.
Using what pros call “identifiers” can help you save time. These are personal information that are unique to that person such as SSN and date of birth.
If you have some idea where the person is you can begin your search with state, county, or city public records. While you can hire a service to do this for you, they will have better results if you have as many identifiers as possible. Another good source is through the major credit bureaus.
If you do not have any valid identifiers, your work will be harder. If you have, at least, a name, check the phone book or call information and see if there is a listing for the person. If you do not find the person listed, you may be able to find a relative who has the same last name.
Next, check with past employers if possible. Even those on the run have to work and earn a living. Employers may be able to give you information on the types of places the person might go to for work. Ask if the person belonged to a trade union or professional association. These can contacted as well to see if the person has updated their address, phone, etc. You can also check state permitting agencies if the person works in a trade that requires state licensing.
Lastly, you can hire a professional agency to do all, or some, of this work for you. This is often the fastest way to get results and it is less expensive than many people think.
