Skip Tracing
Austin-Based, Available Nationwide
Skip tracing is locating a person whose whereabouts are unknown. The term comes from “skipping town”; the tracing is what follows. Many people can be found this way and some cannot, and there is no way to know which before the work is done.
People come to us with a debtor who has moved without leaving an address, a witness a case depends on, a defendant who needs to be served, or a relative or friend they have lost touch with.
What we need from you
Whatever you already have. A full name, the known last address, date of birth, past employers, the names of relatives or associates, previous phone numbers or email addresses, a marriage or a divorce, anything at all. None of it is required to begin, but each piece narrows the field.
How the work is done
Skip tracing involves gathering, cross-referencing and analyzing several kinds of records in order to locate someone. In practice that means public records, proprietary investigative databases, open-source intelligence tools, social media, phone and email records, subscription records, address and employment history. It can also involve searching inmate and criminal records, property records, vehicle records, and vehicle sightings data. Occasionally it means surveillance.
The analysis is the part that matters. Any of these sources can produce an address; several will produce different ones. The work is cross-referencing them, verifying that the identifiers actually belong to your subject rather than to someone with the same name, and establishing which address is current rather than merely recorded.
Some of these tools are public. Many of the reliable ones are available only to licensed investigators, which is the practical difference between this and an afternoon of searching. A free people-search site returns whatever is in a static database, including records that went stale years ago.
When someone is not found
It happens, and we would rather say so here than let you discover it afterwards. An investigator is retained to do the work, not to guarantee an outcome, and anyone who promises to find a particular person before seeing the case is guessing.
If the search does not locate the subject, you receive a written report of everything that was searched and what each source returned. That record has real value of its own. It tells you which avenues are now closed, which identifiers were confirmed and which were ruled out, and where the trail actually stops.
The free consultation exists partly for this. Tell us what you have, and we will give you a candid read on how likely a result looks and what would improve the odds. If we think the odds are poor, we will say so before you commit anything.
Lawful use
You need a legitimate purpose. Locating a debtor, finding a witness or a party for legal proceedings, serving process, reconnecting with a family member, and lawful debt collection all qualify. We confirm the purpose during the consultation, and the written agreement includes a certification you sign before any work begins.
We will not run a search intended to stalk, harass, threaten or intimidate anyone, and we will not take a case where a protective, restraining or no-contact order is in effect against the client with respect to the subject.
How privacy law shapes the search
Several federal statutes govern where this information can come from and what it can be used for. In plain terms:
Motor vehicle and driver records are restricted by the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, and are available only for the permitted purposes it sets out. Personal financial information is protected by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and cannot be obtained by pretext. And a skip trace is not a consumer report: it is not prepared for, and may not be used to make, decisions about credit, employment, tenancy or insurance, which are governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and require a different kind of report from a consumer reporting agency.
What you receive
A written investigative report, prepared and reviewed by a licensed investigator. It sets out what you asked us to establish, the current contact information the search produced, and a dated record of what was searched and what each step returned, with supporting documentation. It closes with a plain statement of what the findings establish.
Turnaround is generally one to five days, and afterwards you can call a real person and talk it through.
Frequently asked questions
What information do you need to start?
Whatever you have. A full name and a last known address is a common starting point, but date of birth, past employers, relatives and associates, previous phone numbers and prior addresses all help. None of it is strictly required, and every piece narrows the search.
What if you cannot find the person?
It happens. You receive a written report of everything that was searched and what each source returned. That documents which avenues are closed and where the trail stops. We cannot know what we will find until we do the investigation, and therefore cannot guarantee an outcome.
How is this different from a people-search website?
Those sites return whatever sits in a static database, including records that went stale years ago, and nothing in the process resolves conflicts or confirms identity. Common names often collide. A licensed investigator uses sources and methods those sites do not, cross-references them against each other, works to confirm that the identifiers belong to your subject rather than to someone with the same name, and to establish which of several possible addresses is current.
How long does it take?
Generally one to five days, depending on how much identifying information you have at the outset and how difficult the subject is to locate.
What does it cost?
Skip tracing is flat rate, priced per search, so you know the figure before you agree to anything. The consultation is free, and no work begins until you have a written agreement setting out the scope and the cost.
Can I use the results to screen a tenant or an employee?
No. A skip trace is a locate, not a consumer report. Decisions about credit, employment, tenancy and insurance are governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and require a report from a consumer reporting agency. If that is what you need, tell us during the consultation and we will say so rather than sell you the wrong service.
Will the person know they are being looked for?
The search itself is conducted from records, databases and OSINT tools and does not notify the subject. Where a case calls for contacting relatives, associates or employers, we discuss it with you first, because that step can reach the subject.
Do you work outside Texas?
Yes. Skip tracing is records-based work and is available to clients nationwide. Where a case turns to in-person work, that covers Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park and the rest of Central Texas.
Can you find anyone?
No, and it is worth being straight about that. Most people leave enough of a record to be located. Some do not, whether because they have taken deliberate steps or simply because the records are thin. There is no way to know which case yours is until the work is done.
Ready to Get Answers?
Tell us what you need to know. The consultation is free and confidential, and no work begins until you have a written agreement setting out the scope and the cost.
Licensed & insured · TX DPS A12693401