Skip-Tracing: Locating Debtors Who Have ‘Skipped’ Town With Your money

If you want to find somebody who owes you money, try skip tracing. Anyone who “skips out” on a financial obligation can be found and courts can make them pay you. Skip tracers are those who work for debt collectors. Their job is to track people down so that they can be served with legal papers or their assets can be seized or modified by a court.
Skip tracers also spend a lot of time tracking “dead beat” parents who have refused to pay their half of child support payments. Sometimes they work to find people who have skipped bail and gone into hiding. There are state federal laws regulating the activities of skip tracers, who must always abide by them closely.

Skip tracers use common investigative techniques to locate people for their clients. Once found, the tracer notifies the creditor of their whereabouts and then collection activities begin.

Once a debtor is located, often, the seeker will hire a repossession collector to re-obtain the stolen item or possession. If the law is not followed during this process the debtor has better chances in court of getting off the hook, thus the law is strictly followed. In cases where there is no item in question, the creditor files a civil suit and has the person’s wages garnished to get the money returned.

Skip tracers contact friends, employers past and present, family members or former work partners. They gather personal records, public files, utility bills, credit reports and property assessment records. If the amount is significant enough, sometimes skip tracers can be found rummaging through garbage and searching through car glove-boxes when this can be done legally. Sometimes they even set up surveillance to find them.

The internet has actually made the work of skip tracers a lot easier. Information is sensitive, though, and cannot be accessed by anyone who is not certified or authorized to search private databases. Online skip tracers often collect sensitive data on known offenders and then sell it to the debtor. This can include criminal background records or automobile ownership databases.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of skip tracers. They are allowed only to investigate activities. The amount of information a skip tracer is allowed to release to third parties is also limited by the FDCPA.

If you or someone you know cannot find a person who owes you a debt, try the services of a skip tracer to get your property or money back. It is often very worth it in the long run.

To get started today, call our toll free 1-877-680-6064 to speak with an associate or fill out the form above and we will contact you within 24 hours.