Skip tracing is often the best way to pull accurate contact information quickly when you are trying to find someone. It does not matter why you are trying to find that contact information because tracing data is helpful for almost any reason. From hunting down absentee property owners you hope will sell to finding those who skip bail, it’s a great way to find things like someone’s current mailing address or phone number. It can be a little different when looking for companies and not people, though, so it helps to appreciate those differences before using them.
What is Skip Tracing?
The term originated in the private investigators’ community, based on the phrase “to skip town.” It is pretty literal; investigators have developed processes for finding the public information that has each individual’s most recent contact address and phone. Today’s tracing information typically includes email, social media, property ownership, and other pieces of public information.
While skip tracing used to be something that was done manually across a dozen or more resources, the software now exists to pull tracing data quickly with automated searches. That makes it a lot easier and faster. It also allows businesses and individuals who need to find that information to do so without contracting a private investigator and paying a full profiling fee every time.
Skip Tracing for Individuals
Tracing individuals has traditionally been the biggest challenge because individuals sometimes find ways to obscure their identities or keep their names off items like leases and utility bills that might give away an address. Online footprints are vital because if someone has even one social media account in their real name, it’s possible to reach out via email or get location information from posts.
Private investigators rely on today’s powerful skip tracing software for this very reason. It would be onerous to track social media individually, so even without the labor savings that comes from gathering complete tier-one skip tracing data in one place; it would consolidate a lot.
Full skip tracing software tools make it possible, and they are affordable for other industries. Depending on how the service is structured, it’s just buying a subscription or paying the tracing fee. BatchSkipTracing offers results for a flat fee with no subscription cost, so it is affordable no matter how many or how few searches you need to support your operation.
Skip Tracing for Businesses
It is often easier to find businesses than people since they are typically required to maintain a business license or otherwise register with the government for a tax ID, but not always. The stability of those records is not perfect. Similarly, businesses typically have trouble avoiding records like property ownership or mailing addresses. The challenge for those tracing businesses?
They might be operating under a very different visible name from their registered business name or using PO Boxes instead of a physical address. Often, tracing a business includes drafting its registered owner or partners, at least when it comes to companies within those structures.
For corporations, it can be more difficult. That is why you need a top-tier skip tracing resource if you are looking for business contact information. It includes the additional search parameters needed to delve as deep as necessary to find information on that rare company with no offices or physical address.
Key Takeaways
If you are wondering whether a skip tracing service could help your business, keep these critical points in mind:
- Tracing provides a search of all public records available, plus a deep dive internet search, and it is done in a few minutes
- Skip tracing does not have to involve a monthly subscription cost; there are pay as you go options
- Individual results are incredibly inexpensive, so costs only add up when your business scales
All you have to do is look at pricing and account signup information to learn about individual plans or providers.
