Skip Tracing Explained: How Professionals Find People

The term "skip tracing" comes from the phrase "to skip town" -- leaving an area suddenly, usually to avoid an obligation. A "skip" is the person being searched for. A "tracer" is the person doing the searching. Put them together and you get skip tracing: the process of finding someone who has become difficult to locate.

Skip tracing is a real profession with a long history, a substantial legal framework, and a set of methods that range from simple database searches to sophisticated investigative techniques. It's also widely misunderstood. This guide explains how it actually works.

Who Uses Skip Tracing and Why

Skip tracing isn't just for bounty hunters chasing bail jumpers (though that's the version Hollywood likes to show). The reality is more mundane and more widespread than most people realize.

Debt collectors. This is the biggest use case by far. When someone defaults on a debt and can't be reached at their known address or phone number, debt collectors use skip tracing to find their current contact information. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act governs how collectors can use this information once they find it.

Bail bond agents and bounty hunters. When someone who posted bail fails to appear in court, the bail bond company is on the hook for the full bail amount. They hire skip tracers (or do the tracing in-house) to locate the person. This is the most dramatic version of skip tracing and the one with the most complex legal rules.

Process servers. Legal proceedings require that parties be formally notified (served with papers). When someone is evading service, process servers use skip tracing techniques to find them. Courts generally require documented evidence that reasonable efforts were made to locate someone before allowing alternative service methods.

Insurance investigators. Insurance companies trace claimants and witnesses during claims investigations. If someone files a claim and then becomes unreachable, or if a witness needs to be located for a fraud investigation, skip tracing is a standard tool.

Attorneys. Lawyers in many practice areas need to locate people -- beneficiaries of estates, witnesses in lawsuits, former business partners, missing heirs. Legal skip tracing is common in probate, litigation, and family law.

Journalists. Investigative reporters use many of the same techniques and databases that professional skip tracers use. Finding a source, tracking down a subject for comment, or locating a witness to a news event all involve people-finding skills.

Reunification. Adopted individuals searching for birth parents, families trying to reconnect after years of separation, and people looking for old friends all use skip tracing methods, even if they don't call it that.

The Legal Framework

Skip tracing operates within a web of federal and state laws. Understanding these is important because the line between legitimate skip tracing and illegal stalking or harassment comes down to purpose, method, and compliance.

Federal Laws

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This is the primary federal law governing skip tracing in the debt collection context. Under the FDCPA, collectors can contact third parties to obtain location information about a debtor, but with strict rules: they can't reveal that the person owes a debt, they generally can't contact the same third party more than once, and they can't use postcards or other communications that would reveal the nature of their inquiry to others.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). This law restricts how financial institutions share consumer data. Skip tracers cannot obtain financial records (bank account information, credit card statements) through pretexting -- pretending to be someone they're not to get information from a financial institution.

Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA). Motor vehicle records are a valuable skip tracing resource because they contain current addresses. The DPPA limits who can access DMV records and for what purposes. Skip tracing for debt collection, litigation, and insurance investigation are among the permitted uses.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Medical records are off-limits for skip tracing. Healthcare providers cannot disclose patient information to skip tracers under any circumstances without the patient's authorization or a court order.

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Credit reports and credit header data (the non-financial identifying information on a credit report) are regulated by the FCRA. Credit header data -- name, addresses, SSN, date of birth -- is one of the most powerful skip tracing tools, but it can only be accessed for permissible purposes. Learn more about FCRA in our compliance guide.

State Laws

States add their own layers of regulation. Some key areas:

• Private investigator licensing. Most states require anyone doing skip tracing as a business (as opposed to incidental skip tracing in the course of other work like debt collection) to be licensed as a private investigator. Operating without a license is a criminal offense in many states.
• Anti-stalking and harassment laws. Every state has laws against stalking and harassment. Skip tracing that crosses the line into monitoring someone's movements, repeatedly contacting them after being told to stop, or causing them to fear for their safety is criminal, regardless of the tracer's original purpose.
• Pretexting laws. Several states have laws specifically prohibiting pretexting -- using deception to obtain personal information. While some forms of pretext are still used in the industry, the legal trend is strongly against them.
• Data broker regulations. States like California (CCPA/CPRA), Vermont, and others have enacted laws requiring data brokers to register and giving consumers rights over their personal information. These laws affect the databases that skip tracers rely on.

Common Skip Tracing Methods and Data Sources

Professional skip tracers use a combination of databases, public records, and investigative techniques. Here's what the toolkit looks like:

Public Record Databases

Public records are the backbone of skip tracing. The most commonly used include:

• Voter registration records. Updated when people move and re-register. Contains name, address, date of birth, and party affiliation. Available in most states. Our voter registration guide explains how these records work.
• Property records. County assessor and recorder databases show who owns property, where it is, and associated mailing addresses. Useful for people who own real estate. See our property records guide for details.
• Court records. Civil and criminal case filings contain addresses, aliases, and associated parties. Federal courts are searchable through PACER; state courts vary.
• Business filings. Secretary of State databases show business owners, registered agents, and their addresses.
• Professional licenses. State licensing boards publish the names and addresses of licensed professionals.
• UCC filings. Uniform Commercial Code filings record secured interests in personal property. They contain names and addresses of debtors and are public record.
• Marriage and divorce records. Useful for finding people who have changed their names.

Commercial Databases

Beyond pure public records, professional skip tracers have access to commercial databases that aggregate and enhance data from multiple sources:

Credit header data. This is the identifying information from credit reports -- names, current and previous addresses, SSN, date of birth, employer -- stripped of the financial data. It's available only for permissible purposes under the FCRA, but it's one of the most current and comprehensive data sources for locating people.

Utility connection records. When someone sets up electricity, gas, water, or cable service, that information enters databases that skip tracers can access. This is often the earliest indicator that someone has moved to a new address.

Phone records. Current and historical phone numbers linked to names and addresses. These include both listed and unlisted numbers in many cases.

People search aggregators. Tools like OpenDataUSA compile public records from across the country into searchable databases. While designed for general public use, professional skip tracers use similar (often more comprehensive) commercial versions of these aggregators.

Investigative Techniques

When database searches don't produce results, skip tracers employ investigative methods:

Social media analysis. People who are difficult to find through traditional databases often leave traces on social media. A check-in at a restaurant, a photo with location data, a comment mentioning a new job or neighborhood -- all of these can provide leads. Professional tracers are skilled at mining social media without alerting the subject.

Third-party interviews. Talking to neighbors, former coworkers, family members, and friends of the subject. This is regulated (especially in the debt collection context by the FDCPA), but it remains a powerful technique. People rarely disappear completely from everyone they know.

Mail forwarding analysis. The US Postal Service's National Change of Address (NCOA) database records address changes filed by individuals. Access to NCOA data is restricted, but certain licensed entities can use it.

Asset searches. Finding someone's assets (vehicles, real estate, bank accounts) can lead to their location. Vehicle registration records, property tax records, and UCC filings are all used for this purpose.

Surveillance. In some cases, particularly bail enforcement, skip tracers may conduct physical surveillance of locations where the subject is likely to appear -- a family member's home, a former workplace, a favorite business.

Technology and Modern Skip Tracing

Skip tracing has been transformed by technology over the past two decades. What once required days of legwork and phone calls can now be accomplished in minutes from a computer screen.

Data aggregation platforms. Services like LexisNexis Accurint, TLO (TransUnion), and IRB Search compile billions of records from public and proprietary sources into a single search interface. A professional skip tracer with access to these platforms can pull up a comprehensive profile -- including current and historical addresses, phone numbers, associates, vehicles, and property -- in seconds.

Artificial intelligence and pattern matching. Modern skip tracing tools use AI to predict where someone might have moved based on patterns in their data. If someone has family in a particular city and has lived there before, an AI system might flag that location as a likely new address even before the person appears in any database there.

Batch processing. Debt collection agencies and other high-volume users process thousands of skip traces simultaneously, running entire portfolios of accounts through automated systems that flag updated addresses and phone numbers.

Real-time data feeds. Some skip tracing systems incorporate near-real-time data from utility connections, address changes, and other sources, reducing the lag between when someone moves and when they can be found at their new location.

When Skip Tracing Crosses the Line

The legality of skip tracing depends almost entirely on two things: who is doing it and why. Here's where the lines are:

Generally Legal

• Searching public records databases to locate someone for debt collection, legal proceedings, or insurance investigations
• Using social media profiles that are publicly visible
• Contacting third parties to ask for someone's location (with appropriate restrictions in the debt collection context)
• Hiring a licensed private investigator to locate someone for a legitimate purpose
• Using people search services to find publicly available information

Generally Illegal

• Pretexting -- impersonating someone else to obtain records from banks, phone companies, or other institutions
• Accessing databases you're not authorized to use (law enforcement databases, medical records, etc.)
• Stalking or harassment -- using location information to follow, threaten, or repeatedly contact someone against their wishes
• Hacking into email accounts, phone records, or other private communications
• Using GPS tracking devices on someone's vehicle without authorization (laws vary by state, but this is increasingly restricted)
• Obtaining credit reports without a permissible purpose under the FCRA

Gray Areas

Some skip tracing methods exist in legal gray areas that vary by jurisdiction:

• Ruse calls. Calling a phone number associated with the subject using a pretext (not impersonating a specific person but being vague about the reason for the call). This is prohibited in debt collection but may be legal in other contexts depending on state law.
• Social media connection requests. Sending a friend or connection request to the subject or their associates to gain access to non-public information. Not explicitly illegal in most jurisdictions, but ethically questionable.
• Trash searches. Going through someone's discarded mail or garbage for address information. Generally legal once trash is placed at the curb (per California v. Greenwood), but local ordinances may vary.

Protecting Yourself from Unwanted Skip Tracing

If you're concerned about being located through skip tracing, here are practical steps you can take:

Opt out of data broker sites. People search services like OpenDataUSA offer opt-out processes. Other major data brokers do as well. This won't make you invisible, but it removes your information from the most accessible sources. Our data privacy rights guide covers the opt-out process in detail.

Use a PO Box or mail forwarding service. Reduce the number of records tied to your physical address by using a PO Box for mail.

Be cautious with social media. Disable location services, limit who can see your posts, and be mindful of what information your profiles reveal. Our digital footprint guide has more on this.

Consider a trust for property ownership. Owning property through an LLC or trust can keep your name out of public property records.

Use address confidentiality programs. If you're a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or other threats, most states have Address Confidentiality Programs that provide substitute addresses for public records purposes.

Understand your rights. Under the FDCPA, you can send a written request to a debt collector telling them to stop contacting you. Under various state laws, you may have additional rights regarding who can search for you and how.

The Ethics of Finding People

Skip tracing raises genuine ethical questions that don't have simple answers. The same tools and techniques that help a family find a missing elderly relative can also be used by an abusive ex-partner to locate someone who fled for their safety. The same database that helps a process server deliver court documents can help a stalker find a victim's new address.

Professional skip tracers and the companies that provide skip tracing tools have a responsibility to consider these risks. Many reputable firms have policies about verifying the purpose of a search, refusing requests that appear to be motivated by harassment, and cooperating with law enforcement when their tools are misused.

As an individual, the ethical framework is simpler: have a legitimate reason for your search, respect people's boundaries, and understand that finding someone doesn't entitle you to contact them. If someone has gone to significant effort to be difficult to find, consider whether they might have a good reason for that before you show up at their door.

For more information about how public records work and how they're used in people search, see our guides to understanding public records and background checks.