The Hows and Whys of the Skip Trace

Depending on the path your life has led you down, you may or may not be aware of something called a skip trace. Also known as debtor and fugitive recovery, skip tracing helps certain people or entities learn more about a person’s whereabouts in order to achieve a specific purpose. If you’re lucky, you’ll never be the subject of a skip trace, but a large majority of the population will eventually undergo such investigation.

The Basics of Skip Trace

The phrase “to skip down” serves as the inspiration for the term skip trace, since it implies that a trace is being completed about someone who is no longer responding to previously established communication information. When a skip trace is employed, the skip tracer uses various tools to collect as much information about a subject as possible. The information is synthesized and then used to locate the subject who cannot be found through existing contact information.

Who Uses Skip Tracing, and Why?

Most skip tracing circles back to money or crimes. Debt collectors and repossession agents are two of the most common entities that use skip tracing to locate a subject who has failed to pay an obligation and has also fallen out of contact with the creditor. In terms of crime, bail bondsman, bounty hunters, lawyers, police detectives, and even journalists can all use skip traces to track down accused criminals, witnesses in criminal trials, and anybody else wanted in the court of law.

While some skip tracing information is available publicly, other sources of information can only be accessed by a law enforcement agent or licensed private investigator with a search warrant. Skip tracing may search through phone number databases, credit reports, job applications, criminal background checks, utility bills, and public tax information to obtain the information necessary to track down the subject.