Skip tracing is a means for locating a person who is missing. For many people, this is a serve that is not necessary to use. However, for others, it can be very important. Skip tracing is the process of trying to locate someone who has otherwise disappeared, whether he or she wishes to remain hidden or not. There are many reasons that a person may not wish to be found. Some people do this to not have to repay debt. In other cases, they are hoping to escape from abusive home situations. Mental illness may lead them away as well. In other situations, they may have moved away and not knowingly done so without leaving a trace. The underlying goal with this service is to find the individual.

Skip tracing is often done through professional investigators though there are other searches and tools available online that can help individuals to find the information needed. These searches are best for those situations when common methods of locating someone, such as finding some through a phone directory are not possible. With skip tracing, the goal is to find some bits of information from various sources to use to piece together an idea of where the person may actually be. This process is not always accurate but when it does work, it can provide the necessary information a person needs to find someone.

There are many aspects of skip tracing. Keep in mind the goal is to find them after all other sources of information have run dry. Skip tracing allows an individual to find data on a person through the access of various public records and with the use of computerized records from throughout the country. By using information from a variety of public sources, investigators can find bits of information that can offer an idea of where a person may be.

The Internet has made the use of skip tracing far more accessible and far more sophisticated. Leads developed through database checks and through other means can be highly effective now. With skip tracing, the goal is often to use any information available about the person to locate any additional information found online. This may include information from Social Security Numbers, voter registration searches or even from marriage records. The information is used to located where someone may be by looking at where the public records occurred.

There are many uses for skip tracing and in some cases, they can be used in a negative way. However, those who wish to have the best possible access to this information will need to do so with an investigator. For those who wish to conduct a less formal search, skip tracing tools are available online to help you through the process. By entering any information possible into the search process, you may be able to find other linked information and therefore determine where someone may be living. Even if they do not want to be found, many people use this method to find family and friends.