This specific site was
only live for six months
before it was taken down,
but many skiptracers used
the site for a small window
of time.
Social networking Web
sites also exist for skiptracers
to trade information and
discuss new opportunities and
resources.
Public Records
Online public records can be
important cybertracking tools.
“It used to be that public
records were available to us, but
the holders of the information
told you when, how and where you
could look at them,” Brown said.
“As times have changed, all the data
has become electronic and is readily
There are three things everyone
must have to survive: food, shelter and
transportation. Each of these necessities
can create a public record. Food needs
to be cooked, and electricity and gas are
used in that process. There are public
records for utilities. Food also needs
to be disposed of, and there are public
records for waste disposal.
For shelter, skiptracers can look
through property records, property
tax records and even utility records. If
the consumer is living in an apartment
building, most management companies
run a credit check. Having a form
of transportation also generates
registration, warranty, accident and
insurance records.
“All you have to do is learn to access
those public records to get to the
consumer information,” Brown said.
Skiptracers can use public records as
historical data to intuitively anticipate
where someone is going.
“During the skiptracing process,
we will often find professional and
recreational licenses, but the skiptracer
must determine where a person might
go to use a professional or recreational
license in order to track that person
down; simply knowing the license
number doesn’t do any good if you do
not know where the license might be
used,” said Eric Schoep, marketing
director for Conrad Credit Corporation
in Escondido, Calif.
live skiptracer,” Schoep said. “It
doesn’t matter how many systems and
resources are used if someone doesn’t
know how to interpret the information
accurately.” cm
Emily Grace is ACA International’s
communications specialist.
Directories
Useful directories can include church
directories or homeowner association
directories, along with the traditional
telephone, criss-cross or R.L. Polk
directories.
“Think about directories and get
outside the box,” Brown said. “Don’t
only think about the traditional ones.”
The speed at which data is updated
is also important to keep in mind. Is
the database on a delayed feed where
the company may only update their
information once a month, or is the
company using a real-time data feed
where the data is updated as the changes
are being made? If the database is on a
delayed feed, when is the data updated?
While advancing technology has
made gathering consumer information
easier, skiptracers need to use their
knowledge and reasoning skills to
interpret the validity and accuracy of the
data.
“Despite technological advances,
there is still no replacement for a
To purchase a recording of ACA’s
Cybertracking Tips and Trends
teleseminar, visit http://www.
acainternational.org/store.
For information about using social
media Web sites to find consumers, see
“Don’t Skip the Web” in the July 2008
issue of Collector.
26 I January 2010 Collector
