Did you know that more than 32 million people or 10.1% of the US population move to a new address each year? Although the majority of people move within the same state, 15% of that 32 million move to a different one.
When it comes to filing a suit or collecting debt, these numbers mean tracking down people can be more difficult. This is exactly why skip tracers exist. They locate people of interest using a range of strategies and resources.
Process servers, too, employ the same strategies and resources in their work, making them natural skip tracers.
Skip Tracing and the Service of Process
Simply put, skip tracers are experts who track people of interest. Whether the person being tracked is intentionally avoiding being found or they are just difficult to pinpoint, the expertise of skip tracers is necessary to find them.
In the service of process, many people, for one reason or another, also try to avoid getting served with court documents. This forces process servers to be more adept at skip tracing and generally smarter about how they approach these elusive cases.
Why Process Servers Are Natural Skip Tracers
The following reasons show how process servers have what is necessary to successfully conduct skip tracing:
Resources
Many skip tracers, attorneys, private investigators, and process servers have access to robust databases that can potentially have information about persons of interest. These databases work by sifting through billions of private and public records and collecting them in one location.
The information in these databases can include those gathered from phone companies, credit bureaus, property records, and several other sources.
Although these records may not be updated or accurate, they can still provide a good start in tracking someone down.
Both process servers and skip tracers also have connections to intelligence networks and other industry professionals that can help them find people. This may include using surveillance or insider information.
Strategies
StrategiesProcess servers, like skip tracers, employ an array of strategies to accurately locate people.
One strategy leverages social media platforms to get updated about a person’s whereabouts. This is a potential gold mine for skip tracing. Not only do skip tracers gain intel about their subject, the family and friends of that person may also post information relevant to the search.
A postal form requires the post office to divulge whether the a person is receiving mail at an address or if they are having it forwarded. It’s a simple strategy that both skip tracers and process servers use.
In some cases, nothing beats asking the right questions to the right people. Skip tracers and process servers will talk to supposed neighbors, colleagues, and other people connected to their subject to get the info they need.
Legal Concerns
Because process servers work within the legal system, they understand the rules around skip tracing. Although this industry is legal, there are some practices that may be deemed illegal. Accessing private documents or obtaining information without consent, for example, is illegal in the U.S.
In their experience fulfilling the service of process correctly, process servers already know these legal concerns and how they can find someone without ever coming close to crossing the line.
Take Away
Process servers are natural skip tracers because of the similarities in the resources available to them, the strategies they employ, and their knowledge of the law.
When it comes to either service or process or skip tracing in New York, work with seasoned professionals from Serve Index LLC.