Skip Tracing
Unidentified Decedents and Missing Persons National Database Available to the Public
It is always astonishing to me when I read that a staggering 800,000+ people are reported missing on an annual basis and entered in to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Additionally, the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics reports there are nearly 4,400 unidentified human bodies discovered every year nationwide as [...]
5Jan2010 | Stephanie Mitchell | 1 comment | ContinuedHow Can I Identify or Locate the Originator of a Digital Image, Illustration or Photograph?
It’s a long shot at best, but depending upon how it was created the image may contain metadata that could help you make the connection to a source… is it a photo or a digital illustration (like you might create in Illustrator or MS Paint)?
Oracle Multimedia User’s Guide, 11g Release 1 (11.1) indicates that, “Image [...]
A Secret Network of Skip Tracers
Have you ever read the fine print on a credit application you’ve signed?
It says that you give the creditor permission to inquire about and share credit information with other creditors. This has long been the “Secret Weapon” used by ALL bill collectors! Essentially, they can call any of your other creditors and share [...]
Developing Your Own Powers of Observation
The power of observation is simply the ability to see clearly, retain, and then record your observations accurately.
Proper use of this basic principle in all investigative processes not only helps develop solutions to difficult questions, but it teaches investigators who use it to reason analytically in each step of their investigation. Skip tracers must [...]
The Liability of Skip Tracing Assignments
In recent years private investigators have come under increasing scrutiny and pressure from zealous privacy advocates, national and state lawmakers and perhaps most importantly attorneys and civil courts. Numerous courts have recently held that information brokers and private investigators can be liable for the harms caused by selling personal information without just cause or [...]
29Jun2009 | Scott Harrell | 5 comments | ContinuedInvestigative Telephonics and Traplines- Part 2
Part 1 in this series can be read by clicking here
DELIVERY NOTICES AND DELIVERY POSTCARDS
I developed this idea several years ago to increase my success rate with process serving. It was an incredible concept that never failed me, not one time. With the concept of the traplines and calling cards, I developed the [...]
Investigative Telephonics and Traplines- Part 1
Legally using telephonic information to find your skips and determine useful information.
Over 20 years ago, when I started my investigative agency, I asked as many investigators as I could what the most valuable tool in their arsenal was. The dominant answer (other than our skills) was the telephone. About 10 years ago I [...]
Finding People Through Public Records on the Internet
The term “public record” has always been VERY misleading. Even though a record is “public” and available for public scrutiny in the strictest sense, in reality it may not be readily available. The availability of numerous public records via the Internet has addressed some of the accessibility issues and, in turn, has been a tremendous [...]
27Mar2009 | Scott Harrell | 0 comments | ContinuedChild Abduction, Missing Children and Runaway Resources
The following resources have been selected as a starting point to assist private investigators who are working with parents who have experienced the tragedy of a child abduction or who have a child who has run away. As previously mentioned in the beginning of this text, it is paramount to begin these cases quickly [...]
22Jan2009 | Scott Harrell | 0 comments | ContinuedSkip Tracing: Intentionally Missing People
As I explained in my previous article, Introduction to Skip Tracing, classifying your subject as “intentionally missing” or “unintentionally missing” is very important and will assist you in determining which action to take and what information you will need in order to bring a missing persons assignment to a successful conclusion.
I’d like to describe each [...]
Private Investigators Looking for Runaway Children
How Do PIs Find a Runaway?
Many times as a private investigator you’ll receive a desperate phone call from a worried parent begging for help in finding a runaway. The novice PI might refer the parent to local police and call it a day. They know that databases are useless in finding a runaway since they [...]
Understanding Military Addresses
From time to time you are going to come across a military address while conducting a database search. Knowing what to do with the address, to whom it belongs, and what additional information can be gleaned from it can yield very important information! I learned a lot while I was in the Navy [...]
2Sep2008 | Scott Harrell | 1 comment | Continued
Identifying the Owner of a Website
Have you ever wanted to identify the owner of a website? The WHOIS database contains domain name ownership information. A domain name, or URL, or web address, is registered through a domain name registrar, who in turn reports registration information to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) so that there [...]
1Sep2008 | Scott Harrell | 1 comment | ContinuedUsing Email To Locate People
You can use email to locate people but I’ll tell you up front that the success rate when you have email information available, either a subject’s known email address or an intact copy of an email received from the subject, can be fairly low.
1Jul2008 | Scott Harrell | 1 comment | Continued
