Skip tracing · Explained
How skip tracing works, and what it can't do
Skip tracing is desk research that looks for a person's current address or contact details when you have a lawful reason to reach them, such as serving court papers, collecting a judgment or finding an heir. It isn't a private investigation: we don't follow anyone, pretext, or pull bank or phone records, and we turn down requests without a lawful purpose.
What you get
- The most likely current address, with how recent the sources look
- Other addresses that came up, so a server can try them in order
- Notes on what we couldn't confirm. Sometimes the honest answer is that the trail runs out.
What we won't do
- Locate someone for a personal reason, such as an ex-partner or a person who has chosen not to be found
- Get phone records, bank records or anything that needs a subpoena or someone's consent
- Watch, follow or photograph anyone, or pretend to be someone else to get information
- Promise a result
The permissible purpose note
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act limits when a consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report: section 604(a) (15 U.S.C. 1681b(a)) lists the circumstances "and no other," among them a court order or subpoena, the consumer's written instructions, and a credit transaction or the collection of an account. Section 604(f) says a person "shall not use or obtain a consumer report for any purpose unless" it is one the statute allows, and the user certifies that purpose. That's why our form asks for your purpose, and why some data our partner holds can only be used for some purposes.
This note quotes the statute as the FTC publishes it. It isn't advice on whether your purpose qualifies; ask your attorney.
Found them? Process serving in New Jersey is from $95 per address, and out-of-state serves are quoted.
If you represent yourself, you are responsible for your documents: what they say, that they are complete and signed, which court they go to and that they are filed on time. We are not lawyers, we do not give legal advice or draft pleadings, and we cannot guarantee any legal outcome. We file, serve or pull exactly what you send.
Sources
Questions
Is skip tracing legal?
Searching public records and lawfully obtained data for a lawful purpose generally is. Some data, such as consumer reports, can only be used for the purposes federal law allows, which is why we ask yours and decline requests without one.
How accurate is it?
It depends on how much of a footprint the person has. We tell you how confident each address looks and what we couldn't confirm, rather than handing over a list as if it were certain.
Can you find someone's phone or bank records?
No. Those need a subpoena or the person's consent, and we don't get them.