As a private investigator, part of your job is to find missing people.  It can get exciting and it takes a lot of common sense, creativity, hard work and long hours – something you can look forward to if you will be looking for people who don’t want to be found, such as debtors who suddenly disappear with someone else’s money.  Here are some common sense tips you can use in tracing absconding debtors:

Learn the law.
The past few years saw some controls imposed on tracing agents and private investigators when it comes to the ways and means they use to find absconding debtors.  Recent changes implemented include the necessity to collect data without deception and for a limited number of purposes only. 

‘Fairly obtained’ will mean that as a private investigator trying to trace absconding debtors, you will need to inform your source of information about your identity and what purpose the data will be used for.  That means that the old P.I. style of pretexting (’lying’ and ’stretching the truth’) will be considered unfair and immoral.  Obtaining an absconding debtors’ tax details through impersonation, for example, will not be allowed.

Grab a copy of the 1998 Data Protection Act first to see what types of restrictions are in place.  You’ll find certain data collection requirements here, very important if you want to be operating according to what is legally imposed.

Gather recent information and work backwards.
You’ll need to find out about the absconding debtor’s last known address and his place of employment.  You can then start your investigation here, gathering information from family, neighbors, landlords, friends and co-workers. 

Use public-access records.
These include credit reports, phone directory listings, social security, information on public tax, utility bills (gas, water, electricity, etc.), job application info, credit card applications and checks on the debtor’s criminal background.  These information are legally available to you as a private investigator, so no need to worry about breaking the law.

Make online searches.
Don’t underestimate online search engines.  You’d be surprised at the kind of information you’ll find here.  Start with Google, MSN Search and AltaVista, among others.  If that debtor has an entry or a webpage to his name, you’ll find it online.  You can also use free people search services, such as those offered by SkipEase.com and other similar services.

Cross-reference available data.
Still missing the absconding debtor?  Try cross-referencing data to see if a second or third party can point you to where the debtor is, or at least provide you with some useful information.

Try other sources of information.
Police records and publications are also excellent sources of data when trying to trace absconding debtors.  If the person has a prior record with the police or had been involved in an unrelated case such as traffic violations, complaints, crime, etc., you can find useful information here.

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